Etgar Weekly Update by Sophie Phillips and Sharon
Things have been very busy in Etgar this week. Everything has really set off with Square, we’ve been constantly busy getting our peulot for Etgar Sikkum Sem ready, and rehearsing for the CD. This week during Yom Tnua, Yachad came to talk to us about the conflict and the two state solution and some of us got the opportunity to go on a trip to the Knesset and observe a meeting between all the members of the Knesset which was really interesting. On Thursday we visited the Rabin Museum in Tel Aviv, who we are all big fans of. We learnt a huge amount about the history of Israel and Rabin’s life. We finished the day with one of our final date nights together. The rest of the week has been pretty packed with Square rehearsals, watch the video below to see all the things we have been practicing, and make sure to tune in to the live stream next week!
Here are a few quotes we have collected from all the Etgarniks about what Etgar means to them-
“Etgar is a hole in the fabric of space and time where a select few people are brought together simultaneously, almost at random, to occupy the same flat. Our task is to create; create a community, create a better society, create friendships, create memories, create ideologies and, in a lot of ways, create the versions of ourselves that we want to be in our adult lives. Etgar has completely changed my outlook on life, people and myself in a way I don’t think any other experience could ever replicate.”
“Etgar is the first time I have felt that i have similar minded people looking to achieve great things in the world all pulling and inspiring eachother to do better.”
“Etgar has pushed me and enlightened me like nothing I’ve ever experienced, every day I’m filled with more and more love for everyone around me and I’m so thankful to of had the chance to do this.”
“Etgar to me is a place where I am able to challenge every aspect of my life, I can take advantage of all the opportunities I have and use them to better who I am as a person in every way”
“Etgar has given me the opportunity to blossom to my full creative potential, and I am endlessly grateful that I have had the chance to unlock the best side of myself”
“Living out my ideology in Etgar with people from all over the world is the definition of what a kvutsah means to me, I love everyone of my stressed, tired Etgarniks”
“Etgar isn’t just a “bunch of kids in a flat”- Etgar is a place where kvutzah can be formed, where people grow and where dreams come true #hagshamafordays “
“Etgar means challenge and this is exactly what it is. You challenge yourself, your values, ideas, the group… Its the best experience you can have in order to grow.”
“I’ve learnt that communal living is the most difficult but rewarding experience, I’ve learnt that reform zionism is going to save the state of Israel, I’ve learnt that Netzer is simultaneously the most flawed and yet also the greatest movement on the planet, I’ve learnt that empowerment through education really can change the world, but most importantly I’ve realized that if I can’t dedicate my life to all the causes I’ve grown to be passionate about in the last 4 months, then no one can. As I reach the end of my experience here, I can’t help but notice that I am the most empowered I have ever felt in my life – and that’s not going away any time soon.”
Machon Weekly Update by Ben Reiff
The end is nigh, and its imminence is pervasive; you can feel it in the classrooms, in the dining room, in the boys’ and girls’ corridor, on the football court, in conversations, in thoughts…
Our second and final closed shabbat brought the whole of Machon together for prayer, games, reflection, photos and falafel. The community spirit we’d talked about trying to create at the start of Machon 3 months ago was finally evident, in the ease with which we can simply be with one another now.
Limmud Week followed, with discussions on pornography, the future of humanity and the brilliance of Tim Minchin in particular standing out among the peer-led sessions I attended, in addition to talks on social development in South Tel Aviv and grassroots inter-religious peace-building from outside speakers.
Alongside all of this, my leadership class (masterminded by Machon Director Sarah Mali) has been equally active, squeezing in classes between limmudim and meals. It has been a particularly big week for Netzerniks in this class, with several of us presenting our adaptive challenges to the group this week for diagnosis. The idea of psychoanalysing and being psychoanalysed by our peers in a group setting still bemuses and sometimes frustrates us, but with practice we’ve become adept at looking between the lines and digging for underlying roots to each other’s challenges, before providing ideas for action steps the presenter could undertake.
I’m very grateful I’ve had this opportunity before the end of shnat, and what’s certain is that shnat will not be the end of this process; rather it will be the beginning.