The 16th Annual
SHABBATON ISRAEL 2004

Over this past weekend (November 5-6) we held our 16th Annual Shabbaton Israel. Over 100 college students, Hillel and other Jewish professionals from over 10 Bay Area colleges and universities attended one of our most successful Shabbatonim to date.

Here are some of the other highlights:

* A high amount of student-led programs and workshops. We were very blessed to have students from a variety of campuses lead an array of workshops/activities: Israel 2020 discussions, our Israel activist student panel, workshops, and presentations such as one on Magen David Adom just to name a few. Many of these student leaders have attended our Shabbaton in previous years.

* A strong level of involvement and attendance of Hillel professionals. Based upon on-going enhancement in working relations with local Hillels we were delighted to incorporate many excellent Hillel professionals into leadership positions in our program such as Israel 20/20, panels, Jewish learning sessions, prayer services, workshops and icebreakers.

* Israel 20/20--- This was, indeed, the second year that we implemented this exciting student and Hillel professional led program. Students were divided into discussion groups by campuses and were asked to envision Civil Society in the Jewish State by the year 2020. After much ado, students then presented their collective vision to the entire assembly in quite a charming and humorous way.

* Our Keynote speaker Knesset Member and Professor Yuli Tamir, who served as minister for immigrant absorption under Prime Minister Ehud Barak, was able to share with us her perspective and thoughts on many social issues that Israel faces, and she argued that the concentration on the conflict needed to take a back-seat to social issues in Israel. Regardless of their own opinion on this subject, the students were grateful that this approach sparked debate and discussion.

* Diversity of Participants--- Attendees included Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and secular students, Jews and non-Jews alike, women and men, Americans, Israelis and Russians, LGBT and straights from an array of Bay Area campus communities.

* Scholars in Residence-- This was the second year that we had a Scholar-in Residence and Rabbi Henry Shreibman certainly provided us with a fun, humorous, and energetic approach to pro-Israel activism as he helped to facilitate our discussions during Israel 2020. UC Berkeley Hillel Rabbi Dorothy Richman and Lev Metz- Director of Sonoma County Hillel contributed immensely to the Jewish sprit and learning of the Shabbaton.

* Diversity of speakers- Our speakers included representatives from the Latino and LGBT communities; Yair Shragai, a specialist in Israeli music; Palestinians and Jews in dialogue, AIPAC, East Bay federation in addition to representatives from Israel with the Jewish Agency sponsored group Achai V'Re'ai.

* Last but not least, I am proud to report that some discipline, alcohol and littering problems that tainted the Shabbaton last year have vanished this year like fumes of alcohol into the cold night air. For the first time the Shabbbaton was a dry event with no alcohol allowed.

The retreat has historically been a jumping-off point for potential student Israel activists, as well as a forum for more veteran campus organizers to network with new students, and share their ideas and experiences. Those who attended will impart their newfound knowledge onto more students at their home campuses - the retreat is thus an example of capacity building on a massive scale.

Avner Even-Zohar, MA
Director of Campus Division & Tzavta

Shabbaton was sponsored by Sponsored by
The Campus Division of the Israel Center of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, in conjunction with: San Francisco Hillel; Berkeley Hillel; Davis and Sacramento Hillel; Chico State Hillel; Santa Cruz Hillel; Hillel at Stanford ;Hillel of Silicon Valley; Hillel of Sonoma County; ADL, AIPAC, JCRC, Hamagshimim, the Israel Center of the greater East Bay and USD-Hagashama Dept./WZO and the New Israel Fund.

About Walker Creek Ranch

See previous Shabbatonim