After
traveling from different cities and via different routes our group is finally
united together in Mrar. Upon arrival last night we met our host families and
briefly discussed what we would be doing during the program.
This
morning started early, with the bus picking all of us up at 7:30 am. At the
center of our partner organization, Horizons for the Future, we met some of the
local youth and did some icebreakers to open up the program. It was interesting
that some of the games we played had previously been experienced by members of
our program, indicating that some things are more universal than we had
expected.
At
midday we took a tour of the village sights. We visited two olive presses, one
traditional (dating back at least 300 years during the period of Ottoman rule)
and one modern (mechanized operation). We talked about both the economic and
symbolic significance of olive oil to the Druze in Mrar, and also explored the
changing relationship of olive oil throughout history.
Lunch
was definitely a highlight. We ate makloubeh, a traditional dish of
chicken, rice, and vegetables served communal style. Alongside were all the
fixings. Hummus, pickles, salad, olives, pita, labneh and various sauces. It
was taim me’od (very tasty).
After
lunch we were able to hear from Asad, the director of Horizons for the Future. He
talked to us about the history of the Druze (both in Israel and the broader
Middle East), the relationship between Druze and Jews, and the vision that his
organization has for the future. He talked about how the Druze serve in the IDF
and how this gives the Druze a relative advantage over other minorities in Israel.
He mentioned that a core value of Horizons for the Future is to empowered Druze
youth in their studies, both financially and through academic support. This
aims to increase the amount of Druze who are able to attend university, which
will ultimately improve their standing in society. We also learned from Ali, from Horizons for the Future, and Hadi, a young adult in the community who is active in Horizons for the Future. They both spoke to us about Horizons for the Future and the Druze culture.
To end
the day, we spent time teambuilding to prepare ourselves for the coming
week. It enabled us to feel more
connected and build off the core values of Yahel.
We look
forward to starting our volunteer work in the garden tomorrow and continuing to
build a relationship with the Druze commuunity.
Lailah tov from Mrar!
Today's post was written by Seth Engelbourg and Evan Sheinhait.
