Waldflowers BBG Israel Night

On April 24, Waldflowers B'nai B'rith Girls (BBG) met at the Roth Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando for a night of Israeli food, friendship, and fun. Members kicked off the program by writing thank you letters to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to show our appreciation for everything they do for our homeland. Using the organization Thank Israeli Soldiers, our letters will be distributed among different units in the IDF and all the soldiers will understand how grateful we are for them.

Next, Waldflowers put our own BBG twist on a typical Israeli flag and created our own using graham crackers and different colored icing. During this messy and sweet activity, members were quizzed on their knowledge of the flag.

"I liked the food portion of the program the best because we incorporated Israeli information into a tasty snack!" said Sara Hoffen, 11th grader at Lake Mary High School.

Following our edible treats, Waldflowers members jumped into a game of 'Jewpardy' and tested our Israel IQ. Girls were quizzed on everything from Israeli history to geography to culture. Ilana Loory, a junior from Lake Brantley High School, stole the show with her amazing knowledge of the Holy Land. Sophomore Taylor Harris said she "liked the Jeopardy because it taught me cool facts about Israel that aren't just the generic information that everyone learns."

To wrap up the night, our adviser, Lyla Halikman, taught everyone the famous Israeli song and dance "Kiss Kiss."

"I loved Israeli dancing because it was fun experiencing new things with everyone," said Rebecca Michel, sophomore at Winter Park. Lyman junior and chapter president Hannah Wiselthier agreed, and said that the "Israeli dancing with Lyla was great because it was super upbeat and fun and because our lovely adviser led it. Everyone had a smile on her face during it! It was really cool to learn an Israeli dance because I haven't done that before! I definitely will be teaching it to others for their enjoyment for years to come."

Sarah Michel is in 11th grade at Winter Park High School. She is currently serving at Waldflowers BBG's S'ganit (vice-president).