Another Seminar and First Farewells

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."  John Wooden

This weekend, we participated in our second-last Garin Tzabar seminar. At the beginning of my process with Garin Tzabar, I wondered what they would do to keep our workshops interesting as they went along, or how each one could maintain value. After all, four weekends on the same subject seemed a bit much.  Yet, they have all managed to develop the process for me. Israel, the army, immigration, living on a Kibbutz, culture shock, group dynamics, and the political climate are just a few areas we dealt with, in-depth, this time, alone.

In my senior year of high school, as for much of the rest of my life,  I was convinced that I was going to volunteer for the IDF as a lone soldier before college and that I knew the best way to do it. I had read about the army, I had spoken to friends who were serving or had finished their tours, and I had done my research, I thought, enough. I can safely say, three years later, that each new piece of information, discussion, or discovery just teaches you that you cannot know what the experience entails until it arrives. Although Brett and I have "done our homework" and exhausted every resource available to us for the past however-many months and years, the process itself is the only education that matters. That has been true for the period of "getting ready" as I'm sure it will prove, on a much more heightened level, at each new phase.

With that said, Garin Tzabar has been an amazing opportunity to prepare for the change we are about to make in our lives. For some examples of the kind of insight it gives to a prospective lone soldier, this weekend we were able to meet with a representative of the army, who presented us with information on the positions potentially available to us in the IDF. He entertained our curiosities and interviewed us personally with the goal of determining any obstacle which may stand in the way of eligibility requirements for our ambitions in the army. We also interacted with a panel of Israeli government representatives who shared, on a personal level, their experiences in the IDF, and offered words of advice (to the whole group and individually). Like at the other seminars, we had many discussions and group activities, and even had a surprise Saturday night trip to a roller-skating rink. (I didn't know places like that still existed!) It's good for us, too, that we have been able to connect with the people in our group and feel that we are building friendships which we will see us through some of the harder times to come.

The most important and meaningful moment of my weekend, though, was saying "farewell" to my fraternity brothers at my last chapter meeting ever as an undergraduate member of Beta Theta Pi. While I was at the seminar this weekend, I was missing my brothers, who were initiating twelve new Betas and then attending our "Formal," an end-of-the-year celebration which would have been the perfect way to spend quality time with the people who have made my college career everything that it has been. It was one of the first times that i have felt what it would mean, on a personal level, to sacrifice for this dream I have. Brothers called to say how much they missed me and sent text messages and pictures. It was a glimpse of the future, in many ways, for me.

Needless to say, the weekend away only built up to how extremely special my last chapter ended up being. We stayed until three in the morning to part ways with a brotherhood that has meant so much to us. I will never forget the words of support, the recollections of memories together, the feelings and emotions shared, and the outpouring of love I personally received, and it will be a comfort to me and something I carry with me always. It is fitting that I didn't have to say "goodbye" alone, and that there were so many of my closest friends beside me to feel it with me, being sent off on their own personal journeys.

To my brothers, thank you. I appreciate you endlessly and will never be the same for the impact you have each made on my life.       
                                                _ kai _ 

           A "farewell" gift with personal messages and signatures 


And don't worry, while the rest of the week, and those to come, will certainly be filled with bittersweet goodbyes and "see-you-laters," this will be my only post about it! With these first farewells behind me (along with two classes - three to go!) the pressure of tying things up at college has started to alleviate and I will be able to focus on enjoying my short time remaining here.

With the summer, and the date of our aliyah, fast-approaching, Brett and I will be enjoying plenty of vacation time with loved ones in different parts of the world. In very positive news, we have both had our flights approved by Nefesh b'Nefesh and will be arriving in Israel when we had hoped to. Our 'plan" has started to fill in, as well, and looking at the calendar, it's incredible to start to see it all come together. Eagerly anticipating the discovery of which kibbutz our Garin will belong to, we also have another (final) seminar in a few short weeks. There should be lots to tell.

         -    Darren

Next Year in Jerusalem

The past few weeks have moved us much closer to the big move in more ways than one. We're obviously now just over two months away, but we've also taken care of almost all of the small tasks and documents that needed to be submitted and reviewed before any approval for Aliyah takes place. As Darren mentioned before, we've been given our Aliyah visas and now simply need to wait for our free plane tickets to be issued to us, most likely in the next couple of weeks.

During the busy few weeks, we also participated in the second Garin Tzabar seminar. After the first one concluded on such a high note for us and the other participants of the program, there was a high level of excitement on everyone's part for the second. Suffice it to say, the seminar did not disappoint.

While many of the activities were similar to the ones we took part in during the first weekend, this most recent seminar still proved to be a unique experience.

I touched on it a bit in the previous entry, but watching the group dynamics evolve during the structured conversations and activities is still something that amazes me. While the first time we met each other involved a bit of anxious excitement and the participants may have been shy or hesitant in getting to know each other too intimately, this seminar proved to reveal more about each one of my future roommates. The developing bonds of true friendships between different members of the Garin were clear for anyone to see. With each weekend that passes, the emigration draws nearer and the realization that each of the group's participants will become the family and support system we rely on in a new home grows stronger.

Among the more exciting features of the weekend came when an alumnus of the program Skyped in to speak to us about his experiences and answer the many questions all of us had about Garin Tzabar, life in Israel, and the army service. While I've spoken to many lone soldiers in the past, his words focused on our specific circumstances and were enlightening, to say the least. Sometimes they were a bit refreshing and sometimes they weren't exactly what we wanted to hear, but hearing from someone who has walked the path we're currently finding our way down gave us a vital resource to use during the preparation stage and the beginning of our army services.

After the seminar concluded, we went back to our lives outside of the program, taking care of what we need to take care of and spending precious time with those close to us. Included in that time were the Passover seders, our last here in the States. We spent the first night at some new family friends and I spent the second at my girlfriend's family's home. The seders turned out to be exceptionally special, something fitting for our last major holiday in the U.S.A. The time spent with those we love has become increasingly valuable and their support has been a huge help in this massive decision we've made.

On these nights specifically, “next year in Jerusalem” held more meaning than any in the past. This year, we spent Passover with our friends and family, celebrating the escape from slavery and freedom of the Jewish people. Next year, we spend Passover in Israel, defending that very freedom.

Immigration and the Aliyah Process (Part 2)

Yesterday morning, at the Israeli Consulate in Miami, we watched as our passports received Israeli oleh (immigrant) visas as casually as any other transaction or exchange. It was amazing to see something so significant printed and placed in such a relaxing manner, in a matter of minutes, on what are now the most important pages of our traveling documents. Well, then... if only the entire process were that easy.

The first time I wrote about the aliyah (immigration) process, only a few weeks ago, we were expecting to have something of a wait to see when we would be moved along the process. As our interview at that stage was, for the most part, to determine that we had all of our documents in order and that we were eligible to make aliyah in an objective sense, we weren't sure when we would actually be approved to receive our visas that entitle us to become Israeli citizens upon our arrival there. We have learned by now, though,  that expectations in a journey like this, for better and for worse, are mostly incorrect. In this case, it was for the much better, as we were contacted within the week with the good news that we had been approved for visas and would need to begin the necessary declarations to receive them. 

To keep with the tradition of the first post, an anecdote... In preparing these new documents, we were also asked (although this is quite obvious) to take passport pictures. I had known that I would need passport pictures eventually, but put them off for as long as I possibly could. For some reason, it has never exactly been my favorite thing to do, and it more than likely has something to do with the fact that I have literally never once had a decent passport picture. Needless to say, I didn't get the photos done during Spring Break (two weeks ago), nor did I get them done during the next week at school (last week) and so, they just kept getting pushed back. Having arrived from college together on Friday afternoon for our second Garin Tzabar seminar (post coming soon), Brett and I didn't have moment during the weekend to get the pictures taken and so it came down to... Sunday night, which will now forever be considered the least photogenic time of the week. With all due respect to CVS Pharmacy and the very talented photography staff there, this one was the worst of the lot. Exhaustion, a general lack of enthusiasm for this little errand, and some very messy hair created a perfect storm for my most tragic-looking passport picture to-date. Brett had the unfortunate dilemma of having to compare his passport pictures on the night to some he had taken a few weeks ago - it was, in his eyes, a choice of the lesser of two evils...  we were both unsurprisingly unimpressed! The positive side of it is that we both managed to get some good laughs every time we had to use the pictures (checking we had the documents, seeing the visas made, etc.) and it's become quite a joke! 

We rose early (and reluctantly) on Monday morning to venture back to Miami for a reunion with the Jewish Agency and our stop at the Israeli Consulate. Despite the fact that both of us would happily have taken a few extra minutes (see: under-exaggerated) of sleep, we were also excited to receive our visas. We had a bit of a challenge finding the place, as has now become tradition (for those of you judging us, it was a different location to the last time), but we eventually managed to find it. After some very funny interactions with the very Israeli staff, a source of great amusement for the two of us in general, and then with the aliyah workers, we had our documents checked and were on our way to get our visas.

Our journey wasn't without further navigational mishaps, either. Downtown Miami has proven to be a maze, of sorts, and there were many laughs to be had with the situations we got ourselves in just getting to the consulate! But before we knew it, we were sitting at a window, watching our passports become entirely more significant in content. A milestone was happening before our eyes.

It didn't escape my notice, either, that a very tragic occurrence took place in Toulouse, France, yesterday, where a still-unknown coward took the lives of three Jewish schoolchildren and a Rabbi outside of a Jewish day school. As a human being, my instinct is of disgust, that anybody could plan and execute the murder of innocents, no less children. Descriptions of the attack left me feeling sick (I won't re-tell them, but they are very public). As a Jew, it was an in-your-face reminder that the Jewish diaspora still, today, has to navigate the perils of anti-Semitic hatred. This "new pogrom" was a fascinating story, then, to hear on the day we had our passports stamped with immigrant visas for Israel.

To end on a positive note, Brett and I were so excited to get our visas that we decided it was completely necessary to take a trip to Sunrise Pita on the way (not -so- on the way, actually) home from Miami. We soaked in the little bit of Israel that exists in South Florida, feeling that much closer to the day that we will not have to go very far, at all, for shawarma and chicken laffas. 

                                                   Brett enjoying his shawarma laffa


Presently, we are both back at school, entering the final weeks of the semester and waiting for confirmation of our aliyah flight from Nefesh b'Nefesh. We will have another update in the very-near future about our second Garin Tzabar seminar, which was, as mentioned, this past weekend.

    -   Darren 

Immigration and the Aliyah Process (Part 1)

First and foremost, if you do not know what aliyah means, let's learn. It literally translates to "ascend" or "rise up." In the Jewish world, it mostly refers to immigration to Israel. To "make aliyah" is to do just that.

An oleh is an immigrant.
                                                                                    

In order to become a citizen of the State of Israel, as with other countries, there are some requirements that must be fulfilled. Brett and I have become all too familiar with these over the course of the past few months, navigating the procedure of immigrating to Israel all the way through our interview with the Jewish Agency this morning.

The first step to making aliyah is to open an application through the Jewish Agency and Nefesh b'Nefesh, which is quite painlessly done online. You are taken through a series of the kinds of questions that give a very broad overview of who the candidate for aliyah is -  family information, contact details, yada yada. It's question-and-answer with the likely twist of adding a supporting statement explaining why on Earth you are choosing this.

Upon completing this, you are tasked with your first, relatively mild, adventure in Israeli bureaucracy, made tame by the two special organizations mentioned earlier. (It should be said that the Jewish Agency and Nefesh b'Nefesh have worked hard to make the experience of making aliyah as easy as possible and have been of assistance from the first step. The fact that we are attached to Garin Tzabar has also given us a more personal relationship with at least the Jewish Agency, as demonstrated by the case worker for South Florida speaking with us at our first Garin seminar.) The Jewish Agency and NBN administer this second phase of the process and manage an online database for you to upload and store all of the documents needed to move along toward aliyah.

I am still quite shocked that I was able to track down the documents I needed, even despite some potential setbacks. There were at least five unique moments when I would think all hope was lost in attaining something, only to be rescued by its miraculous discovery or the assistance of somebody special (thanks, mom!)

One quite hilarious result of our quest for documents, among others, was the realization that our Hebrew names were not what we have believed they were for our entire lives. To the non-Jewish readers, I'm sure you are thinking "Yeah, hilarious" really sarcastically. Feel free to move to the next paragraph. To our Jewish brothers and sisters, laugh with us at this scenario: Brett has always believed his Hebrew name was "Baruch," while I always thought mine was "David." Well, with the reception of a letter from our Rabbi certifying that we are Jewish, it turns out we were both on the right track, but unfortunately not -quite- there. My name is, indeed, "David..." except i have a middle name, and it is "Baruch." Strange? Maybe a bit... but the best part is that Brett's Hebrew name is... wait for it... "Ilan!" What? Nothing like a tiny little identity crisis to shaken things up.

Having acquired and turned in all of our needed documents and declarations, we had our interview today with the case worker for the Jewish Agency and it all seemed to go well, despite our interesting drive around Miami looking for the office. As she rightly pointed out as we arrived, apologizing for getting lost, we are going to need to work on our navigation before the army!

We are at the next phase in our process now, which we will report on once it has passed successfully!

Things are moving quickly and as each day draws our move closer, we are looking more forward and becoming excited at what is in store.

     -- Darren

The First Weekend

This past weekend marked the first concrete step on the road to me realizing my dream. I took part in the first seminar of Garin Tzabar, the program that will facilitate my journey to becoming a soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces.

The weekend started with a relatively normal drive home and a visit to my old high school. What followed became a few of the most unforgettable days of my life. I anticipated it being something unique, an experience unlike any I've had before. I knew that the people I would meet over the next few would be the the same people I gradually developed friendships with before living with them throughout the duration of our army services. What I didn't anticipate was how quickly the first step came to fruition and the enormous amount of respect I'd develop for each and every one of them in the short time we spent together.

The program started as any seminar or conference usually does, with a half an hour of awkward interaction between new acquaintances. That changed quickly as the scheduled activities actually kicked off. Within an hour, we were all getting to know each other. My first impressions were slightly marred by my prior expectations of who these new friends would become in the future as well as my nervous excitement to finally start what I'd been looking forward to for months, but nonetheless, they proved to be mostly accurate. I could tell from the start that most of the kids doing this program were mature beyond the level of many their age and would be fantastic people to get to know.

While ice breakers and friendly group discussions comprised the beginning few hours of the seminar, the staff had clearly done this many times before. All they needed to do was ask one question to have the entire group deep into intimate discussion, opening up to one another like we had been best friends our whole lives. A discussion of why each person made their decisions to go to Israel gave me a rare glimpse into the minds of my peers. I developed so much respect for each one of them as I heard about the sacrifices they are making to serve the State of Israel. I became so proud of each one of them as well as for my country. Everyone has a different reason to go to Israel, but they all understand the importance of the nation and what it means to them. It instilled that thought in me that no other country in the world can inspire such a diverse group of people to make such massive sacrifices in their lives in order to serve it.

Never before have I considered peers I've only known for half a day to be close friends of mine. These exceptionally mature kids became just that and I look forward to each and every day I'll be able to spend with them in the future.

As a small note, I'd like to point out that the seminar was run entirely in Hebrew. I'm still far from fluent, so this proved to be quite challenging for me, but I found that by paying very close attention and with the help of some of the others in the group, I was able to fully understand what was being said. My Hebrew will definitely continue to improve during the time I spend with the Garin in the future.

So what's next on the road for us?

From now until the end of March will be quite an important time period in the process of making Aliyah and continuing our program. Besides for the usual continuation of physical training as well as sharpening our Hebrew skills, we'll be having our interview with the Jewish Agency in the beginning of March. For those of you who don't know what the Jewish Agency is, it's basically the organization in the United States that facilitates the move to Israel. Of course, this is after extensive paperwork and the interview process, at which point we're approved (hopefully!) and issued a free plane ticket to Tel-Aviv. There are plenty more benefits given to new Olim (immigrants), but that's a post for another day. After our interview, we'll have another Garin Tzabar seminar in the middle of March and should be hearing at some point whether or not we're approved for Aliyah. It's most likely going to be a very interesting two months. I'll keep you posted!

-Brett

Zionism 101: Young Zionist Leadership Conference

This weekend, I had the privilege of participating in the 2012 Young Zionist Leadership (YZL) conference. While it was meant to have nothing to do with my process of preparing to make aliya and become a lone soldier, the experience had a profound effect on my mentality in moving forward. I realize that I have yet to discuss my reasoning for wanting to serve in the IDF and, while this post may allude to some of my beliefs, I still wish to leave that for its own story at its own time a bit later down the road.

The conference was sponsored by the World Zionist Organization (WZO)and was attended by young Zionists from across North America. It also included professionals from virtually all of the major organizations who contribute to the Zionist movement. It is structured in a way that groups participants together mostly by the region they represent (determined by the area of the university they are enrolled in) in “primary groups” to discuss the substantive content of the conference, while allowing “general sessions” to have everyone together for larger activities. An example of one of these is that Israel Maimon, former Cabinet Secretary for Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, and a personal hero, addressed us all on the opening night.

It should be noted that I didn't choose to attend the conference for a specific personal reason. Additionally, a huge part of the mission of YZL and of the WZO in putting on the seminar is to inspire and prepare the Zionist youth to go back to communities and campuses and use the knowledge attained there. Needless to say, at the end of my college career, as nice as it would be to act now, even this goal could only have a limited potential in coming away from the conference. So while I have always been interested in and enthusiastic about advocating for Israel (and have attended other such events on the topic), and while I consider myself a committed and growing Zionist, the main appeal of participating in this conference was to hear what the rest of the Zionists had to say. I'm not sure what I was expecting to hear, necessarily, or who I was expecting to meet. I can say, though, that I never expected to leave with new challenges and questions about my own Zionism or to feel much different at all, for that matter.

I found, for one, that the history of Zionism, which had to be taken off the old DKJA High School shelf in my mind and dusted off, instantly provided questions. It took five minutes of discussing the Zionist movement for it to occur to me that there is more to the whole thing than individual effort and decision-making. I found myself asking what kind of Zionist I am to feel the way I do about Israel. And I found myself asking what that meant for the rest of the community if most of its members disagreed. What does it mean if Israelis disagree? It was strange to be put into a situation so quickly in which I found myself searching for answers. The conclusions I started to make, too, were convoluted and challenged, and remain so.

The “primary group” of Florida's most intelligent and hilarious college students (I was the only Knight, but the Gator majority were great in adopting me, and there were three Owls, and a Bull) made conversation and discourse that did become genuinely thought-provoking in a way that I have not experienced in myself for a long time. Despite the heavy and often academic nature of Zionism, the discussions in our group were engaging and absolutely passionate and allowed me to do nothing but reflect and converse on a belief that has driven me for my entire life.

While the entire experience was invaluable and completely exceeded my expectations, as I previously mentioned it did provoke challenges and questions for me. To see and be a part of a community as it expresses its many varied editions of Zionism in a truly authentic way was inspiring and re-invigorating. Even faced with the daunting incompleteness of Zionism, it only became more beautiful. It only became that much more righteous. And even though it has added to the philosophical weight of my decision to make aliya and serve in the IDF, I could not be more thankful for the enrichment it has provided.

It goes without saying that the members of my "primary group" were incredible and I owe them all a huge debt of gratitude for being such an incredible part of the experience. I am thrilled to have made all of the new allies and friends!

I also lastly wanted to make special mention of my facilitator at the conference. Josh Kahn is an Australian-born American who decided to move to Israel on his own and serve as a “chayal boded” in the Nahal Brigade. If that wasn't enough of a contribution to the Jewish community and to the Zionist movement, he has since dedicated his time, his tireless effort, and his heart and soul to the Zionist network of the University of Florida and the United States. Even in the few short days that Josh facilitated our “primary group,” it was clear what a perfect Zionist he is and what a gift he has been and continues to be to the Jewish people. I feel privileged and honored to meet any lone soldier, former or current, but to meet one with such a Zionistic presence does provide a very sincere hope that we still, as a people, have minds and leaders who can have a limitless impact on our future. Although he would never approve of his mention, especially in such complimentary terms, there are too many Jewish heroes who are not recognized, and Josh is, in every aspect, one of these individuals.

With the knowledge that my own personal Zionism is alive, well, and ever-developing, we will soon have more news about our preparation for our aliya. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!   

     - Darren

P.S. To read an article about YZL in which I am featured, please visit www.yallaisraelmagazine.com 

Garin Tzabar: Phone Interview

I had my very first language shock today in my phone interview with Garin Tzabar. As I mentioned in my previous post, Garin Tzabar is the program which we hope will facilitate our move to Israel and our service in the IDF. We had been waiting for months (years, even) to apply and were relieved when we finally received notice that we would have our phone interviews, the first follow-up to the application. What's unique about Garin Tzabar is that it has its potential participants attend four seminars in a “feeling-out” period. So while we could participate in the program, at least in terms of its seminars, there is no guarantee until after the last one that we have a spot in our “Garin,” or group. Nothing like a bit of suspense!

It's definitely an interesting situation when the most nerve-wrecking thing in your final exam week is a phone interview. I usually excel in conversational settings and have never had a problem expressing myself in that type of situation. With that said, I expected the phone call to be smooth and successful. I was excited to begin my ongoing relationship with the program. Well, it all went out the window when I answered the phone and heard, “Mah nishma?,” Hebrew for “how are you?” And so it began... I dealt with that relatively simple question with some hesitancy and felt myself becoming nervous out of nowhere. The realization hit me in the face that I had just begun an interview I had waited such a long time to do. And that it would be one of many. And that this would not be even close to the last time I would be spoken to in Hebrew only to freeze in thought and response. Only the very next thing he said, I had to ask to be translated. It was a rough start! I was struggling, but settled my nerves, persevered, and managed my way to the more comfortable part of the conversation, in English.

The interview was pleasant besides the hiccup in the the beginning. I was given another overview of the program and asked various things about myself and my interest in Israel, the IDF, immigration, becoming a lone soldier, and all. The questions asked were more-or-less what you would expect and it turned out to be much more conversational in nature than I thought it would be. We talked about the usual things like my motivation for wanting to serve in the IDF, and talked about the obviously far more important things, like Manchester United (of course it crept its way in there). I feel as though I gave a good account of myself and was relieved that the interview had turned around that way. By the end, when I had the chance to ask questions for the interviewer, I was far more relaxed.

We will begin our seminars in February and are still waiting to see if we will be part of a small “Garin” from Florida, which currently does not seem to have enough interest, or if we will be part of one of the New York “Garinim.” Whatever the case may be, I am looking forward to the journey ahead.

 - Darren