Page 49 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - Autumn 21
P. 49
certainly no wish to be a farmer. Those turned the desert into productive agricultural
seemed to me to be the only offerings that land and built major urban centres. This was
Habonim had for those who left school and all clearly in direct contrast to the Arabs who
were off to university or work. I loved and were treated as third-rate citizens; at least that
liked, and still do love, the English language. was how it appeared to me.
I am a very bad linguist and I had no wish to I am still a strong believer in Zionism, though
learn Hebrew, nor for that matter any other Israel was not the perfect country for reasons
foreign language. I was a townie from that I have set out above, or so it seemed to
England. I liked, and still do like, urban life. me. I particularly disliked Prime-Minister
The countryside, be it the Lake District or Shamir whose policy seemed to be “No” to
Galilee is wonderful for fresh air, for walking anything and everything. Also, I am not a
and hiking, but for me, not for living in. So, fully paid-up member of the Netanyahu fan-
the offering effectively meant that I was club.
going to leave Habonim with a lot of good
memories. However, it meant realising at this The most important and lasting memory of
stage of my life that it no longer offered me Habonim was meeting the most beautiful girl
anything more and I could not give it in the world, who became my wife.
anything back.
Nobody had selected me for Israel camp,
about which I could have got very upset, but
did not. I thought at that stage that the moral
high ground upon which Israel was built, had
slipped as far as I was concerned, and this
was before the whole issue of the power of
the religious and ultra-religious parties had
come to the fore. I had and still do have, no
time for religion of any kind and I have to say
that was one of the attractions of Habonim,
that nobody bothered me about religion. 1960 M/c Dance Troupe: from left, ?, Shirley (Levy)
Indeed, the nearest I got to religion with Bates, Gay (Kenton) Shindler, Janice Manson,
Barbara Bobker, Joy (Waltzer) Rosen, ?, ?
Habonim was the third Seder. That was a
riotous and enjoyable evening, which bore Our own children went to BBYO (B'nai
B'rith Youth Organization) – obviously, they
remarkably little relationship to the escape have been brought up in a more middle-class
from Egypt. I have attached the three poems environment and the socialist strictures of
that were the centerpiece of the evening. (one
appendix at end of article…ed) Habonim had no interest for them, though I
think that they all vote Labour – especially
At this time, about the early 1960s, I was now Corbyn is no longer with us. Though
getting very fed-up with the Israeli well past my Habonim days, I was married
propaganda machine, which kept telling me with 1½ children and qualifying as a lawyer.
how wonderful Israel was because they had I recall the 1967 “six-day” war vividly. I was
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