Page 15 - Issue 8
P. 15
I want madrichim/bogrim in HD around the world
Building a Tnua
who are nearing the end of the youth movement
by Sarah Michaels Levy road in their country to know that there’s a place
for them here in the movement, if what we’re
What does it mean to be building a movement as doing appeals to them. But I also want them to
adults? Identifying as being Habonim Dror in know that we are all acutely aware of the
Israel is interesting, since (unless you’re here on identity dilemmas that come as part and parcel
a program) it means that you are a of being a Diaspora Socialist Zionist movement.
boger/bogeret (graduate) of the youth movement We can help movement bogrim examine and
Habonim Dror. The concept of “Tnuat Bogrim” better understand these dilemmas, but at a
(graduate movement) gets thrown around a lot, certain point, each person makes their own choice
and has taken on a mystified and polarizing about whether to tie one’s fate and place one’s
quality. It seems to evoke a range of emotions energies in creating a more equal society in one’s
among movement chaverim around the world from home country or doing so in Israel. My choice to
exuberance to outright scorn. At last count, do so in Israel is complex, and is part of my
we’re a group of roughly 30 people who grew up in personal narrative not easily summed up in a few
Habonim Dror in at least 8 countries, whose lives sentences (or pages). To try to sum it up on a
were affected by their membership in HD the basic level, it is borne out of my desire to
youth movement on such a deep level that they embrace and explore rather than suppress my
decided not to stop when they reached the end Jewishness, part of which includes the shaping of
of the youth movement road. Israel as a place that we can all be proud of as
Jews.
My decision to make aliyah with my garin in 2004
was an act of courage that I’m proud of – leaving The only peulah I remember from my first 3 or
a known life path as an Engineer, to start a new so years at machaneh was during my first
life of our own creation. Over the past 4 years, summer, when I was 11, when the cooks refused
I’ve struggled with my identity as a Jew, to make Jello because the red food coloring
deepened my understanding and appreciation of stained the kitchen counters. Our madrichim
Zionism, developed as a madricha. The values and taught us protest songs, we learned to make
principles that have that have guided us through picket signs, and we spent a lot of time that
the uncharted waters of building a tnua of olim summer protesting the injustice of never getting
during this century are the same ones we all grew Jello for dessert. At the end of the summer, the
up with in the youth movement: creating an equal cooks gave in and we learned the power of
society, accepting others, self-evaluation and perseverance and standing up for your ‘beliefs’.
growth, work as a team. But even with all of the One of the strengths of a youth movement is the
high-reaching principles and tremendous certainty that you and your chevrei have that
responsibility we’re taking, often the strongest you’re really going to make a difference in the
affirmation for me of my movement life is when world together. Somewhere along the line though,
my kvutsah spends the first two hours of yom we’re taught to outgrow that certainty, and later
kvutsah playing trigger games and giggling. to also outgrow the desire to put all (or your
main) energies in persevering in your beliefs.
We’re not a group of altruistic aesthetes making
lofty statements about the morally corrupt Together with my chevrei here in the movement,
society of our day. We’re actively creating an I plan to continue to let my values guide the work
alternative society – both within the movement I do, the way I live, and the way I treat others. I
and externally, through our work with Israeli don’t accept the view that what I’m doing is a
schoolchildren and Jewish communities sacrifice, either; I’m making a conscious choice,
worldwide. I seek out (and find) the day after day, to work towards creating a world
spiritual/emotional highs that come with new worth living in. To me, this is the meaning of
understandings about myself and the world that building a tnua.
happen while I’m a madricha and a chanicha.
