By Tania Eshel, Kefiada Coordinator, Partnership 2000 Yokneam-Megiddo
Let me start with thanking the Jewish Federations of Atlanta & St. Louis for sharing their young leaders with us this summer and for giving our Yokneam children and youth the opportunity to meet with nine extraordinary young ambassadors. I am certain that the summer camps in America will miss these valuable resources.
This past two weeks I have had the opportunity to meet and spend time with the volunteers as a group and I watched them evolve from newcomers to veterans within a few days. The initial shock of the cultural gap wore off quickly and the volunteers dove in head first to the challenge before them. The first week was exhausting and they all slept and recuperated over the Shabbat recharging their batteries for the week to come.
Each of the volunteers brings with them a unique contribution to the group and I wanted to note just a few of the characteristics I have noticed these past two week.
The first person I met was Rachel Ball, an incredibly mature and switched on young woman with an easygoing attitude. After only ten minutes with Rachel she gave me the sense that she was going to cope with anything and everything that came her way on this adventure. She seems to connect very quickly with the children she comes in to contact with and I know that her Israeli co-counselors find her invaluable.
Jonathan Eisen was the next volunteer that I met. Jonathan had only arrived to Israel for the first time ever a few weeks before but at a first impression he seemed so at home that it felt like he had been here for months. Obviously a weathered counselor, Jonathan has always got his thinking–cap on. No matter what Jonathan encounters he remains calm and collected and effective in his evaluation of any situation.
A couple of days after Jonathan and Rachel's arrival the rest of the St Louis group arrived and we had a few intense days together program planning and seeing a few of the local sights.
Elizabeth Gartenberg blew me away from the first moment I met her. She has such a strong presence in every group I have seen her in so far. Her leadership initiative, her mature insight and her fantastic sense of humor bring light to any situation. She is a professional counselor who steps up every time the group needs to work together and I take my hat off to her full-steam ahead approach to everything.
When I first met Nick Desloge I was so impressed that he had chosen to come and volunteer in Yokneam even though he had never been to Israel before. Through group discussions about expectations of the trip I was amazed with Nicks well thought out goals. It is obvious that in his 18 years he has been exposed to many interesting leadership opportunities and his determination to learn Israeli culture and share his own will be his lasting legacy here in Yokneam.
Avital Ludomirsky inspires me and reminds me of the incredible potential that our young Jewish leaders have. Her programming skills match her ability to understand and connect with her Israeli co-counselors. She is insightful and I appreciate that she gives me a hug whenever she thinks I am facing a tough situation.
When the Atlanta group landed and joined us it was clear to me that they were a real team. Their communication skills when fine-tuning their programs leading up to camp were exceptional and their efficiency and professionalism as a team has resulted in extremely successful programming so far.
Elyse Miller is a beautiful young Jewish woman dedicated to her own Jewish community at university. It is so refreshing to discuss issues of identity and community and I am certain that she will contribute to every Jewish community she lives within.
Colette Bernstein is a most determined young woman. She is on a mission to speak Hebrew with the kids and nothing will stand in her way. I still have the image of Colette on the first day of camp going around to the children in the playground bending down to their eye level and introducing herself to each of them. I am sure that the kids will all remember her from this initial contact and her efforts to communicate with them.
It has been refreshing to spend time with Jane Diener. A very switched-on 17 year old, she glows in the social setting of the camp. She goes nowhere without her fabulous camera and we are grateful that she is documenting the Kefiada experience.
Morgan Amsler may be the baby of the group but he certainly has a very old soul. When asked to address the tough aspects of camp Morgan always speaks in terms of solutions instead of problems and his positive attitude is infectious. We look forward to celebrating Morgans 17th birthday with him next week.
One thing that became very clear from the moment the volunteers landed was that the groups' happiness is the primary concern of the entire JAFI and JCC team involved in the program. Judy Yuda, Arkady Hasidovich and Yael Eidelman are always available and interested in the well being of each volunteer and their support is invaluable. As the days pass by I am already becoming sad by the thought of these nine extraordinary individuals disappearing from our midst so I am making the most of every second I have with them.
Tania Eshel, Kefiada Coordinator