Page 21 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - November 12
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I hated the first day, I felt so lonely despite went. One scarf, one pre-teen. Pre-teen takes
having my best friend there. The second day was said scarf and dances around the inside of the
a bit better, we met some boys from Manchester circle while the group sings excitedly “if it’s
and the food was really good. By the third night good enough for Angie, good enough for Angie,
we were playing Bed, Chair, Wardrobe with the good enough for Angie, it’s good enough for me.
Mancunians – they sure didn’t put that game in Give me an old time religion, old time religion,
the brochures. old time religion, it’s good enough for me. If it’s
Summer camp was more hard core (meaning we good enough foooooooooooooooooor” (by this
slept under canvas, nothing rude.) It lasted for time the group has worked itself up into an
two weeks and I only had to call home every absolute frenzy) then pre-teen finds a member of
other day. In the middle of the fortnight was the the opposite sex puts the scarf around his/her
tiyul – 3 days hiking (ok, so our rucksacks neck and gives them a big smacker. Then that
followed us in a van – Jewish hiking) and 3 days person takes the scarf and on it goes. (I always
on a barge. Just writing about it makes me want fancied the madrichim. When you’re eleven and
to go back in time. At nights we would have a there’s a David Essex lookalike it’s only natural
camp fire…more singing. If I ever got onto that you will choose him over a boy who is
Mastermind, my specialist subject would be smaller and weighs less than you.)
campfire songs – The Beatles, Simon & Thirty odd years on and I have offspring of 14
Garfunkel and that one about the sad calf. At the and 11. We live in London and they go to a very
end of the evening, the boys would wee on the large Jewish comprehensive. They don’t go to
bonfire to put it out. They were so macho. Habonim, boo hoo. In fact, they don’t go to any
My very favourite memory about Habonim Jewish youth movements on a weekly basis. I’d
camps is the rikudim. For the uninitiated, love them to, but the fact is that they believe
rikudim is folk dancing and singing in a circle. they have enough social and cultural (note which
That fella with the mullet and his Achey Breaky way around I used those words) interaction at
Heart have tried to copy Habo style, but it’s not school.
as good. The rikudim session started off quite And what of Habonim in 2012? Well, for starters
tamely: a bit of “shafta mayim” then onto “The it’s now called Habonim-Dror. (I dread to think
Hora.” Boys and girls held hands, it was nice. As how my mother would intonate that one.) Its
the evening wore on, things got livelier. The website describes it as still being a Socialist
penultimate song was a bit of a do-si-do affair Zionist Culturally Jewish youth movement. The
and involved a lot of jigging around. You know “Chultzah” now costs £16.50 including post and
how you can Google anything these days and packaging. That’s about the same price as WA in
always find the origin? Well I’ve just Googled 1975. The boys still have long hair and it still
the words to this song and nothing has come up. looks like fun for all. No mention of Bed, Chair,
So if anyone knows anything about the song that Wardrobe though. Shame. That could be the USP
goes “you stick a knife into his back and take for my kids to go.
him to a waiting taxi...” please let me know. And
then the grand finale – The Scarf Dance. This is * 2012 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL, OPS &
when, if you were very, very lucky you got a BLOGS
kiss from the boy you fancied. Here’s how it
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