May Day Rally

On May 1^st, the Shnat channichim had the opportunity to participate in May Day, the international holiday for workers’ rights. As I was walking around with them during the day, I heard many interesting comments, observations and discussions. During the carnival, the first part of the day, many expressed their surprise at the fact that the crowd and organisers were predominantly youth. The opportunity to participate in large-scale youth activism was very meaningful and made their own presence feel all the more significant. After engaging in a learning process about the international holiday and all it stands for and entails, May Day allowed a unique opportunity for the channichim to express their solidarity for the international struggle for workers' rights. This was evident in their loud cries of “solidarity forever” during the march in the middle of the day. Surrounded by Israelis, and witnessing a final concert occurring all in Hebrew, the channichim also engaged in the opportunity to understand and invest in a large faction of Israeli society and its struggle. Many channichim spent the day talking to their Israeli counterparts, current participants in the hanoar haover vehalomed shnat program, and developed their understanding of the day from this important perspective. Of course, the activities, acts, arts n crafts, games, cupcakes, chants and songs were enjoyed by all and provided a fun, active forum to learn and understand more about youth activism, labour rights, Israeli society and solidarity.

Some of us even made it to the news here in Israel:
http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/465/902.html?snopcmdt=1