Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The second ever Ken Boston event!
After a very successful Shabbat dinner two weeks ago, our Bostonian affiliate is taking the next step and having its second-ever Ken event on Sunday, 4.26: a Boston Tea Party at the Boston Common! In that sunny afternoon, we will explore our history and dig in more into this new community we create, which is the Boston Ken. It starts at 2pm, and we will finish by around 4pm. The drop-off and pick-up point is the crossing of Tremont street and Park street, right by the T station. Light snacks (and tea!) will be served. You can find more about it on our Facebook event page, or call me for any question at 646-509-4961.
And for the New Yorkers among us, get ready for our fancy Shabbat dinner next Friday! On May the 1st, at 6pm, the Radwells will kindly host us for a traditionally-Na'aleh Shabbat celebration, followed by a potluck dinner, followed by a Peulah. The address is 20 Plaza Street, Brooklyn, 11238, and all the details are on their way to your email inboxes.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Bowling-Purim party this Sunday
This Sunday, 3.8, our Ken event will be the unprecedented Na'aleh's super-awesome-fun Purim bowling party! It'll be held between 3pm to 5pm, at the Leisuretime Bowl on 625 8th avenue, between W40th and W41st streets. Counselors will be picking up kids from the exit of Port Authority bus terminal and subway station at 8th avenue and W42nd street and will walk with them to the bowling place. The party is 15$ per child, and it includes everything - admission to the bowling place, shoes rental and snacks. If you have two or more siblings coming, or you need financial aid, let us know and we might be able to give you a discount. And most important - costumes are mandatory!
So we hope to see everyone with us.
By the way - the Tu Bishvat Seder we had was great. Thanks for everyone who participated and/or helped (thanks Nina!).
Friday, January 30, 2009
Hello campers and parents!
Here are the details for the Tu Bishvat seder next week:
The event is on Sunday, February the 8th, from 4pm to 7pm. It's gonna take place in Town and Village synagogue, 334 E 14th street, between 1st and 2nd avenues, in Manhattan. Because of our expenses, we ask every participant to contribute 10$ for the food and the room.
The program is gonna be wonderful - we're gonna celebrate the Jewish holiday of the trees and earth in our own Habo way. There will be singing, talking, and a plenty of dry fruits! You're all invited, and other friends and families are invited also.
Hope to see you all, and Shabbat Shalom!
Amit
Friday, January 16, 2009
Operation Cast Lead
Dear Na'aleh family - Chanichim, families, staff and board!
For 21 days now, Israel is executing a massive military operation in the Gaza strip, called Operation Cast Lead. It began after the 6 months ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas, who controls the Gaza strip, had expired.
Should Na'aleh, or at least its staff (Tzevet), express an unambiguous statement that support or object this operation?
We've been struggling with this question for a while now. An answer we've come to is that education is not about dictating answers, but rather about asking questions together. We believe that in Camp, and in the Eizor throughout the year, we educate in light of certain values - the love and support of Israel; the striving for peaceful resolutions rather than violent ones; the equality of the value of human, with all the moral principles that comes from it - the obligation to work for a just and human world. We trust in every camper (Chanich or Chanicha) to form her/his own opinion on the conflict, which we hope that will come from those values, and out of a profound and free examination. And based on those values, we expect a moral stand towards the current operation. But not one that's dictated by sweeping statements that are black and white. Instead, a complex stand, that takes into account Israel's right to defend its civilians, plus the horrors and senselessness of war, and one that's not blinded by the unshakable "justice" of one extremeness or the other would be optimum.
We wish we could examine now, all of us together, the questions that have been raised in us all. We will do so, the next time we meet. But the war will not wait for our next Ken event, so until then, even if we can't do it in a form of a Peulah or a conversation, we urge you: examine reality profoundly, and after forming an opinion - act. Do what you feel is right. Protest, express an opinion, join a group, do any form of non-violent activism that you can. It is not our role to supply you with quick answers, but as soon as you can answer yourself, you're obligated to action. We do, however, feel that it's our role to give you some channels in which you can act:
These sites provide the opportunity to support the IDF soldiers or the people of southern Israel:
http://www.hagshama.org.il/
http://www.stogether.org/
http://www.jnf.org/site/
J-Street is a pro-Israel, pro-peace Jewish organization that calls for, and acts for, an immediate ceasefire:
http://www.jstreet.org/
Btselem is the Israeli center for human rights, and it provides information on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip:
http://www.btselem.org/
The IDF spokesperson has a You-Tube channel, in which it posts information on the operation, including information on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip and some exclusive documentations of Hamas' acts:
http://www.youtube.com/user/
These sites are trying to facilitate and promote dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians:
http://gnblog.com/
http://www.commongroundnews.
http://www.ynetnews.com/
With hope for better times to come
Shabbat Shalom
Aleh V'Hagshem
Avi (Rosh Eizor)
Jessie (Rosh Machaneh)
Amit (Shaliach)