Kitat Maayan כיתת מעיין

On Sunday, Kitat Maayan visited one of the most iconic neighborhoods in Jerusalem Nachlaot. Nachlaot is a collection of 23 neighborhoods, the oldest of which, an ultra orthodox chassidic neighborhood called Mishkenot Yisrael, was established in 1875. Shortly after, an Ashkenazi neighborhood called Mazkeret Moshe was established right next to Mishkenot Yisrael courtesy of the deep pockets of a British minister by the name of Moshe Montefiore. Over the next 50 or so years, Jews began to leave the old city due to unsanitary and overcrowded living conditions, and began to build more neighborhoods outside of the wall, including those in what is now called Nachlaot. As more Jewish communities began to spring up outside of the old city, Jews from all over the world began to move to these neighborhoods to get a taste of the holy land.  Many types of Jews live in Nachlaot, including Chassidic and Mis(t)nagdim orthodox Jews. This is huge progress from 200 years ago. In 1772 the Misnag...

Oral Law Assignment  The Mitzvah I chose was, “You shall each revere your mother and father,” which can be found in Leviticus 19:3.     I interpreted this as respecting one’s parents.   My family has been through a lot together and have accomplished numerous things that most families haven’t done in such a short period of time.   Not only that, but in my short 16 years of living my parents have taught me a great deal.   First off, my parents have taught me that respect, although is required of every individual, is earned.   My parents have already guided me through so many challenges that I’ve faced in the past and have fully prepared me for future obstacles.   My mom, who taught me and inspired me to stay strong and independent, and my father, who has showed me how to be resilient and hard working, have shown me what characteristics I respect in people.   (My father meeting me for the first time) I’ve discovered ...

October 18, 2017 Islam Katelynn McAraw Today Kitat Maayan had a tiyul in Ein Rafa and spoke with Yasmine, who converted to Islam, and her husband Musa.   We learned a variety of different topics concerning Islam through out the day.   The first part of our tiyul included a tour of the the Arabic village, Ein Rafa.   Ein Rafa is located not far from Kibbutz Tzuba.   In fact, we were able to see Tzuba from where we were.   In order to be respectful in both the village and the mosque we were asked to be fully covered, including a head scarf for the girls.   Although it was something most of us weren’t used to, it gave everyone a feel for what it’s like to live in a Muslim area and to be in a mosque.   We saw the gorgeous view from the village and learned about how the it started as well as current problems the village is facing today.   Examples of this are how many of the individuals do not join the Israeli army because of the dif...

A few days ago Kitat Maayan had the opprotunity to visit several historical sites in northern Israel, including a crusader fortress from 1168, and Tzfat's Artisan district with temples dating back 500 years. The day started with a four hour bus ride to the North of Israel. We reached Emek Yizrael and then turned west and headed for the Kineret. We reached our first stop at about 11:30 at a place called Belvoire. At first we couldn't figure out why it was called Belvoire, which means 'pretty view', but it .became quite obvious when we got a bit closer to the fortress The fortress was built in Israel during the Crusader kingdom. It was home to a few dozen knights nearly 900 years ago. Even though the crusader kingdom was destroyed in 1187, this fortress managed to hold out for 18 months after the fall of the kingdom, despite being under continuous assault from the Muslims. During this time period back in Europe, the Silver Age for Ashkenaz Jewry had come to an e...

The Jewish people in the Middle ages were everywhere. Some came from Germany, others from Iraq or Morocco. But even with being so spread out, the Jews were a tightly knit kehillah. No matter where you went a Jew could always find a Jewish person who spoke Hebrew, bringing people from different cultures together. Although Jewish people were united because of Hebrew, they also had distances. Wherever the Jew was living they would absorb some of the culture from the surrounding places making Jewish people unrecognizable to other Jews in different Kehillahs. For example, they would adopt their dress, making them blend in with non-Jews. Even though there were specific rules to make Jews stand out in their home towns, people from other places didn't know the rules, and therefore didn't know who was a Jew. One of the robes a woman in Uzbekistan would wear Another tradition Jews shared was going to Synagogue where everyone prayed for the return to Jerusalem. they also all had cr...

Oral Law assignment Leviticus 19:14 "You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind. You shall fear your God: I am your LORD"            I think this commandment can be interpreted to say this; do not use your advantage to harm the disadvantaged. This spoke to me because since I am a upper-middle class white male I have a lot of advantages. I can get a higher education then most people who don't have money because my family can afford private school for me to attend. Also, on a darker note, I can walk my neighborhood streets not fearing harm in any sort of way. My privilege has given me opportunities, but do I take them for granted? I believe taking ones advantage for granted is the same thing as harming the disadvantaged because they don't know what it is like to be as advantaged like I am. In a more literal sense I see on the news people constantly being tormented by the rich and powerful just so they can make a...

Oral law assignment For my miyzvot I chose "You shall not render an unfair decision": do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich;judge your kinsmen fairly. This mitzvot stuck out to me because it is about equality and being fair which is very important to me. Also I recognized the hebrew as part of my Torah portion for my bat mitzvah so that's cool too. I believe this mitzvot literally means what it says, do t judge people based on their class or how much money they have. Equality is also a strong factor that I believe is trying to be out across, more specifically the equality between upper class and lower class people. I think the mitzvot of being fair is important to the Jewish person because we understand what it is like to be treated unfairly. I chose this picture because it shows the hierarchy of the rich at top and the normal/ hard working people at the bottom, lifting everybody up. This relates to me because I am always supporting other people no matt...

On Thursday, October 19, 2017 students of Heller High met with Anat Hoffman, leader of the Israel Religious Action Center which was established in 1987. The main focus of IRAQ is to advocate equality, social justice, religious tolerance and religious diversity throughout Israel. Some challenges that IRAC faces is being taken to the supreme court on numerous occasions and having to deal with the issue of sexism and racism. Anat spoke to us not only about the conflict against Jewish woman, but Arab citizens of Israel as well. She told us a story about 2 Imans and 4 students that had been in jail for writing against Jews on their facebooks, yet Rabbis and students preach against Arabs despite the fact that the law states they are not allowed to incite against a minority under the guide of Judaism. The job of IRAC is to identify this unjust behavior and fight against it. Anat also explained that Israel is a "Jewish Democratic State." This definition means as it sounds. A democr...

Oral Law Assignment Zach Weissman "Leviticus 19:11- "Do not deceive one another I relate very strongly to this mitzvah. My goal in life is to believe as few false things and as many true things as humanly possible. Like a Mormon, I try to bring others along with me for this journey (hence the fun facts). Along with conveying as many true things as possible, I try to dispel as many false things as possible. This includes the belief in a creator. I know this might not fly too well, but i  genuinely believe that by dispelling the belief in god, I am doing society a favor. I interpret this mitzvah as a call to action to stop deceit in the form of religion. I encourage those of you who feel similarly to join me in my pursuit of truth. d I chose this photo because it depicts two people helping one another. There is no supernatural incentive, no divine intervention, just two people doing the right thing. The quote on the image further explains its purpose. God is a d...

The mitzvah I chose is “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudgeagainst anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am theLord. You don't have to love everyone, because loving everyone is being dishonest. It's impossible to love everyone, and you will find people on your path of life that won't be like you and won't like you. Don't hate. Hate is not a solution. The 2nd Temple was destroyed because of hate. You don't have to accept everyone, you can criticize but you shall not hate. We are all different Jews and have different opinions, but we are all the same nation and we are all Jewish people, and that is what connects us. Even if one dosn't agree necessarily with  another's Jewish lifestyle, we are still one nation- like it or not, but that is what connects us, and we have to help each other any way. I think that what this mitzvah wants to tell us is that if you have an issue with someone, hating and not being in peace will not be t...

The mitzvot I chose is Leviticus 19:18 "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself" I chose this mitzvot because growing up in a liberal family I was taught to treat others how I want to be treated and to forgive someone for doing something wrong. I feel like this mitzvot encompasses that in many ways. In my life I surround myself with a lot of different types of people and accept them for who they are. People were made how they were and shouldn't be judged for that. Also if I made a mistake I would want to be forgiven for what I had done if I had apologized so others should also not have a grudge held against them. I think everything is about respect and if someone doesn't respect me or accept me for who I am then I would still accept them because it is an opinion but my respect would be lost. This applies to Jews in the modern world for example, Woman of the Wall. Compromise is important in that situation and ...

"The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 19.34) The mitzvah I chose to interpret for this assignment is from Leviticus 19, Verse 34. I believe that this is one of the most important mitzvot because this is incorporated into daily life for nearly every person. For me, this is also a mitzvah that is especially difficult for me because I have a hard time making friends and talking to new people. To have to have the courage to do something new and to put yourself out there is one of the most daunting things someone can do, so if everybody lives by this mitvah, it can make it that much bearable. To accept and try to befriend others is one of the most helpful acts that someone can do, because you never know how hard it might have been for someone to join a new activity or to travel somewhere new.  The above picture is of my swim sister and I ...

   The mitzvot I chose to discuss for this assignment is from Leviticus 19:9. The mitzvot states: "You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger."     I love this mitzvot dearly, as it is something my parents have taught me my entire life, and a moral I am so thankful to have instilled in me. I interpret this as saying that when you are abundant in your success, give back to the community around you or someone in need you happen to come across. It also makes a point to talk about leaving the fallen fruit, in my personal understanding, so that you will know that if your luck has unintentionally spread to other people, do not wish for it back but happily accept the fact that you do not need it for yourself while others do. It reminds me of how if you see a penny facing tales up, you should flip it so that it is lucky for the next person who finds it. Although it is a silly s...

The mitzvah I chose to discuss is located in Leviticus 19:3. It states: “You shall each revere your mother and father.” I interpret this to mean that you should honor and respect your parents. The Torah implies and I believe that the majority of parents are smarter than their children and know what’s best for them. I chose this commandment because I feel that although not the easiest, it is one I feel I should be able to achieve. There have been many, many times, in which my parents and I were fighting and after I a bit I finally submit and say “okay, okay, you’re right, you know more than me.” At first I believe my parents got me to that point to torment me but I later realized it’s just another life lesson they were trying to teach me. There are a fortitude of reasons parents should be honored and respected. First and foremost, they gave you life, entitling you to be apart of this world and having a chance to succeed. Second most parents support their children, emotionally, ...

I chose (Leviticus 19:34) as my mitztvot to interpret.  "The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." I specifically chose this of all of the Mitzvot because it reminded me of the URJ Heller High group. We were all once strangers in a strange land. We did not know each other at the airport, but everyone knew that we would become such a tight group. We all accepted everyone for who they were and loved them for it. The once strangers next to me, are now some of my best friends in the entire world. I interpret this mitzvah to mean that a person should not judge another. Everyone has gone through a struggle in their life. People are extraordinary actors and others never seem to know what can truly be going on behind all of the acting, therefore one should not judge another and be kind and accepting towards all. I can fulfill this mitzvah in everyday life by not being...