http://www.yearcourse.org start painting your future today Sun, 13 May 2012 06:34:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/fat-meirs-soup-kitchen-helping-the-people-of-bat-yam/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/fat-meirs-soup-kitchen-helping-the-people-of-bat-yam/#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 06:34:25 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=6395   … Read more Just over a month ago, my trip brought me to the humble city of Bat Yam, scenically located close to the beach and next to the bustling city of Tel Aviv. A major part of being in Bat Yam is that there is a big focus on volunteering. I started my volunteer service at a middle school teaching]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/fat-meirs-soup-kitchen-helping-the-people-of-bat-yam/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/year-course-its-not-just-meaningful-for-the-chanichim/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/year-course-its-not-just-meaningful-for-the-chanichim/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 14:23:23 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=6390   … Read more           When asked to write a blog post about being a madricha on Young Judaea/FZY Year Course, I immediately said yes and that I would have it ready as soon as possible. That was over a month ago. My job is absolutely incredible.  Fun, rewarding, special, and extremely unique. In theory I could have written about]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/year-course-its-not-just-meaningful-for-the-chanichim/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/a-passover-adventure-in-the-golan/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/a-passover-adventure-in-the-golan/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 14:07:54 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=6385   … Read more             When you have ten guys trying to backpack for a week, the planning can be a little bit difficult.  We packed our bags full of food for a week and, after much debate, decided to head up to the Golan.  After the four-hour bus ride that included a 20 minute layover in]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/a-passover-adventure-in-the-golan/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/enjoying-every-moment-to-its-fullest/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/enjoying-every-moment-to-its-fullest/#comments Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:11:49 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=6325   … Read more               In Israel, you can take a bus in any direction and in an hour find yourself in a completely different environment, physically and spiritually. You could go from the Orthodox neighborhoods of Jerusalem to seeing completely unorthodox outfits on the streets of Tel Aviv. However, Year Coursers know there is more]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/enjoying-every-moment-to-its-fullest/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-1-2011-2012/changeover-final-semester/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-1-2011-2012/changeover-final-semester/#comments Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:27:01 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=6319 Read more]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-1-2011-2012/changeover-final-semester/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/my-best-weekend-of-the-year/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/my-best-weekend-of-the-year/#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:13:06 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=6244 Read more]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/my-best-weekend-of-the-year/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/the-conscience-play-year-course-holocaust-seminar/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/the-conscience-play-year-course-holocaust-seminar/#comments Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:18:36 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=6216   … Read more                 In her enthusiastic, crossing-her-fingers-hoping-people-will-volunteer kind of voice, Kate Nachman (Assistant Director of Year Course) told us that we would be putting on a play by Section 3, for Section 3, during our Holocaust Seminar. The play?  It was called “The Conscience Play.” This 2-day seminar, organized by Young Judaea,]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/the-conscience-play-year-course-holocaust-seminar/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/masa-shabbaton-leaving-the-american-bubble/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/masa-shabbaton-leaving-the-american-bubble/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:53:49 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=6199 This past weekend, I was invited to a Shabbaton by Masa  … Read more. The idea was to bring American and Israeli teens together to get to know and discuss with each other about issues pertaining to Israel. The weekend started with a friendly game of paintball. As I was running around in a red jumpsuit with orange paint being]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/masa-shabbaton-leaving-the-american-bubble/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/making-a-difference-at-aleh/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/making-a-difference-at-aleh/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:12:12 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=6194 you can do so here for updates on the program and Israel itself! Rachel Gluckman, Naperville, IL; Section 3 chanicha   … Read more             Coming from Arad, a small town in the middle of the desert, to Jerusalem, the heart of Israel, has been a huge transition for those of us in Section 3. There’s]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/making-a-difference-at-aleh/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/finding-a-balance/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/finding-a-balance/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:11:13 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=6177 Read more]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/finding-a-balance/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/marva-to-jerusalem-what-an-adventure/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/marva-to-jerusalem-what-an-adventure/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:38:38 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=5963   … Read more                   You know when you haven’t written a friend in a while and you have so much to say that you don’t know how you are going to do it all? Well, that’s what I’m about to attempt (good luck…to me). Since I last wrote on the blog, I have]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/marva-to-jerusalem-what-an-adventure/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-1-2011-2012/negevtiyul/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-1-2011-2012/negevtiyul/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:35:04 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=5930 Read more]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-1-2011-2012/negevtiyul/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/hiking-shvil-yisrael/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/hiking-shvil-yisrael/#comments Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:34:17 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=5868 Read more]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/hiking-shvil-yisrael/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/noy-is-joy/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/noy-is-joy/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:28:03 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=5819   … Read more             My past few weeks on Kibbutz Ketura have been spent working in the noy, or landscaping. The work is not easy. We start at six in the morning and often work until three in the afternoon. Our job is to take care of the kibbutz and keep it clean. We plant trees,]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/noy-is-joy/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/yeshiva-dancing-and-the-tamar-music-festival/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/yeshiva-dancing-and-the-tamar-music-festival/#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:38:00 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=5773   … Read more               After a peaceful and relaxing Shabbat in the apartment, Aaron, Eitan, and I were trying to figure out what to do with our Saturday night when our doorbell rang. We had no idea who would be ringing our doorbell at 7:00 on a Saturday night, so we jumped up and opened]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/yeshiva-dancing-and-the-tamar-music-festival/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/the-bat-yam-beach-any-time-of-year/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/the-bat-yam-beach-any-time-of-year/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:28:02 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=5758   … Read more             Over the weekend I visited some of my Section 2 friends in Bat Yam. One of my favorite things to do in Bat Yam is to go to the beach. Almost every weekend or holiday, I find myself some where along the Mediterranean. This weekend, being the last weekend in October, I]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/the-bat-yam-beach-any-time-of-year/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/who-woulda-thunk-it-i-love-arad/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/who-woulda-thunk-it-i-love-arad/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 05:55:22 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=5618   … Read more When I found out I would be starting my year in Arad, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. I knew absolutely nothing about the city besides that it was very, very small. When I was still home in the US, I even decided to use Google Earth to see what it is close to, which didn’t raise my expectations at]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/who-woulda-thunk-it-i-love-arad/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/ketura-the-beauty-of-kibbutz-life/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/ketura-the-beauty-of-kibbutz-life/#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2011 13:21:34 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=5591 Is there anything more “Israeli” than a kibbutz? It’s that magical mix of old and new — that overwhelming feeling of acceptance and community — and the perfect lifestyle – that has made me fall in love with Kibbutz Ketura  … Read more. Hopefully, this brief description of a few of my experiences here can show you why I feel]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/ketura-the-beauty-of-kibbutz-life/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/a-new-year/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/a-new-year/#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2011 13:07:56 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=5589   … Read more I cheat, I]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-3-2011-2012/a-new-year/feed/ 0 http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-1-2011-2012/year-course-creates-their-own-shofars/ http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-1-2011-2012/year-course-creates-their-own-shofars/#comments Sun, 25 Sep 2011 07:08:05 +0000 BenjiLovitt http://www.yearcourse.org/?p=5872 Read more]]> http://www.yearcourse.org/2011-2012/section-1-2011-2012/year-course-creates-their-own-shofars/feed/ 0