Pre-IST Shabbaton - Rebecca
25 October 2019
“The best time for new beginnings, is now.” And so, it begins…
It’s really happening now! Last weekend our year excitedly started our IST journey with a fantastic Shabbaton! We arrived at school, to smiling faces, knowing that this Shabbaton got us one step closer to the trip of a lifetime. Some of us had been dreaming about this for the past 16 years and we couldn’t be happier. The Shabbaton started with a briefing of what was to come for the Shabbat here at Moriah. It all was so exciting, although it did feel a little weird sleeping at school on the weekend. We were buzzing inside and out as we were all nervously wondering “Who is going to be in my family group?” Then, just before Shabbos came in, after a fun treasure hunt, we found out our sides and family groups. Quick shout out to all the amazing Madrichim and teachers who put together the exciting treasure hunt, where we unsealed an envelope to reveal a place around the school to meet our family groups and leaders. GO NETZACH!!!!!
After we attended a beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat service, followed by a delicious meal with our year, we headed to the shule for a few ‘ted-talks’ which focused on different experiences from those who had previously travelled to Israel on IST. This was really interesting, since the Madrichim and teachers put the experience into such a great perspective. We then had a tisch, followed by some free time before curfew at 11:15pm. Of course, when they say “curfew” at 11:15, it really means play tip in the dark and chat until we fall asleep. But don’t tell the Mads that!
After a really good sleep (like 5 hours!!!), we went to Shacharit in the shule, where we were joined with others in the community who attend the Moriah Shule. We had Kiddush, followed by yet again, another delicious meal and then had some free time. Later in the afternoon we participated in another tochnit where we learnt about moral dilemmas and opening our minds and evaluating our values. This was really interesting and really helped me to question what is actually important in life. We concluded Shabbat with a meaningful Maariv and Havdalah.
On Monday night, we came back to school, this time with our parents. This meeting was all about preparing us for our departure. We were honoured to hear from an amazing Holocaust survivor, Eddie Jaku, who spoke about his experiences as a young man, navigating his way through the holocaust and his life. He is truly inspiring, and left us with important life messages and really taught us the true meaning of life. It was amazing to see how someone who went through so much in the Holocaust could be so optimistic and bring smiles to everyone in the audience. Eddie Jaku has been nominated as NSW Senior of the Year. I hope he wins!
The IST Shabbaton was a great experience, which gave me a little glimpse and some insight into what is to come on IST. I can’t wait to share many more incredible, eye-opening moments in Israel, and am grateful I get to share this with you all in Year 10. l look forward to learning more about my religion, Israel and myself. Additionally, I cannot wait to meet up with past Shlichim and my family in Israel!!!!
Rebecca Marks
