Ben's Habonim Dror Summer in Israel
Donation protected
My name is Ben Holtzman, and this summer I hope to go to Israel. Not your regular Israel trip, but a trip with my Habonim Dror family whom I realized, after three weeks, I had gotten closer with than those I have know for eight years or longer.
I have been attending Camp Gilboa, one of the seven Habonim Dror camps in North America, for three years. I say years rather than summers because, not only is Habonim a movement that circulates throughout the year through kenim (gatherings of local campers), but I also make sure to be part of that year-round movement. Now those kenim are fun, but can never compare to the magical experience of a summer at Gilboa. While yes, we have the stereotypical camp stuff, such as hiking, swimming, kayaking, cabins filled with friends, etc, I can say, with out a doubt, not a single individual will ever say that those aspects of camp are his or her favorite part. The best part of camp, other than the unbreakable connections between those in our kvutzah (age group), are peulot. Peulot are what truly separates Gilboa, and Habonim Dror as a whole, apart from any other camp on the planet. These are in depth discussions about problems around the world, anywhere from racism, to feminism, to the settlements in Israel. While reading the articles and answering questions proposed to us campers is educating, what really cultivates the mind is the discussions, and sometimes debates, held outside of the structured peulot time. Yes, a bunch of teens love to talk about politics! But not only do peulot educate campers, they also teach campers to state their opinion no matter what others think. This is a powerful lesson that I would never have learned if I hadn’t gone to GIlboa.
This lesson has, with out a doubt, made me who I am today. Thanks to Gilboa I’ve learned to set goals I believe unachievable, so when I reach those goals, I feel more than accomplished. One of these goals is getting into Yale University for my undergraduate to study political science, then transfer to Harvard Law for a degree there. Both of these will help me achieve my lifetime goal of becoming Secretary of State to the United States, serving as the head of foreign affairs. Closer achievements and goals of mine include my involvement in school. For the past two months I have been working with the school administration to make mandatory all Black Student Union and Latino Student Union performances. Through this process, not only does the audience, more so the school, become educated on the culture, but they also are inclined to fight against the culture’s systematic oppression. In the process currently, teachers are filling out a survey, and kids are signing a petition. Another goal of mine, only possible by Gilboa, is running to serve as the 70th youth governor of California through the Youth and Government program. In this position I would be the leader of a 3,500 teen strong movement, in which our main focus would be to create change in the California lesislation for the better.
I hope that I have shown you how greatly Gilboa has affected me in addition to proving that I want to be involved in this movement for a very long time. The next step in the Habonim Dror movement for me is Machaneh Bonim Israel (MBI), a five-week summer program in Israel with my kvutzah from all seven camps around North America. For myself, this would be the experience of a lifetime. I cannot imagine the vast education I will receive from going on this amazing trip, that I will share with so many people in my life, as I have done before.
Though, this program is quite expensive and due to my financial situation at home, I am in much need of assistance in paying for this trip. I would appreciate, more than you can possibly know, any contribution towards this expirence. I thank you for your consideration and investment. And I say investment, rather than donation, because I promise that whatever I expirence and learn, I will share to as many people as I can influence to try and change a world that needs much changing. Thank you.
I have been attending Camp Gilboa, one of the seven Habonim Dror camps in North America, for three years. I say years rather than summers because, not only is Habonim a movement that circulates throughout the year through kenim (gatherings of local campers), but I also make sure to be part of that year-round movement. Now those kenim are fun, but can never compare to the magical experience of a summer at Gilboa. While yes, we have the stereotypical camp stuff, such as hiking, swimming, kayaking, cabins filled with friends, etc, I can say, with out a doubt, not a single individual will ever say that those aspects of camp are his or her favorite part. The best part of camp, other than the unbreakable connections between those in our kvutzah (age group), are peulot. Peulot are what truly separates Gilboa, and Habonim Dror as a whole, apart from any other camp on the planet. These are in depth discussions about problems around the world, anywhere from racism, to feminism, to the settlements in Israel. While reading the articles and answering questions proposed to us campers is educating, what really cultivates the mind is the discussions, and sometimes debates, held outside of the structured peulot time. Yes, a bunch of teens love to talk about politics! But not only do peulot educate campers, they also teach campers to state their opinion no matter what others think. This is a powerful lesson that I would never have learned if I hadn’t gone to GIlboa.
This lesson has, with out a doubt, made me who I am today. Thanks to Gilboa I’ve learned to set goals I believe unachievable, so when I reach those goals, I feel more than accomplished. One of these goals is getting into Yale University for my undergraduate to study political science, then transfer to Harvard Law for a degree there. Both of these will help me achieve my lifetime goal of becoming Secretary of State to the United States, serving as the head of foreign affairs. Closer achievements and goals of mine include my involvement in school. For the past two months I have been working with the school administration to make mandatory all Black Student Union and Latino Student Union performances. Through this process, not only does the audience, more so the school, become educated on the culture, but they also are inclined to fight against the culture’s systematic oppression. In the process currently, teachers are filling out a survey, and kids are signing a petition. Another goal of mine, only possible by Gilboa, is running to serve as the 70th youth governor of California through the Youth and Government program. In this position I would be the leader of a 3,500 teen strong movement, in which our main focus would be to create change in the California lesislation for the better.
I hope that I have shown you how greatly Gilboa has affected me in addition to proving that I want to be involved in this movement for a very long time. The next step in the Habonim Dror movement for me is Machaneh Bonim Israel (MBI), a five-week summer program in Israel with my kvutzah from all seven camps around North America. For myself, this would be the experience of a lifetime. I cannot imagine the vast education I will receive from going on this amazing trip, that I will share with so many people in my life, as I have done before.
Though, this program is quite expensive and due to my financial situation at home, I am in much need of assistance in paying for this trip. I would appreciate, more than you can possibly know, any contribution towards this expirence. I thank you for your consideration and investment. And I say investment, rather than donation, because I promise that whatever I expirence and learn, I will share to as many people as I can influence to try and change a world that needs much changing. Thank you.
Organizer
Nathalie Holtzman
Organizer