Page 38 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - October 19
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THE TRAINING FARM - HACHSHARA
AN EDITED CHAPTER FROM DEVORAH BETH'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
– "MEMORIES OF TEARS & LAUGHTER".
DEVORAH BETH
T equality than the kibbutzim in Israel. But all this
here were three training farms in those
I only discovered later. Thus all our clothes,
days, which were affiliated to Habonim.
Two were in Sussex - the David Eder
Farm and “Bosham”, which had belonged to Mr. books and records were given into the
community. There was a kitty where money
Gestener of the famous printing machines. The could be taken for the occasional outing to the
third farm was called “Reading” although the cinema or to the Henley Regatta, but cash was so
town was about 20 miles away. The farm itself limited, we could only use the kitty once every
was housed in a small hamlet, which was part of few months.
Twyford Village in Berkshire. It was called On my first day I was asked if I knew how to
Hurst Grange and it was a big rambling country ride a bike! I was given an old bike and told to
house with an old-fashioned kitchen, Klali (our practice until I learned!
general sitting room), and a lovely parquet
floored entrance hall with a piano, and numerous I do not recall how many times I fell off on the
bedrooms upstairs. first day, but that evening Ray, the warden who
was in charge of getting us work outside the
Each bedroom was called by the name of its farm, told me that I had an interview with the
colour so there was the pink room, the blue room Manager of the Poultry Farm Experimental
and so on. Many of us were very “modern” Station of Reading University. The boss asked a
couples who lived with our partners before few questions and when I told him proudly that I
marriage. We girls attended the Marie Stopes had been sent to study chickens in order to bring
Clinic in Reading wearing a curtain ring in order my knowledge to a communal farm in Israel, he
to be fitted with a Dutch Cap, the most effective said: "We don’t want any of your Commie ideas
form of contraception in those days.
around here.”
I arrived at Reading around September, after the However, I got the job! The journey took me at
second Institute in Manchester had finished. I least three-quarters of an hour and I had to get
managed to spend the first few days with the up at five thirty in order to eat a hearty breakfast,
students who were participating in a shortened wrap up my sandwiches and then mount my
version of the Institute run by David Patterson rickety bike to the farm. There was a rule for
for university students who could not take three everything and the last member to arrive always
months off. So my first meeting with Hachshara got the oldest bike no matter how far or near he
was something like a “civilized” summer camp. worked from the Grange.
There were dozens of people singing and
lounging on the beautiful back lawn during the Every time I set out on those freezing mornings,
breaks. Once they left, life began in earnest. I would ask myself what I was doing there. I
must be mad, I thought, I could be at home in
The object was to train us in communal living, London in a soft bed and I could be working in
and to teach us agricultural work. The place was an office where one started at a civilized hour.
run like a miniature kibbutz and because there
were no more than about twenty of us at any one A particularly grueling job was given to me once
time, we were far stricter about complete every six weeks or so when the chicks were
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