We arrived at Givat Haviva sometime in the afternoon. I was so excited to finally meet the North American Junior Counselors and spend the Shabbat with the Junior Staff. I can't deny that I had a few concerns. Will I find my place? How will I handle the language barrier? How are the American Junior Counselors going to feel about this Shabbat in particular and the seminar in general?
After some icebreakers and introductions we had time to get ready for Shabbat. At this point I felt better about those questions. I have met some new people and got used to speaking English in no time.
My tribes responsibility for this seminar was to plan the traditional white parade. Everyone dressed in white, singing, smiling, and celebrating the arrival of Shabbat. The vibe was electrifying. It made me feel like I am a part of something huge. It felt so weird to feel like a Chanich (fellow) again, like it felt the first time I could feel the connection to someone I've never met before only because we share the same history.
Later, we lit the Shabbat candles and had Shabbat dinner.
To sum up, I would say that what touches me every time is the fact that we all come from different places in the world, diverse cultures, speak different languages, belong to different sects, and have different opinions, but still, we all have on thing in common which unites us against all of the above- our Judaism.
-Tomer Ram
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