Page 14 - Issue 5

Randomim Dror

Each issue we bring you stories of Habonim Dror in random countries! This issue, Singapore,
Zimbabwae and Algeria:

• In 1946 a Singapore branch of the Labor Zionist youth group Habonim was established. A
Communal Hall was built in 1955 and the youth-organized Habonim, with emphasis on Zionism and
Jewish culture, was 300 strong.

• Video clips of Habonim Zimbabwae in the early 1950's

http://www.zjc.org.il/gatooma_video/clip_four_fast.wmv
http://www.zjc.org.il/gatooma_video/clip_five_fast.wmv

• Members of Habonim Algeria, 1959 celebrating Yom Hatzmaut

The end of the beginning or just plain new beginnings
by Mika Klitzner, HDSA Shnat 2007

It is one week to go until the final farewell, where as suddenly as it all began, it all comes to a slightly
abrupt halt. The 'it' which I so boldly refer to is the sheer experience of the past year which affected
18 individuals' lives. A year which has come to stand out as truly unbelievable, unforgettable and unlike
any other. A year where we grew up, where we experienced love, where we laughed, where we learnt
about the joys of new and strengthened friendships while at the same time learning about the hardships
of having to say goodbye, a year where we discovered how to step out of our comfort zones and how to
let go of everything which we ever knew. Mostly though, the year emerged as a series of challenges,
milestones and life lessons which have moulded each of us into who we are today.

The year took each of us on an educational process which pushed our minds beyond the borders of its
usual realms. We debated and contemplated the customs and laws surrounding Judaism, discussed the
conflicts and extremes which exist within Israel, explored the various cultures which the country has to
offer and grappled with lofty concepts such as individualism vs collectivism, consumerism and the
constraints of living within a capitalist society. The benefits and realities of a socialist existence were
considered and weighed against the lives which we lead back home. We spoke about the act of
extending community service into revolutionary service and with whom the responsibility of