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.