Day 32 - Unity

To begin with, at the first day of the Zionist congress, (besides having to be at the hotel at 7am for the Mizrachi meeting!!) the youth found it completely hilarious that the 36th World Zionist Congress was opened by a person called 'The Zionist Elder.' I mean common seriously, do you want yet another reason for the anti-Semites of the world to hate us!?! =)

But as part of the congress, all 700 or so delegates were split up into 8 committees to discuss the resolutions put forward, before they were to be tabled to the entire congress on Thursday afternoon. As part of these committees, we attending siyurim (tours) pertaining to the topic of our committee. My committee was about the Future of Young Zionist Leadership, and we visited a small community just near Ma'aleh Adumim called 'Alon' - a community whose constituents are made up of 50% religious and 50% secular families.

This image is from the lookout point of the Yishuv, I liked the bare tree in contrast to the rolling hills..

Day 32 - Tuesday 15 June 2010

To me this was an incredible concept, and as the ex-Head of the Yishuv was explaining to us all the wonderful stories of the original establishment, it brought a smile to my face to hear that places like this did exist in Israel; the type of community based around mutual respect, unity and pluralism - things that we are taught are core values to our moral and ethical place in society in the Melbourne community.

We went to the Midrasha that they have, a place for continued study post-army - again, for men and women together, religious to secular and learnt with the students there, and then had a Shiur from the head of the Midrasha, Michah Goodman - which was incredible. Apart from that, I found amazing that on the wall, they had one one of those usual calendars, tracking Jewish History from the dawn of time, through the Batei Hamikdash..Tanaim, Amoriam..Rishonim, Achronim - but instead of continuing on the Achronim seciton or calling it the Acharon Achronim seciton, the next section, beginning at the turn of the 20th Century, was called 'Zionism' - 'ציונות' which made me smile and contemplate this concept for a while.

Before the evening section of the congress, which was a tribute concert to the Youth Movements, we had a two hour break or so, so Frank, one of the other Mizrachi delegates from Sydney asked me and some others to join him for a drink in the hotel lobby. We thought why not have a beer and watch the soccer - so we joined him. Well, one beer turned into three, and I don't know how many Frank knocked back, but let's just say that to the others the concert was a little boring, but we enjoyed it! =p

Needless to say, the first day of the congress was great fun - looking back, it was one crazy week and these first two days did foreshadow it completely! At Binyanei Ha'Umah at 7am and leaving no earlier than like 11pm..it has been crazy!

Another thing I forgot to add, was in the afternoon before the Siyurim, we gathered a quick minyan to pray Mincha (the afternoon service). For me, it was an incredible feeling to pray together in Binyanei Ha'Umah - not because of the specific building, but because of what was going on. Over 700 Jews from all walks of life and numerous countries around the globe were gathering together for the conference of world Zionist Jewry. When I said the paragraph of:

'תְּקַע בְּשׁופָר גָּדול לְחֵרוּתֵנוּ. וְשא נֵס לְקַבֵּץ גָּלֻיּותֵינוּ. וְקַבְּצֵנוּ יַחַד מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפות הָאָרֶץ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', מְקַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי עַמּו יִשרָאֵל
Sound the blow of the great Shofar of our freedom, and fulfill the miracle to gather in the exiles, and we will gather together from all four corners of the globe. Blessed are you HASHEM, who brings together the nation of Israel.'

I couldn't help but smile and thoroughly enjoy that prayer..It is a memory that will stay with me forever..

But keep smiling! =)