Page 15 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - January 19
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Kibbutz. I was the first person in England to make aspirations. Our lives were enriched by a
Medieval and Modern Hebrew the main subject of passionate devotion to the cause of Zionism, but
a B.A. Honours degree. By the time my release one that was always infused with humour and
came through from my Reserved Occupation personal warmth. It is a wonderful boon to have
working in an aircraft factory, three weeks of the been really idealistic at some period in one’s life,
winter term had passed and I had to work especially when those ideals are shared by people
furiously to catch up with the course in Arabic. whom one cherished. I firmly believe that
Throughout the four years I lived in the Habonim Habonim made a great impact on so many of its
Bayit in Manchester I devoted my evenings and members, both those who went to Israel and those
weekends to Habonim, apart from my third year who stayed in Britain. The contribution to Israel
which I spent with an Arabic family in South both in terms of creativity and from the point of
Manchester. My landlady treated me with great view of character, integrity and solid virtue is
affection and often served me with a sheep’s head, incalculable. The virtues of self-realisation and the
which was regarded as a great delicacy. When the importance of civic ethics are a direct result of our
Arab/Israeli War broke out in 1948, I thought it experiences in the Movement and the lessons that
wiser to return to the Bayit. we learned. We experienced a unique situation at
a critical period in history, and we must count
When I reflect upon those years, which were so ourselves fortunate that we had fixatives, which
vital and intense, I realise what a powerful we could hold on to and which, have continued to
stimulus I received from meeting people from all guide us throughout our lives.
over Great Britain with similar ideals and
Oxford Centre for
Hebrew and Jewish Studies and
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