Page 8 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - November 12
P. 8
ALEC COLLINS
A After working for a month in the fishponds, Alec
lec Collins was literally born into
Habonim even before the Movement
was called upon to replace the Merakez Binyan of
came to Leeds. A cousin, Hettie Ze’evi,
chosen profession. He was Merakez until 1965
went from Habonim to Kfar Blum, another cousin, the kibbutz. Very soon Alec was working in his
Zvi Shur was Mazkir Habonim in the late when he was sent as Shaliach to British Habonim.
“Forties,” before he left for Kfar Hanassi and He spent three years up North, organizing
Anna Shur, Zvi’s sister, went from Hachshara to moadonim in several cities where the Batim had
Bet HaEmek. since closed down. He returned to Kfar Hanassi
Alec was a Boneh in Leeds and his job as Merakez
Habonim during WW2, Binyan, a position which he
becoming a very active held for the next twenty
Vatik in the years 1946-8. years whilst also upgrading
After leaving school, he his professional knowledge
began to study civil at the Technion in Haifa. In
engineering in Leeds and 1989 Alec was sent by the
after receiving his degree, kibbutz to the Upper
went to Dublin, where he Galilee Regional Council
helped to form a Hachshara where he became Secretary
with Geoff Halperin and of the Council Building
also worked in the "I told you so!" Committee and also held
Movement. Returning to England he got practical other posts for over ten years. During this period
experience for a couple of years until going to great changes were taking place in the kibbutzim -
London as Rosh Tsofim in late 1954, working also mainly privatisation.
as the Madrich of West London Peleg. Alec joined a small group of people dealing with
He was active with several other people during all the new problems that privatisation brought to
that period in the debate taking place of the lifestyle of the members of the kibbutz,
immediately going on Aliya or firstly acquiring a including those specifically dealing with
profession. He strongly supported the latter parcellation of the kibbutz housing and
opinion. It was during this time that he met Edna infrastructure.
Bergmann who was Rosh Bonim; they married in The kibbutz also decided to develop housing for
early 1957 before going on Aliya later that year. outsiders, people wanting a kibbutz lifestyle but
Alec had been a member of Garin Gimmel which not wanting to be members. Alec, naturally, also
by then had settled at Kibbutz Amiad but was assisted with this subject.
encouraged to form a new group which eventually Now over 80 and still working part-time, 55 years
became Garin Hey. The group came on Aliya and as a member of Kfar Hanassi, he considers that he
went on Hachshara at Kibbutz Maayan Zvi, was fully justified in bringing professional
eventually landing up as a very good support knowledge when coming on Aliya. Two other
Garin to Kfar Hanassi in 1958. aspects of his life are important when thinking of
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