Page 27 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - Autumn 21
P. 27
Prior to this, I had no Jewish education, knew hair “styled”, grew it long, and walked
nothing about Israel or the Holocaust. around in jeans and torn clothes. She was
Reading the book, I discovered a lot more pleased I was mixing with Jewish kids at
about being Jewish. At the age of fourteen, I Habonim (there were none at my high
became a serious Zionist, and planned to school), but not pleased when I came home
move to Israel as soon as I was legally older from Habonim camps and slept for 15 hours!
enough to leave home.
When I was 16, my aging and now unhealthy
parents forced me to leave school in order to
work and earn money, because they feared
they would not be able to support me. The rag
trade was changing because of the
competition with clothes made cheaply in the
East, and my father was laid off work. I
became a shorthand typist and worked in an
advertising agency in Leeds, spending every
available free minute in Habonim, at summer
1962 Habonim Leeds-Bradford Hampsthwaite weekend and winter camps, or as a chanicha or
camp. Yehudit (Clynes) Vinegrad and Eddie Rivlin
madricha in Leeds.
The first step in the plan was to join
Habonim. The second step was changing my
name from Judy to Yehudit and signing on
for Hebrew classes held at Zion House in
Leeds. At the classes, I met a 14-year-old
chubby schoolboy, wearing a school blazer
and cap. As we were the only young people
in the group, we sat together. He was from 1962 Habonim Leeds-Bradford Arthington. weekend
Dror and I was from Habonim. Fourteen- camp. From left, back, Allen Samuels -Oscar, Yehudit
year-olds tend to see only black or white. (Clynes) Vinegrad, Esther Miller and others
Because I was so serious and we were from I befriended another young person, David
different youth movements, the relationship Hyams. We were both rebels and together we
didn’t develop beyond lessons. But we both would spend hours putting down Leeds
did well in classes. Jewish society and its bourgeois values. We
would meet on the top floor of a proletarian
The third step was rebelling against my
Mother’s wishes. Up to this time, she had pub in downtown Leeds, where local
controlled the way I dressed, my hairstyle Yorkshiremen would take it in turns to stand
th
and my behaviour. My parents’ aim was for up and sing 19 -century folk lyrics about
me to learn shorthand and typing, and to work social injustice. Munching our crisps and
in an office until a wealthy Jewish gentleman drinking cider (though we were both under
came along to ask for my hand in marriage. age), we discussed the ‘-isms’ and criticised
To my Mother’s horror, I refused to have my our parents’ lifestyle and expectations for us.
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