So my time has come, its the end of my three months in my Partnership city Rehovot. It is pretty sad but I think it was the perfect amount of time. I got to say goodbye to the babies in the gan I work in as well as the second graders at the afterschool program and as well as the special needs teens that I saw twice a week. It was my second shabbat in Rehovot, just how times played out I was traveling all the time this track which was nice (tiring though). We got our last shabbat sponsered by Birthright where you can invite up to 16 people if you register in advance and get 100 shekel per person. It was a lot of fun, we had a the six girls from rehovot (some ... read more

It has been many years since I have dressed up for purim. I didnt even dress up when I was running my youth groups purim carnival. This year was a little different. i was in israel and every single person doesnt matter on your age I have noticed gets in the spirit of dressing up. So I was innovative, and decided to dress up as a twister board. The front of the tshirt was the spinner, and the back was the board. A lot of Otzmanikim decided to go into Ta and go to flourintine and have a good time. This is where I spent my new years eve same place different street party. LA,SD,NY and a couple other people were there. We all went to the apt in TA to hang out first and get ... read more

My aunt Roz is here again but this time for work. She works for the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. She is here planning the logistics of the trip for the constituents and I get to help out a little. She invited me to hear Ehud Olmert and dinner, then as well as hear Tzipi Livini and Bibi Netanyahu. It is very interesting time to have all these high political speakers come talk because elections just took place and we have no government yet. I was able to help by volunteering and helping get thing prepared for each of the speakers. Ehud Olmert has been speaking to this conference for many years, and he even said this is the only time where he hasnt just been running for office. He seemed very relaxed ... read more

This part we only had two seminars.. one which was a mifgash (encounter) with israeli young adults our age as well as a conflict and hope seminar. The mifgash was a lot of fun, I was in a group with past Ramah counselors and we got to reminisce about our time staffing there and what not. Nothing has changed in Ramah Berkshires it is kinda sad, but I heard Rabbi Resnick is leaving and for this coming summer 2009 there will be a new director. That should be interesting. It seemed very forced nature and some Israelis didn't feel comfortable to speak that much English all the time so for some parts we had a language barrier. I wish that the email list that they said would go out.. would go out and it hasnt yet ... read more

Part two is finally beginning. I was extremely ready to move here from Beer Sheva and to see what is too come. We moved here Jan 4th and had a week of touring our different volunteer places. My schedule got switched a bunch of times, and this is the final version. I am working in a kindergarten and a couple matnasim. In the afternoon in one I work with an after school program for kids with special needs, and then the evening with at risk teens. The other night that I work is an evening program for kids with special needs and then lastly I work at an after school program called a tzharon for kids to have a place to go when the finish school at 1230. I started volunteering the first week and it ... read more