Affirmations with my Friends
On Friday, our group had the incredible experience of visiting a grade school as part of a community service project partnership with JUF in Chicago in Kiryat Gat, a small city in the southern district of Israel. All of us sat in the library until the kids, most around the ages of 7 or 8, filed in. They were adorable to say the least and seemed excited to spend the next two hours doing activities with us! They sang us a few songs in English and then we joined them in their classroom for arts and crafts. Every student was given a thin piece of wood in the shape of an animal or house to decorate with pebbles, stones, and tiny tiles. The teachers played Israeli music as the students worked on crafts, which inspired several of the students to spontaneously get up and dance.
At one point, my student, Aviv, got up to dance with his teacher and she twirled him around and around. In America, they never play music while the students work, let alone dance with the teachers! It was so much fun to watch and be a part of. After arts and crafts, we went to the courtyard to dance. It was really hot and all of us were sweating five minutes in, but it was some of the most fun I've ever had. The students weren't shy at all and grabbed our hands to dance with them in circles and teach us their dance moves.
Afterwards we visited Har Herzl, Israel's military cemetery in the heart of Jerusalem. We walked through all of the different sections, talking about the soldiers' dedication and sacrifices for preserving the Jewish State. I learned that in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), the commander is expected to lead by example, which means being at the front of the line in the most dangerous situations. Therefore, many of the graves we saw were for commanders who had lost their life trying to protect their unit. Those in the IDF who were on our trip - and like family to us at this point - shared personal stories of those they knew who lost their life in military. It was heartbreaking to hear stories of people our age or younger dying. It gave me perspective on the reality of war and how destructive it is for society. More than anything, I hope for a peaceful solution between the two states so that no more young people have to die on either side.
The next day, on Shabbat, our closing activity for the day was one of my favorites of the entire trip.
First, we shared some of our favorite moments from the trip and what they meant to us. Then, our tour educator, Itay, got out a spool of black yarn from his bag and told us to choose one person from our trip who affected us in some way, explain why, and then pass the yarn along. Based on people's stories, it was clear how close our group had become in ten short days. For me personally, I had numerous people in mind who I was ready to share a memory with, which goes to show how many great people came on this trip.
Lastly, we closed by numbering off into two groups. We formed a two ring circle, with group number one sitting in the grass an arm's length apart from one another. The only rule was that the group sitting down had to close their eyes. Group number two's job was to go around and pat people on the back for statements they agreed with such as "touch someone who you've learned something from" or "touch someone who you want to have a deeper conversation with;" after about 5 minutes of this, we traded roles.
I loved this activity because it was like giving affirmations with words and touch: a powerful combination! I felt an overflowing sense of peace and happiness spreading affirmations to my new friends and then sitting down to receive them--with my eyes closed, hearing the wind, feeling the sun on my back, and the hands of my friends; some of whom lightly tapped my shoulder, bopped the bun on top of my head, moved their fingers in a creepy crawly way, or reached down to embrace me and all that we'd learned together.
Photo Credits: Header Image-@novaettedgui, Image 1-@heelahnadler, Image 2-@noyran
