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Web of Hate
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Israelis add a personal touch
Mechina students participate with five Canadian Birthright groups.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
In this second of a two-part scries on the Birthright experience, the Bulletin looks at what happened when some Israelis joined a recent group from Vancouver.
The purpose of the Birthright Israel program is to provide young Jews with their first opportunity to experience Israel and its Jewish traditions in an organized fashion.
The id ea is that 10 days of touring the Holy Land, studying the struggles of its people and experiencing thousands of years of tradition will provide enough inspiration for some of the participants that it will change how they live the rest of their Jewish lives.
In the most recent trip, five of the 21 groups from Canada had an even more unique Israel experience during their program: they were joined by a dozen or so Israelis their own age who were full participants in the 10-day program.
The Israelis are part of a group called the Mechina, which is a preparatory program for young leaders about to enter the army. The group of 42 young Israelis have been spending the year working and studying together at Kibbutz Maayan Baruch in northern Israel, where they are developing their leadership and communication skills.
They joined the five Birthright groups for practical experience. Throughout the trip, the Israelis developed relationships with the Canadians, shared stories of Uicir difierent lifestyles and led programs to teach the Canadians about life in Israel and the army.
Some of the programs includ-
"The Israelis were the best part of the trip."
-AvivaKote
ed an interactive debate on ethical decisions made by members of the Israel Defence Force and a discussion about a hypothetical scenario examining whether or not Israel should relocate in order to prevent war.
"There's no better way for a Canadian participant to experience Israel than through the eyes of an Israeli counterpart," said Zoe Hein, the Western Canada representative for Birthright Israel. "At the end of a trip, [participants] don't remember what Harod built or how lush the north was," said Hein. "They remem-
Members of tlie Mecliina lead tlieir Canadian friends on an army training mission whiie carrying a mock wounded soldier on a stretclier.
ber the impact of the Israeli kid who taught them a word in Hebrew or who taught them something about their homeland."
Every Birthright group spends at least a day of programming with a group of young Israelis. However, because of a connection between Western Canada and the Galilee Panhandle region of Israel, a joint effort began between Birthright and the Mechina.
"I would have to say that the Israelis were the best part of the trip," said Aviva Kolet, one of the Vancouver participants. "Not only did we become great fiiends, but we were able to learn from them.
"I also found it interesting to debate with them about difierent ideas concerning Israeli issues and the army," she continued. "Their attitudes changed the way I think about many aspects of Jewish life."
Richa Dwor, another local participant, said her new Israeli fiiends challenged her notions of war, Zionism and Judaism.
"Their involvement was the difference between an informative and fun tour and an intense and personally challenging journey."
Avner Matan, one of the 14 Israelis who travelled with the Vancouver bus, said he was surprised how much he personally gained from the 10-day experience.
•"I thought this was going to be 10 days of sitting on the bus and taking a look at tourist sites we all saw too much," he said. "However, the experience was as enriching for me as much as it was for the Canadians.
"For the first time, I thought about what it would be like to live anywhere else but [Israel] and not be able to visit all these great places whenever I wanted and that changed the way I look at things."
Matan said tlie members of the Mediina identified witli tlie name of the trip. Birthright, in a different way than the Canadians did.
"I realized that it was also a huge right for us because we got the right to represent Israel," he said. "We, 42 18-ycar-olds, were the ones who spent 10 days with the Canadians as an example of Israelis. I think that's a huge right and obligation." □
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Where do our souls go?
This life - not the next - is what matters in Judaism.
PAT JOHNSON REPORTER
What happens after we die? Most religions have very specific answers to this question, most involving some variation on heaven and hell. In Judaism, however, there is no such certainty. In fact, it may be a subtle breach of God's will to even speculate on what might come after tliis life.
Tliis subject was tlie topic of a Lunch and Learn session witli Rabbi Charles Feinberg of Beth
Israel last month. As he explained, death has a veiy certain moral purpose in Judaism, but only insofer as it reminds the living to make the most rfevery day.
There may be something after this life," he said. "But we must devote ourseh-es to this life."
Although there are several brief and somewhat cryptic references in the Torah to another life, there are, in fact, no explic-
Please see DEATH on page 15
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