Leap just had our first weekend back in the mechina since returning from San Francisco, and it was a busy one!
It is officially Pride Month, and on Thursday, Jerusalem hosted the March for Pride and Tolerance. We embraced Bina’s emphasis on social activism and tikkun olam, and our whole mechina attended, wearing none other than our bright blue BINA shirts.
Support people regardless of their religion
It was an extremely meaningful and powerful experience for me, especially since it was the first pride event I’ve ever been a part of. The streets we marched down were filled with music, posters, and the most colour I’ve ever seen at one time. Elliot led Bina in chants as we marched and helped keep our energies high throughout the afternoon.
The experience definitely brought our whole mechina closer together, since there was no separation between the Gap and Israeli’s, and we all connected through being there to support people regardless of their religion, nationality, or sexual orientation.
Commemorating it with my loved ones
In addition to it being Pride Month, this weekend was Shavuot. We got to celebrate it all together, since Bina holds a big annual Shavuot event which anyone is welcome to. Being a part of the mechina meant we got the unique experience of working at the event while also attending it. We spent Saturday morning setting up for it: preparing the stage, making lanterns to spread across campus, cooking food and decorating the botanical gardens.
By the time the event started in the evening, we were all buzzing with pride and anticipation for the night to come. The evening was filled with performances, including Sha’anan Streett from Hadag Nahash, an amazing drag queen, and spoken word performed by Gefen and Asaf from our mechina. The second half of the evening was filled with lessons run by different speakers and teachers, and Elliot led a class in English for the gap on love and couples in the book of Hosea.
Although I’ve celebrated Shavuot with my family before, this event left me with an added meaning attached to this holiday and how much I can still learn about Jewish history while commemorating it with my loved ones.
Your favorite Tel Aviv Fellows,
Nicole
//Nicole
