July 12th-13th Shabbat During Staff Week: Alon Faitelis (North American)

I've almost forgotten what quiet sounds like....
Although lady Shabbat's arrival was due Friday afternoon, the real guests of honour that day were out Israeli staff counterparts, whose long-awaited arrival was a little nerve wrecking yet at the same time thrilling for us all. We'd been expecting the Israelis, made up if a mix of friends both old and new, to be loud.
And they were.
Luckily, I feel it's safe to say that most of us became quickly accustomed to their restlessness demeanour and may even be starting to adopt it as our own...
This became more so evident throughout the following day. Shabbat is a peaceful time meant for calm and rest, which are two things we got very little of. Instead, our morning and afternoon was filled with an array of activities (such as the wonderfully run giant dice throwing and ODT) which challenged us both physically as well as mentally, and tested  our capabilities in regards to working together as the team that we are. Oh, and I forgot to mention- our ability to make lots of noise.
So while some peace and quiet may be nice, I'm not too sure I miss it just yet.
-Alon from Montreal/Bashbanash

July 15th, Monday During Staff Week: Felicia Tissenbaum (North American)

• On Monday July 15th, the entire international junior staff of Diller had a day full of introductions, Jerusalem, t-shirts, Tisha B'Av, and a candlelit night circle. As the full day of the staff Pre-ISS training seminar, we had a lot to do and get done. First we were introduced to the Israeli coordinators from all the different partnership cities which was a nice way to dive into the day. From there, we broke into our Tribes for Congress and continued planning and going over the programming to better prepare ourselves for the storm ahead. These meetings are probably the most difficult but also the most important because they build the foundation for the conversations and enlightenment that Congress hopefully brings to its participants.
  After piecing together Congress little by little, we boarded a bus to Jerusalem and drove to Ben Yehuda Street. Though a familiar street to any tourist, we found ourselves wandering on a side street into a small t-shirt store named NU. This store was unlike any in Israel or the United States because its mission was to create thought-provoking and unique shirts to represent nonprofit organizations around Israel. The store then sells these shirts as a product, donating 20% of the shirt to its rightful organization. The owner's story was amazing and his work ethic was truly admirably because his company strives to do everything they can to better the organizations they work with by telling stories on such a simple canvas: tshirts. A bunch of staff members ended up buying shirts supporting specific causes that they felt passionate about. With NU as inspiration, we all headed out to the streets to try and create a t-shirt of our own that could represent all that Diller stands for.
  We then traveled to Israel's Jewish Federation campus to have an informative text study with Israeli schlihim about Tisha B'Av and what it commemorates. We talked with various Schlihim and discussed the destruction of the temple and how it effected the Jewish people. Today people now fast in memory of this sad day in the Jewish world and wonder when the next temple will be created.
  Shortly after finishing these meaningful discussions we walked to the nearby "house promenade" of Jerusalem, one of the most remarkable views in Israel. We had a night circle where we lit individual candles and expressed our love for our Junior staff cohort.
  It truly was a wonderful day full of thoughtful and meaningful activities.

July 14th Sunday During Staff Week: Andrew Geller (North American)

A mix of serious preparation and a bit of friendly competition

After a lovely Givat Haviva breakfast, the junior staff was once again, ready for an action packed day. Split into North American and Israeli groups, we planned programs for congress which show the great leadership opportunities the fellows will have once they graduate Diller, mainly Tzama and the Junior counselor position. From there, we split into our tribe groups for an intense planning session, delegating the many responsibilities that come with running congress. We then loaded up the bus and headed over to Tel Aviv. Once there, we split into groups for the In Our Streets scavenger hunt. For the next few hours, the Junior Staff was racing around Tel Aviv, finding locations and completing tasks. In an unusual turn of events, a woman approached each one of our groups, asking if we would assist her in pushing her broken down car. It turned out that she was testing us, and we were awarded bonus points for agreeing to assist her. We then all came back together for ice cream and a short reflection session. Then, we once again boarded the bus, this time, heading for the beautiful Tel Aviv coast. There, to cap off the day, we went out for a delicious pizzur dinner along the pier. Sunday was great day for the junior staff, bringing us closer together as we prepare for the hard work that comes ahead.

July 12th-13th Shabbat During Staff Week: Tomer Ram (Israeli)

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

Welcome to the Diller Junior Staff 2013 Blog

Welcome to the first ever Diller Junior Staff blog! Diller Junior Staff are all alumni of the programs who chose to continue their Diller journey in their senior year of high school. North American and Israeli junior staff work with their respective cities throughout the years, acting as mentors for the fellows and partners with the coordinates.
Israeli Tsama are also alumni of the program who focus on planning all the major seminars in Israel, including the two days when all the Israeli fellows meet for programming, and the seminar in the summer when all the fellows come together and form our international community.

The layout of the summer is as follows: 

• One week of staff training and preparation for Junior Staff
• A few travel days for each North American cohort on their own
• A week where each North American cohort is hosted in their partner city in Israel
• Two days where all the North American fellows come together to discuss what North American Jewry means 
• Five days where all the North Americans and Israelis come together to discuss the concept of peoplehood
• A few concluding days of travel with the partnerships. 

Throughout the trip, many of the cohorts put an emphasis on blogging and writing in journals both in order to share their experiences, but also as a tool to reflect. This blog provides the Diller Junior Staff the opportunity to reflect upon their experience and growth throughout their four weeks with Diller this summer. Over the next three weeks, various North American Junior Counselors and Israeli Junior Staff will be sharing their experiences with the international community right here on this page. Stay tuned for more blog posts, as we will update this as frequently as possible!