Page 6 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - February 14

During the past fifty years, the Jewish United States as the country with the largest
population of Israel has increased tenfold. From Jewish population. As such, Israel is considered
an almost mono-cultural social structure in the now to be the very centre of the Jewish world,
50’s to a multicultural one in present day, in the radiating modern Jewish and Israeli culture.
wake of waves of mass immigration from Jews all over the world can now comfortably
different parts of the world. Jews came from reside in the Diaspora and continue to be citizens
North Africa, the Middle East, Ethiopia and of their countries while relating to Israel as their
Russia, as well as from other European Nation-State. They nurture this situation by
countries, from South Africa and from North and various means, such as frequent visits to Israel,
South America. A cultural jumble evolved, a far financial contributions to various causes, long
cry from Ben Gurion’s vision of Israel becoming and short term youth schemes, studying at
a ”melting pot”, whereby all will adopt Hebrew university, serving in the army, and yes, Aliya, to
names and only Hebrew will be spoken. All name just a few. Israel too, plays a very
this was aimed at making us “true” Israelis in the important role keeping secular Diaspora Jews in
Sabra image, the underlying theme of our the fold, accompanied by a greater feeling of
ideologically mobilised society at the time. security in an increasingly anti-Semitic world
Parallel to this, in the age of globalisation, the and awareness that Israel is there when needed.
status of Israel in the Jewish world has changed All this adds up to the eclipse of the former
and has reached a peak in the first decade of the negative image of the Golah Jew. With the
21st century. Israel is no longer just the land of legitimisation of Israeli “Yordim” who reside
the Bible; it has become a normal western abroad, the once mythical Hebrew Sabra has
country, with a high-tech reputation, with the now become a globalised Jew, born in Israel.
stress on the individual. It has replaced the

IRGUN VATIKEI HABONIM, UK
Preliminary Announcement

th
14 Annual Reunion Weekend, 9-11 May 2014 at
the Dolphin Hotel, St Ives, Cambridgeshire

For further information, please contact:
Phil Moleman 020-8933-8538 email: molemans@ntlworld.com
Denise Bardan (0)1223-811948 email: denise@bardan.plus.com
Looking forward to seeing you in May
Denise, Phil and Nick

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