From the Desk of Yossi Garr

February 5, 2008

Dear Parents,

I am happy to announce that your children have made it safely to their second semester destination. Though the snowstorm that hit Jerusalem caused a delay in the arrival of the luggage from Jerusalem, by Thursday afternoon the group was all settled into their apartments in the Ye'elim absorption center. After a few days of orientation – tours of the area and information on the many volunteer opportunities which are available – the group spent an enjoyable Shabbat together in Beer Sheva. Bright and early on Sunday morning, each Nativer began his/her volunteer job. Though it might take time for the group to fully acclimate to its new home, I have heard positive feedback about the first few days both from Nativers and from their staff. The one glitch we are still dealing with is the lack of internet for the group; this is due to a mix up with the internet company. We are hoping that this issue will be resolved no latter then this coming Monday.

At the end of vacation, in mid-January, the entire group of Nativ came back together for the Israel Experience week. During that week, 25 Nativers traveled to Poland and learned about the vibrant past of the Jews and the tragic atrocities of the Holocaust. Through their prayer, song and love of Judaism, they returned a spark to this once-glowing community. Other Nativers spent a week volunteering at Beit Rothenberg in Haifa, digging at an archaeological site in northern Israel and sweating in Gadna with the Israeli army. At the end of that week we came together back in Jerusalem to watch the Oscar-nominated film Beaufort and hear from Ron Leshem, the author of the book on which the movie was based. This film about the withdrawal from Lebanon was quite profound and chilling.

During the next week, Nativers were exposed to the many nuances within Israeli society including the complications in the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Israeli secular-religious divide and the polarities within Israeli politics. We heard from an Israeli Arab, a Hassidic man, a Peace Now activist and a resident and activist in the settlements. Each person we spoke to shed light on the unique experiences of Israelis and Jews. We also had the opportunity to visit Dialogue in the Dark in Holon, people who are blind led the group through various unlit set-designed rooms – a hunting lodge, a seaport, a sidewalk, etc. – in which Nativers were forced to use their other senses, especially that of touch, to guide themselves safely through the museum. It was quite an "eye-opening" experience.

We then packed up and left Jerusalem and began to head south. We hiked through the Arava and Eilat mountains and on the way spent a night in a Bedouin tent and three wonderful days, including Shabbat, at Kibbutz Ketura. During Shabbat, we sang, prayed and felt first-hand the power and intensity of the community we have built over the past five months. It was quite apropos to experience the strength of our community as we learned about the classic Israeli community of the kibbutz. After a relaxing end of the trip in Eilat, the group moved to Yerucham.

We were all saddened by the events that took place in Dimona earlier this week. The Nativers were all notified of what happened and the security guidelines were reviewed. At this point we have been notified by the security authorities and our partners at the Jewish Agency and Israel Experience that there is no immediate change in the regular security guidelines.

After a first semester filled with wonderful experiences, I am confident that the second half of the year will be just as, if not more, meaningful and enjoyable for all Nativers.

B'shalom,

Yossi Garr