Page 9 - Issue 5

19 February 2008

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Revolutions in Kvutsat Yovel

by James Grant-Rosenhead

Habonim Dror's first kvutsa, Kvutsat Yovel, has recently begun a massive series of transformations,
which are hugely impacting on every aspect of our existence!

On the superficial level, our numbers have doubled to twelve people – a year and a half ago we
were only six olim from Habonim Dror, which had been a stable number for a couple of years
already. The first big change was in July 2006 when Kinneret Grant-Rosenhead, daughter to Emma
and myself, was our first new arrival. Kinneret is the first sabra in our kvutsa, after all these years of
being only olim, and more significantly she is the first child in our kvutsa. Next, in August 2007, Emily
Bock (a former HDOZ Rosh Chinuch) began a process of joining Kvutsat Yovel. This raised some
eyebrows, since Emily is a few years younger than the rest of us, and had in the past been a
chanicha of Yovelnikim. Then, within days of Emily beginning her process with Yovel, four sabra Israelis
– three adults and a baby girl – also approached us about beginning a process of joining us.

The range and depth of the changes which have resulted from all of these new additions is still hard
for us to comprehend ourselves, but I will try to give a taste of their significance:

1) Gender balance: Kvutsat Yovel included five males and one female before these changes
began. We are now six males and six females. Ok, so the baby girls maybe don't really
count as women yet, but nevertheless the presence of Inbal, Talia and Emily, as well