Page 44 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - October 19
P. 44
A LIFE IN HABONIM
BERYL WAIZNER
I assigned to Hadassah’s group. I had a great time
never was a ‘Movement girl’, never full of
crazy ‘ruach’, never dragged everyone into a
and envied the hostel kids, who it seemed to me
‘flying hora’, but Habonim has been my life
since the age of nine. The Gedud was in the as though their life in Devon was one big, jolly,
Machaneh Kayitz.
synagogue’s hall and as I remember, it was run War over: I was in Chavurah Hanitzachon in
by a lovely lady, who was probably just a Cazenove road with Ossie and later on, Anna,
teenager, called Gertie.
Michael and Leila. There, I feel I finished my
(Please everyone excuse the transliteration of Zionist and general education, from Bach to
Hebrew words but that was the way we talked Borochov and from Kant to Kibbutz. It was a
then and probably still do). truly great time of learning, mind broadening,
making friends forever and was just plain fun. I
We learnt the Kriah-‘Gad Gedud Gedudtanu’
and I made a brick with the help of my older remember Rambling Camp in
sisters, who had graduated from Habonim. But the Wye Valley with Denis urging us on by
nd
then, the 2 World War was declared and I was telling us appalling jokes!
evacuated with my school to the country, so for Hans and I were chosen to go to Israel in 1949
some years did not have a gedud to join. on the Bet Berl Scheme and though both of us
However when the blitz stopped I returned to my were Zionists, we became ‘Ferbrenter’ Zionist
parents and joined Tzofim and my madrich was during our time there. On landing in Haifa to
Acky, and later on Gerry. Then came the rockets our deeply felt excitement, we were treated as
on London – the doodlebugs and the V2’s. So new olim and sprayed with DDT. None of us felt
again, I was sent away to cousins in insulted by this but rather felt that the State was
Wolverhampton, and found Tzofim perfectly correct in guarding the health of its
in Birmingham. citizens. We were the first group to be boarders
at Bet Berl and had the most amazing lecturers:
I do remember a truly embarrassing session for a
girl of 13 where we were taught all about Samborsky (Shir HaEmek), Shalom Worm
sex. None of the kids could look at each other (Ideology), Walter Eytan, Saddya Gelb and
for weeks after. Strangely enough, my beloved many more. We girls, coming from
Hans, also 13, was there too but we only realized austerity Britain, were amazed at the material
this many years later when Hans became my wealth of the American and South African
husband. (So perhaps the sex lesson was girls. They wore two-toned brown and white
beneficial as we have two wonderful daughters shoes, and petticoats of embroidery anglaise –
and sons-in-law, four terrific grandsons, three such luxury.
with partners; the youngest grandson is now We also took part in the famous Negev Tiyul
doing his Bagrut, and the icing on the cake are with about 200 members of Hanoar Haoved. We
my delightful great granddaughters.)
climbed Masada by the Snake Path, no funicular
During those years, I attended a Habonim then. Homewards, it started to rain and a flash
summer camp, which the hostel kids also flood stopped our process to meet up with the
attended. Rosh Machaneh was Asher and I was trucks. We were stranded in the desert. Our
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