Page 30 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - Autumn 21

bonded group, the “Chevrat Noar”, and being
1964. Being silly on Noar. From Left, Carol (Barber)
Zelas, Yehudit (Clynes) Vinegrad, Maxine (Spungin)
Toshner, Shelly (Shieldhouse) Yavetz
very much, especially as my previous
boyfriend had left for Machon, and had
written to say that the relationship was over,
but I didn’t find anyone that I really loved,
and I perhaps hurt a couple of hearts while
trying to achieve my unrequited goal.
Living on a farm and being a teenager makes
one hungry. At teatime, in the afternoon, after
work and studies we would stuff ourselves
with slices of Jam and Toast that we prepared
in the Bet Noar.
At some stage, we were told that we were all
going to learn how to make ceramic pots at
an activity centre in Horsham. Some of us
were driven there in the farm jeep by Mike
Landes. The rest of us were expected to walk
down the infamous Ashurst Lane to catch a
bus to Horsham. We had a lot of fun walking
together in a group, travelling together on the
top deck of the bus and making “potties”
together in Horsham.
Another special time for us was Habonim
Winter Activities. Up to that year, whenever
I went to a winter or summer camp, I went
alone because there was nobody my age in
Leeds Habonim, who took part in national
activities. Taking part in a national camp in a
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a step up in the hierarchy of the movement
was empowering. It was a great time for me.
One of the highlights of the year was our trip
to Switzerland to the International Jewish
Youth Conference. For many of us it was our
first flight abroad. We stayed in a hotel in the
Alps. It was my first hotel experience, and I
will never forget seeing a down duvet for the
first time and wondering how anything so
light and cloudlike could keep me so
wonderfully warm at night. It was amazing
seeing Jewish youth from all over the world
and I remember being particularly impressed
by the Israeli dancing presented by the
Moroccan contingent. According to Stan
Tannen, the boys stayed in a different hotel,
even more special. If they left their shoes by
the door at night, they would be ready
cleaned for them in the morning. Stan says
that he took all the boys’ shoes and lined
them up by the door at night.
We were taken to a ski lift and I had no idea
that it would be taking us so high up in the
mountains. Gill and I sat together, held hands
and closed our eyes with fright when we
hovered in the heights. The minute we got up
there, instead of going to enjoy skiing, we
waited in line to go down so we could be free
of the terror of the ski lift as soon as possible.
At some time towards the end of the year a
Garin Zayin meeting was held on the Chava,
which involved a large group of awe-
inspiring young men and women, many of
them university students. We meekly joined
in and became officially part of the Garin,
though many of our group went separate
ways afterwards. There was a discussion