July 26

July 26 Today started out with the group going to the Lochamei HaGetaot Museum (The Ghetto Fighters Museum), which is at the kibbutz of the same name. First the MBIers were brought to a lookout point where you can see the whole museum and learned about the founding of the kibbutz and the museum. Then they saw a few of the different exhibits within the museum, like the children's exhibit, and the resistance exhibit. The groups were led by members of Habonim Dror and Hanoar Haoved (our Israeli sister youth movement). In the exhibits and in the sikkum (conclusion) of the morning, the MBIers discussed people's ability to make choices in their lives and how they act and react in different situations. They also discussed the involvement of the youth movement in rebellion during the Holocaust and how that rebellion came out of a sense of responsibility to the Jewish community.  They also discussed and related these themes of rebellion and responsibility in their own lives. While difficult, this trip was also meaningful and inspiring for the MBIers, seeing how relevant youth movements have been and can be today.