July 31: North American Kennes (Karin Kazakevich)

July 31, 2013

Blog Author: Karin Kazakevich

Think back to when you were an exuberant and curious child. Do you remember the shrill of excitement that ran down your spine the night before Hanukkah? Or can you recall checking each day on the calendar before Purim because you were eager to wear your costume and celebrate? Well, while the end of the North American Kennes would seem presumably upsetting, it is undeniable that this morning there was no greater force felt than the sheer power of anticipation that filled the air of Givat Haviva. After an early breakfast the North American cohorts sat waiting anxiously for their Israeli counterparts to come the same way you would wait for a close relative at the Arrivals section of the airport. Indeed, the yelling, cheering, hugs, tears of joy, and more that all the Diller Teen Fellows felt was parallel to finally spotting dear “Saba and Safta” as they come through those familiar doors ready for their usual visit. Although it has only been [barely] two days without the Israelis, the feelings in our Toronto cohort were unanimous; we missed them more than a child misses their favourite toy. Indeed, having finally reunited with our other half was incredible and what was just North American Keenness had magically transformed overnight to the Diller International Congress. Perhaps that’s a major part that I haven’t yet touched on, the incredible fact that there are currently Diller Teen Fellows from 16 Israeli and North American cities and that have finally all been united. Right down to the roots, we’ve been on the same journey and with the opening ceremony led by Tal Gale and Liat Cohen-Raviv, it is impossible to ignore the overwhelming sense of community and even more importantly, the true sensation of unity between the fellows.

After the opening ceremony, a handful of Israelis from all over Israel (including places like Upper Galilee, Haifa, Bash Banash, and more!) joined our respectfully named tribes as we started another round of [literal] “icebreakers” (No really, one of our “Getting to know you” games including breaking a huge block of ice, and it was totally awesome) After this we started into what I can now call the beginning of our intellectual journey on the topic of Jewry and looking back on it, we had no idea how stimulating and eye-opening the next couple of discussions were going to be. As mentioned in the previous blog, the incredible speaker Avraham Infeld mentioned the 5 legs of the Jewish table and our next few units including looking at the legs in depth. Over the course of the afternoon and evening we studied two in specific detail, Family and Covenant, and what they meant to the world of Jewry and more importantly, to ourselves. From sharing rich family history to debating the story of Mt. Sinai the discussions that were led today were streamlined through a highly intellectual and thought provoking process that I see as very unique to Diller itself. Nothing about these units seems prescribed but rather, the fellows are free to interpret them as they please which is perhaps one of the most valuable facets of the program. After the nightly “Magal Laila” with the Toronto team, it was time to have fun and let loose at White Tent after such an exhausting [mentally just as much as physically] day. Congress itself is like nothing we could have imagined but equally, we really can’t imagine ourselves anywhere but here.