Page 12 - Issue 8

difference. I knew that Israel is the center of the Jewish world. I knew that making change
there would affect that the entire Jewish world. I knew that I wanted to be a part of Israeli
society so I could change it from the inside. I knew that the way to make societal change was
by changing one individual at a time, by affecting people, by educating.

I knew all those things. I knew that those beliefs demanded something of me, namely Aliya. But
not just Aliya, as we all know that Aliya just means moving to Israel. And this brings us to
question number two: what comes after Aliya?

I am joining Kvutsat Aseef, in their new apartment in Ramat Gan. I will be working with the
Tnuat Bogrim, and my first messima is with Tzevet Boneh, helping create a meaningful
Workshop tochnit. I look forward to challenging myself in new ways in Israel. I look forward to
exploring new Messimot. I really look forward to everything. This is all pretty exciting for me!

Why have I just written all this to you? Is it just self-righteousness? Is it self-promotion? Is
it self-aggrandizing? It is surely self-something!

No, I write this to you all to challenge you. I challenge you to think about your beliefs, your
values, and to think about how you are living your life. I challenge you to put yourself into a
movement context in order to challenge your movement beliefs. I am holding the mirror up to
you.

I am also writing this to give you all a condensed version of the context of why one movement
member might come to the decision to make Aliya. I've seen a trend in the movement of people
thinking about Aliya at a very early age and upon a cursory rejection, thus rejecting the
movement as a whole. This is counter-productive. I never thought about Aliya very seriously
until my life led me to a place where it was even a slightly realistic option. In the meantime,
though, I worked by butt off to try and make the movement the best place it could be,
educating towards its values, being the best dugma I could be.

Muki Tzur once told me you can either be a maker of history or a victim of history. Don't let
life pass you by as you think about choices of the distant future. Don't accept the world the
way it is, challenge what you see, challenge yourself to make a change.

Also, folks, Aleh VeHagshem. It's the thing to do!

Love,
Gil Browdy

Mazkir Tnua 2006-2008
Kvutsat Bebop 2007-2008

Kvutsat Aseef 2008-?