Innovative Leadership

DAY 4: Innovative Leadership July 5, 2017

Storyteller of the day: Jaimie Levett

Today was an action-packed day filled with many ups and downs. We started off the day with a hike through the Negev and throughout the hike we stopped a few times to do some activities. One activity that stood out to me was our tour guide had us all sit and lie comfortably in a shady area of the desert in complete silence. I found this very meaningful because it allowed us to appreciate the silence and truly soak in our surroundings. Despite the fact that this hike was very difficult and tiring, it was worth it in the end because it led to David Ben-Gurion's tomb over-looking a beautiful view of the Negev. We learned that Ben-Gurion lived the end of his life in a simple house on Kibbutz Sde-Boker and asked to be burried in the same area. Next we went to the Culinary Queens of Yerucham. There we ate delicious food and learned about the cultures and histories of the people that live in Yerucham. It was so cool to experience the diversity of Israel first hand. After that we went to the Desert Shanti House which is a therapeutic village for youths at risk. The village was incredible and we got the chance to hear someone's story and experience in the Desert Shanti House. He grew up there and now works there as a dance instructor. Something I took away from this experience was that every Friday night the youths in the village stand up and say the best part of their week. This inspired me to ask all the fellows what the best part of the past few weeks has been during our Ma'agal Lailah. We ended off the night with Neil Lazarus coming to speak to us. He is an expert on Middle Eastern politics. He was very smart, funny, and knowledgeable. He answered any question we had and we truly learned a lot. Overall, it was an amazing day and a great way to end off our time on the kibbutz.