Farewell Banquet

For our farewell banquet, we had a beautiful evening, filled with sweet words, songs, gifts, and a slide show. The room looked elegant, the food tasted delightful, and the atmosphere was emotional. Take a look at the evening's events.

Beryl's Dvar Torah:

Jordan's Speech:

Steve, Dvora, Kenny, Sandy, and Avishai's song

Lyrics By: Steve

(see lyrics below)

Dovi's Speech:

Elliott's Speech:

Kulanu Baaretz Trivia Game

Ms.(Lauren) Schiowitz's Speech:

See the sidebar for a link to the slideshow....

Lyrics to song:

Three months ago, they touch down
Straight from JFK
Said they'd have to work hard, every single day
Folding clothes, milking cows
Feeding chicks-dont you wonder how?
We've come a long way here we are Kulanu on Shluchot

Seven cool New Yorkers
Looking for some fun
Really loved Long Island, hebrew's not their tongue
Wired up, they're on line
DVD's every kind
They've come a long way, no big deal, Kulanu on Shluchot

Dovi's feeling fine now
Loves the holy land
Wants to be in Smallville, might be Superman
Staying cool, dont get mad
300 hungry cows, they dont smell so bad
He's come a long way
Feeling fine with Kulanu on Shluchot

Ephraim loves the Mets now
Wants to be in Shea
Knows hes doing right now
With Mrs. D and Mr. K
First and Third, double play
Suited up, he's sure on his way
He's come a long way, might steal home with Kulanu on Shluchot

A verse now for Yehuda
Always lends a hand
When it comes to washing dishes, he gives the commands
Snapping shots round the world
Lindsey Lohan, hey, she might be the girl
He's come a long way, he's in charge Kulanu on Shluchot

Ilan, he's our man yeah
No one's focused more
Surfing out to cyberspace thats what an X-box's for
Pinat Chai, fossil finds
Google once-can't say whats on his mind
He's come a long way, Mr. Cool, with Kulanu on Shluchot

Our femme fatale is Shaina, never at a loss
The guys start getting crazy, she let's them know who's boss
Kol-Bo days taking stock
Backstreet Boys they can really rock
She's come a long way, she's got style with Kulanu on Shluchot

Jordan, he's our spokesman
Eloquence and charm
Might give up on Lawrence, and live here on the farm
Flies first class from town to town
Knows a million facts just can't get him down
He's come a long way, winning smile with Kulanu on Shluchot

Stand up and cheer for Elliott
Got plans and no one denies
Deal cars to New York big shots or a schwarma enterprise
Make it rich, girl of his dreams
Loves kibbutz, always knows just what he means
He's come a long way, riding high with Kulanu on Shluchot

The queen of Education
Lauren Schiowitz
Let's say Congratulations Kibbutz is like the Ritz
Always calm sees the light
Daily blog, she might sell the rights
She comes a long way, almost home with Kulanu on Shluchot

Give it up now for Ms. Miller
Our Torah teaching ace
From the land of the great Vikings
Try to keep up with her pace
Early morn coffee pangs
Time for class you know it goes off with a bang
She's come a long way, made some noise with Kulanu on Shluchot

Holding down the fort now
Mr. K and Mrs. D
Just tell them what you need now
The Kubota's on its way
They're in sync, doin fine
What'd you think? It's all fun who counts the overtime
It's been a long way, so long to Kulanu on Shluchot

Tel Aviv

For our final tiyul, we went to Tel Aviv and had a blast. Our first stop was to the Independence Hall where we actually sat in the very same room where David Ben Gurion declared Israel's independence. We heard the story, saw the invitation, and even sang Hatikva along with the recording of the Hatikvah that was sung in 1948.

After that, we walked around Yafo, went to the shuk,

and chilled on the beach.

The next day, we went to The Blind Musuem. That was really cool. We were led through several rooms in total darkness, by someone who was blind. It felt funny and even a little scary at times, but it really gave us a sense of what it is like to be blind.

At lunch, we were visited with Rabbi and Rebbetzin Hain. That was a very special treat.

After lunch, we went to Machon Ayalon where we saw where there was an underground bullet factory from the time of the Brittish mandate. It was really cool.

Shabbat Shalom!

New Years Dinner

Among the many skills that we are learning which will help us to be independent, we are learning how to prepare our own dinner. Tonight, led by our 2 head chefs, Dovi and Elliott, we prepared a delicious dinner.

Dovi and Jordan were working on preparing the chickens for a breadcrumb chicken,

while Elliott and Yehuda prepared the meat and peppers for a pepper steak.

Shaina and Ephraim assisted by preparing the onions and potatoes for mashed potatoes.

(Note: It was not sunny in our kitchen. Perhaps Ephraim discovered a new way to protect his eyes from crying while cutting onions)

Ilan assisted by providing emotional support.

Of course we know that you have to clean up the kitchen when we finish.

At the end of all the hard work, we enjoyed a delicious New Years Eve dinner.

Tiyul Highlights

This past Tuesday, we took a trip to Gan Hanadiv Atlit, and Caesaria.

At the Gan Hanadiv, we learned about Habaron Rothschild and all that he gave to Israel. We saw where he was buried and walked around the beautiful park which was built by his family.

We had a delicious lunch in Rosh Pina where Ephraim's relatives came to visit.

In Atlit, we learned about what life was like for the refugees who came to Israel and how they were treated by the Brittish.

After Atlit, we walked around Caesaria a bit and saw remnants from different time periods. We also had fun buying souvenirs in the shops there.


The fun continued on Thursday night when we were invited by the high school kids to join them on a night hike. It was a beautiful night and we let the light of the moon guide us.

When we got to our destination, we had some freshly fried shnitzel sandwiches, warmed up by a campfire, and just chilled out.

But the highlight for some us was holding a gun!

Shabbat Shalom!

Hiking Up the Gilboa Mountains/Hollywood Squares

Friday morning, we decided we were going to conquer the unconquerable and climb to the top of the Gilboa Mountain.

It was a long and exhausting journey, and we didn't know if we would make it back in time for shabbos.

But we kept pushing along.

There were times when some of us want to turn around and go home.

But we never gave up. Along the way, we even found remnants of a porcupine.

We didn't have a tour guide with us, so Jordan pitched in.

Finally, we made it to the top, where we rested or went into some caves, looking for valuable artifacts.

After 3 hours of minimal complaining, we were back home, safe and sound.

Shabbos was especially restful for us this weekend.

After shabbos was over, we all got together for a great game of Hollywood Squares, hosted by Steve Liss (Dvora's husband and group counselor). For those of you that don't remember that game, let us explain. There are 9 celebrities that are set up as a tic-tac-toe board.

There are two contestants that are competing against each other and the goal is to get 3 x's or o's in a row either diagonally, horizontally, or vertically.

The contestant chooses the celebrity he/she wants. The host asks them a question, such as "Who's older, Steve Liss or Johnny Depp?".

The chosen celebrity answers and the contest can either agree or disagree. If the contestent is correct, he/or she gets very excited because now and x or o is placed in that spot.

Below are some highlights from last night's game.

Meeting the new contestants:

Question: True or False: Paula Abdul is Jewish. Bart Simpson, aka Jordan says "True". Will Dovi agree or disagree....

Ilan versus Dovi: