That's a Wrap...

96 hours. That's what we were given to come together and forge a path forward, together. It was at times INtense, and at othrrs it was simply tense. Our final exercise had us summarizing our time together in just two words. A sampling: New Family, Heart Warming, Game Changer, Caffeinated Collaboration. The toasts at dinner were flat out emotional. Keep your eyes open for news of a very special speaker in early March from our whirlwind weaving. Also coming in early March (2nd) is "The After Party," the next step as we roll out and share what we learned and what we hope to do as One United Community in the days and weeks ahead. So much to process, so many new friends, so much enthusiasm and renewed...dare I say, Faith...in our ability and interest in working more closely together. My personal commitment, agreed to by my incredibly supportive wife and partner at home, is to host a Shabbat dinner once a month, beginning with my fellow weavers and expanding ever outward. Interested in joining in? Or just learning more about the journey some thirty of your friends and fellows just completed - leave your name and coordinates in the comments section below and we can start a dialogue! Until then, Layla Tov from Ben Gurion airport and Shabbat Shalom! Much much more, and soon, I'm sure! xo Matt S.

Don't Stop; Be Weaving!

Day 4 started with a real kick in the...brain. I can't recall the last time I was as fired up as I was by the impassioned talk led by Dr. Zohar Raviv, Int'l. VP of Education of Birthright Israel. He shared 4 key tenets: "People surf, but don't dive;" an analogy for too much information, not enough knowledge. Next: the Jewish people have an incredible story, but our narrative is terrible - too based in negativity and crisis. His analogy here was "too much porch, not enough house." We need more understanding, more meaning behind what we identify as Jewish and more specifically, what we identify with! Then: HOW to be Jewish must win out over WHY be Jewish. He advocated strongly for a value-based rubric over one that is steeped solely in ritual. And lastly: Our perception of Israel must move beyond a geopolitical one; only then, on an even keel, can we build a collective narrative among Equals. On a deeper, more personal level, Dr. Raviv brought me peace regarding my son's recent decision to switch his college major from Education to Philosophy. Two quotes really struck me here: 1) The point of Education is to massage exclamation points back into question marks, and 2) Befriending ambiguity is the sign of a soul on its way to maturity. It was as if a light was turned on and I could understand the rationale behind my son's decision in a way I couldn't before. It was an unexpected and much appreciated gift. The sessions which followed were met with a new enthusiasm and our day wrapped with a visit to Birthright's Innovation Center at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The creativity, ingenuity and impact of Israel's entrepreneurs was both astounding and inspiring. I left the Center feeling as if anything is possible and I'm certain others did as well. This last quote, shared by our guide, was the perfect coda to the day: "Start as fast as you can, then slowly get faster..." As we head into our final day, I hope this sentiment motivates many if not all of us to keep the momentum going as we return home to engage our respective organizations and shared community in the days, weeks and months ahead. See you all soon! Shalom.

I Am, I Said...

In a short while we will depart our hotel in Jaffa for Jerusalem. The hotel lobby is abuzz with anticipation. Yesterday was...exhausting. We started at 8:15 and didn't get back to the hotel after dinner until 10:30pm. It was exhilarating to be sure, but it's a lot to process. I'm grateful for the hour-long ride ahead. How can we top yesterday's inspiration? I'm looking forward to finding out. In the meantime, I can't get one of my mother's favorite songs out of my head. It's the Neil Diamond classic referenced in this post's title. I always found the song a bit of a tease. But this morning I feel like I get it for the first time. As life goes on without us back home, it's an odd feeling. Combined with the hard work we're doing here, in a land that is ours, but isn't reallly home, I truly feel the dichotomy this morning. "I Am I Cried...I Am Said I...And I Am Lost And I Don't Even Know Why." On to Jerusalem.

And it's only the first day...

Thirty committed Jewish lay leaders and professionals from Rockland County sit in a beautiful room overlooking the Mediterranean in the ancient town of Jaffa from 8:30 in the morning until almost 6:00 pm. We represent twelve different Jewish organizations and we are here with the assistance of SIT (systematic inventive thinking) to learn, innovate, discuss, write, and think. But most of all, we are here to weave. 

We are here to weave our Jewish community together with enough strength and beauty to last m'dor l'dor, from generation to generation.

How exactly are we weaving? What will we hook onto the wood and anchors of our loom? How will we interlace the warp and weft of the threads? Our warp will be our call, our strivings, actions and teaching. Our weft will be our anchors, the safe people and places, our Jewish homes, our synagogues and schools and organizations.

The trick about weaving is that from where we stand below, it looks like chaos. There are knotted threads, frayed or cut, mistakes, uneven spots, mismatched colors. But on the front side, the top side, the side that is hidden from our view, perhaps even the side that God sees, there the weaving is perfect. The patterns are clear, the colors blended, the stitching precise. Our work thus requires just a little bit of faith.

We have come to Israel to learn how to weave because this land is the wellspring of Jewish inspiration for thousands of years. And we are inspired: Dadi Perlmutter introduces us to ideas of innovation and collaboration learned from 29 years in the leadership of Intel Corporation. We hear from the Israel company SpaceIL that is building the Israel lunar rover. http://www.spaceil.com/en/  We are amazed by Arnon Zamir, Founding Director of TOM, Tikkun Olam Make-a-thon. http://tomglobal.org/.  Inspired by the innovation all around us, we look back across the ocean toward home and think about ways to make the life of our Rockland Jewish community strong and vibrant.

And the work has only just begun...

Weaving - Day One!

Israel Blog, Day 1 (Sunday, Feb 5th): We started the day with a one hour drive to an "absorption center" just outside of Sederot. There, we met up with some of our fellow "weavers," plus our hosts, Rebecca Stern and Asher who introduced us to six young adults who were in the process of making Aliyah directly into the IDF as lone soldiers. These brave "kids," two women and four men, represented six different countries: Australia, Austria, Argentina, France, South Africa & The UK. As the oldest of six children myself, I'm delighted by this coincidence. Having served in the U.S. Army (1990-1994) after graduating from college, I hold a deep respect for those who choose to do so themselves. That they left their own countries for Israel and are beginning this new life stage by joining our renowned fighting force is nothing short of humbling. We toured their barracks, which included "safe rooms" -- you may recall Sederot is five minutes from Gaza, and until fairly recently was subjected to a horrifying daily barrage of missile fire from that contentious region. We wished our young new friends well, said our goodbyes and headed to Ashkalon for lunch and a reunion with an Ethiopian family that Bob Silverman had helped shepherd to Israel some years ago. Speaking of reunions, among our growing Rockland group were Mike and Fran Satran from NCJC. I was good friends with their son Mark when my family had been members of that congregation (some 35 years ago!). Funny how some people and relationships can come full circle. Next, we journeyed to Beit Ha Tikva for more reunions with our fellow participants (Andrea + Lisa) and four more emigrant families. Then back to the hotel for a quick change and meet-up with everyone! The energy is contagious! Thirty Rockland Jewish leaders ready to "figure things out." Lovely welcome from Gary and an impromptu d'var and prayer from Rabbi Ruberg (NCJC) and it's off to dinner at Regina. Technical difficulties didn't stop Dadi Perlmutter from inspiring the group with some wisdom. A few standout remarks: "Life can be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards." and "Sharing is power. Physical assets tend to be divisible, but ideas are additive!" And I loved this anecdote: in surfing, if you're in second place and all you do is follow the leader on subsequent "runs," you cannot win. You Must literally Zag, if the leaders Zigs and vice versa if you want any chance at coming out on top. And so... how will we zig-zag in the days ahead? Stay tuned!

Pre-Weaving, Shabbat Shalom!

Israel Blog - Day "-1": I awoke with a start at 8AM, a man on a mission. I arrived early because I wanted the Shabbat experience and I'm feeling "oh-for-one" after our misfortune the previous night. I made my way to Beit Daniel in Tel Aviv, billed as a "progressive reform" congregation and experience. I'd call it a spiritual bullseye. I arrived at 9:15, about twenty minutes before services would begin and played the role of observer to life around me as I had the day before. There would be a Bar Mitzvah today and young Noam was waiting in the lobby with his Ima for the broader family to arrive. My first truly touching moment came a few moments later. A large group arrived, led by a man who just had to be the Bar Mitzvah's uncle (he looked strikingly like the boy's mother). They embraced for a time that suggested to me it had been a while since they had seen each other. And then I heard the uncle utter (in Hebrew) what sounded like "as a little boy." His nephew took several steps back, sprinted and launched himself into his uncle's arms, who swung him around 360 degrees laughing - and crying, as were Mom and all the freshly assembled cousins. I felt like a secret witness to a treasured ritual amongst this family. If I had to return home the very next minute: whole trip - worth it. And we hadn't yet begun to pray...  A beautiful, if clearly unorthodox service followed. I was overdressed in a sportscoat. Jeans and hoodies were the "uniform" of the young man's peers and nary a tie in sight. Cell phones were out, taking pics and videos throughout the service. Casual but earnest, they began with Adon Olam and I felt immediately comfortable. Although entirely in Hebrew, I was able to follow the prayers and Torah service pretty well as many of the tunes were the same as ours. I learned that the congregation had just received a new scroll the prior afternoon and this Shabbat service was the first time they were reading from it! They sang Shecheyanu and danced a good long while with the Torah before returning it to the ark. What a joy it was to be a welcome part of this special day. After lingering a bit at the kiddish and congratulating the celebrating family, I took my leave and walked the four miles back to my hotel. Shabbat came to a close at 5:17 and I joined about a thousand fellow Jews and travelers to watch the sun set on The Mediterranean in Old Jaffa.  Great dinner with Gary and a longtime family friend, Dana Adler who is here with a different group (women's philanthropy) plus a pal of hers from YPO named Amir. He works as a facilitator and resolver of myriad conflicts. Check him out here with the book he's recently had published. It was fascinating to discuss US-Israeli and Israeli-Arab relations with a lifelong citizen of our homeland. And, as it turns out, there were more than a few thought-provoking ideas discussed which could help us in the days ahead. Excited to connect with other members of our "seminar" tomorrow morning in advance of our kickoff tomorrow afternoon. Until then, I'll try to dream about innovative thinking. 

Pre-Weaving Arrival

Israel Blog: Day "-2" (Feb 3rd 2017): The nine-hour, baby-kvetching, coach-seat-squirming, sporadically-turbulent flight behind me, the pilgrimage begins Friday morning at 6AM as we land and deplane in Tel Aviv, the sound of hundreds of people wishing one another Shabbat Shalom echoing in my ears all the way to baggage claim. A thirty minute cab ride and I'm in Old Jaffa, and the hotel lobby where the hotel clerk tells me it'll only be six hours (!) until my room is ready. It's different here without my family and fellow congregants. I knew it would be, but still, as I begin a very long walk along the Mediterranean, I feel a bit lonely - but far from alone. Shabbat is coming and you can feel it all around you. I struggle here to find the words to describe it. It's not a true work day and the walking path is full of people exercising, kibitzing and from my vantage point... anticipating.  Seven words. That's all I really need to get by here for the day: Shabbat Shalom! Todah Rabah. Cain, Lo and Bivakasha. Everything else is hand gestures and body language. Men are fishing, women are doing yoga on the beach and all manner of bikers, skaters, scooters and skateboards pass me by.  I meet up with Gary and we....walk some more. We're together now so it's decidedly less lonely. Some hours and many miles later we finally check in and I get a brief nap. Dinner comes after a failed attempt to find a Kabbalat Shabbat service in Tel Aviv, but the food and service are incredible and I get to bed early enough to reset my body clock to Israel time. That's my dessert pictured below. I hope my dreams are as sweet as the cheesecake that was underneath that chocolate and olive flake coating! Zzzzzz. 

Getting ready for Israel!

Right now, thirty representatives from Rockland County's Jewish agencies and synagogues are getting ready for a trip to Tel Aviv later this week, for a very exciting, first-ever Community Weaving seminar.

The seminar - which runs from February 5-9, 2017 - will be facilitated by Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT), and inspired by Israel's most creative and innovative thinkers and doers!

I have much to do to prepare, including setting up this blog so that seminar participants can all post to the blog during this amazing week of Community Weaving.

Please check back often for new posts from Israel!

Best,

Barry Kanarek, Director
Rockland Jewish Initiative