Date: July 20, 2016
Author: Arielle Shannon
Theme: Congress, Day 3

After eating a delicious breakfast, made divine by the presence of chocolate milk and coffee, the cohort embarked on a journey to Tel Hai Memorial site, where we were to watch a meaningful presentation and be sorted into our groups for the next part of our day. Each of the tribes was partnered with another, and together we went on seperate buses, every bus to its own unique activity. The tribe in which I was a member went to see a news reporter and a spokesperson, both experts on the issues present in the Golan. They described some of the difficulties faced by reporters, their jobs made more challenging by the rise of social media, forced to balance the importance of confirming the accuracy of information and being the first to publish a report. They also outlined how one can look for different angles in a potential story, and use them to engage people in bringing change. When the hour of lunch began to draw near, we departed on our bus to return to the campus wherein resides the most amazing machine in existence: the hot drinks vending machine. Now, some may dispute this point, asserting that the outputs of this marvelous contraption lack the quality that they desire, however, having personally examined these drinks in great detail, I can attest to the inaccuracy of these accusations. Upon arrival at the campus, we consumed our meals of sandwiches with water and chocolate wafers, accompanied by the heart shaped chunks of ice cream that we called dessert. We were also given the opportunity to interact with members of other cohorts before heading to our next program. We had a total of two programs, that afternoon, the first, a discourse on the relationship between Israel and jews abroad, and the second consisting of "inspiration dates". The "inspiration dates" were meetings with current jewish leaders, where they led discussions on topics they considered relevant. Afterwards, we returned to our hostels for our nightly menu of ma'agal and networking space, before heading off to our rooms for our journey into sleep.