Tivnu Blog
Monday Internship Observations
One of the many questions that I have while interning at JOIN (a non profit homeless aid organization that hands out supplies such as food and clothes to those in need) is ,“Can I see an outreach worker to help pay rent or to help figure out how to get a job?”...
Discoveries Beside My Internship
Every Monday morning I intern at Portland Homeless Family Solution’s day shelter, Thirteen Salmon. I take the bus and arrive about 15 minutes before the shelter opens. In those 15 minutes, I’ve noticed something very striking....
The Art of Improvement
The main theme I’ve noticed in my life since I’ve been in the Tivnu Gap Year is improvement, in many different aspects. While it’s only been 7 weeks since we arrived in Portland, it is promising to see my personal maturity grow exponentially....
Dvar Torah for Sukkot
A long time ago there was a rainy town (much like Portland) that had a Jewish community. As the calendar turned to fall it came time to build a סוכה (sukkah) for the holiday of סוכות (sukkot). ...
A Week at the Construction Site
Monday: We had our individual internships at local non-profits until around 12:30. I have been interning with Sisters of the Road, a local cafe that seeks to create a "space to build community, empower ourselves, learn from one another, dine with dignity and organize for justice and human rights for all"....
Dignity Village and the Power of Community
Last Sunday, the group loaded up the van and headed to Seaside, Oregon. Seaside is a small coastal town similar to most in New Jersey, where I come from, with its strip of stores selling key chains, buckets, and various nick-knacks....
Thoreau Was Right!
Ah, camping… A word that rattles everyone’s minds when it is brought up. In our fast paced society, many of us aren’t fond of spending our days without technology or a warm bed to sleep in....
The Camping Experience I Never Had
What struck me about going on Tivnu’s camping trip was that I originally thought it would be extremely difficult. I thought we’d have to sleep on the ground, or fish for your own food. Because this is a gap year program focused on construction work and building, I had imagined camping in a much harder way....