Our second week at Kibbutz Lotan was nothing short of an adventure. After only a few short days, friendships with our fellow “eco-freeko’s” were already well formed, completed with far too many bad jokes and perhaps one too many late night chats around the bonfire. Now I know what you are thinking sounds like an American summer camp dream, but truth be told, the 5:45 am wakeups and hours slaving away over compost piles and 90’s documentaries on permaculture truly defy these s

Sunday we said goodbye to the last of the northerns, Sima. As we also said goodbye to our Jerusalem flat of 4 months, to bus down to Kibbutz Lotan. We were greeted inside the gate by two of our teachers, Mark and Steven. After putting our bags inside our new eco-dome homes, we were shown around the bustan (the small part of the Kibbutz where the GA’s (green apprentices live) and the many different permaculture based tech inside, including; bio-gas kitchens, compost toilets,

So that's it... shnat is coming to an end. I remember so many times when I thought there was so much time left and about all the great things that I wanted to do and see and now it's over. I still can't believe it. I'm sad to leave this beautiful country, leaving all my new friends, which are more like a family than just friends and leaving this great program, which taught me so much about life, lsrael (culture, society, Zionism, politics, economics), Netzer Values and the wo

This was the week that everyone had been dreading for a long time - the closing week of Etgar. For the unlucky ones this was the penultimate week of our Shnat, and for the the slightly more fortunate it was an ending which ushered in the start of a new part of the program. From this coming Sunday, the Northerners will have their final week together on Kibbutz Tzuba and the Southerners will have their 8 day break period before they begin living at Kibbutz Lotan, so this was ou

Our week began with the last sessions by leora and rodrigo, the sadness from our hearts could be felt throughout beit shmuel and the whole of jerusalem. With yet heavier hearts we entered our last session on the conflict. The session was filled with intense thought as ideological zingers rocheted across the circle only to be deflected by deep thought on the subject at hand. As the weekend drew on many returned weary from there long quests across eretz yisrael, the kvutza trav

Yet again, your beloved shnatties had a week full of adventure, laughter and inspiration. Over the course of the shavuot chofesh, shnatties took the opportunity to travel around Israel, meeting family, friends and exploring the Holy Land. Some of us went to Kibbutz Lotan to visit our friends and experience the scorching desert. It was great to be there over shavout and Shabbat and to once again experience friday night dinner on lotan, and even though the heat was almost unbea