Page 12 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - September 14

JAMES GRANT-ROSENHEAD
Born Leeds, - 1974; Leeds Ken, Chanich and Madrich; Rosh
Ken, Elstree, when at University; Rosh Ken, Roadshow; Mazkir
Habonim Dror - 1996-98; Aliyah - 1999; Rakaz World
Habonim Dror - 1999-2010; Presently Joint CEO of “Tikkun” –
A Centre for Gathering, Education and Social Change
(Registered Charity); lives on Kibbutz Mishol, Nazareth Illit

W The Israel Tour brochures were all really much
hen I was a kid I briefly flirted with
attendance at the Leeds Ken at Fir
of a muchness. On the basis of the length of the
Tree Lane on Sunday evenings. I
guess I must have been somewhere around list of attractions (hiking, Masada, camel rides,
kibbutz, Bedouin tent, Jerusalem, etc.) it was
Chotrim age (11-13 years old) but it didn't draw neck and neck between FZY and Habonim-Dror.
in my friends and I for long and, instead, we There were two things which sealed the deal:
soon drifted on to BBYO meetings. In the firstly, that the Habo 'free weekend' dates were
summer of 1990, aged 16, we went on Habonim- over my birthday; and secondly, the mysteriously
Dror (HDUK) Israel Tour and that's what got me interesting weirdness of the Habo representative
hooked. I remember going to the Israel Tour Fair as compared with the FZY one. The FZY guy
at the JPMP/Makor centre behind the Etz looked 'normal' – with short, straight brown hair,
Chayim Shul months before, where all the square glasses, a navy jumper and jeans.
different Movements and organisations Actually, he looked pretty much like the ultimate
advertised their programs. We browsed all of the caricature of 'normal'. The Habo guy, however,
brochures and chatted with the representatives in had crazy, long, blonde, curly hair, he wore an
order to try to figure out which one would be the odd-looking bright blue shirt with a red lace and
best for us. he strummed on a guitar – this guy was clearly a
little bit different to everyone else in the room.
It's totally ridiculous now, looking back and Different in a good way – we signed up to 'the
thinking about that rather random choice whilst Movement'.
sitting here in Kibbutz Mishol, the biggest urban
kibbutz in Israel. I've spent the past 15 years At the time, I didn't notice anything deliberately
building culturally Jewish Chalutzik socialist educational being done with us during Israel
Zionist urban kvutzot and kibbutzim, including Tour, aside from the group experience of being
the movement communities of the Habonim-Dror in Israel, which looking back now I understand to
Tnuat Bogrim, now known as Kvutzot Am. I am be the most powerful education tool of all. I
the joint CEO of “Tikkun,” a registered charity don't recall our Madrichim running any actual
which runs educational social justice projects 'peullot'. But I do strongly recall the feeling of
throughout the geographic and socio-economic utter devastation as the month came to an end.
periphery of Israel. Furthermore, I have spent Sitting next to my Madrich on the bus back to
the past couple of years building and developing Leeds, everyone crying as we left the Londoners
the Israeli Council of Communities for Social and Mancunians behind in their home towns, I
Action – the national umbrella federation of the asked him: "How it can possibly be fair to build
14 Movements and networks of activist such strong bonds between us and then tear us
communities across Israel from all sectors of apart like this?" His answer was that if I wanted
Israeli society. In other words, my life story has to stay in touch with this special group of people,
turned out to be not far from that of the modern I should sign up for hadracha training and
Habonim-Dror poster boy! become a Madrich in the Ken. He explained

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