Page 14 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - September 14
P. 14
DOV INBAR
Born – Manchester,1966; active in Manchester Ken; Shnat
Hachshara at Kibbutz Beit Ha’Emek - 1985-86; Movement work in
London, working both as Camp Organiser and Southern Field
worker on return from year in Israel; Aliyah,1991; Presently
working in Logistics; Living in Moshav Bazra
H friends from the rest of the country. Each camp
aving grown up in Manchester and
coming from a family with deep
had its own theme suitably adapted for the
connections to Habonim it was fairly
certain that I too would be a part of the particular age group. The constant was the
centrality of Zionism, Socialism and Judaism,
Movement. Habonim, which became Habonim- each one important in its own right and relying
Dror in my time, was a central part of my youth on each other to keep the foundations of
in the UK. I can remember going to the North Habonim-Dror strong.
Manchester Ken, 11 Upper Park Road probably
around the age of 7 and being exposed to a new I have many memories of winter machanot.
and exciting world. It was here that I learnt the Muddy fields, soggy sandwiches, sandwich
game of Shlubberdub, having to say your name spread, huge tins of cheap jam and cornflakes,
before you were hit on the head with a rolled up Dixie’s full of watered-down orange juice with
piece of lining paper. flies doing the backstroke and water cocoa at
night in plastic beakers. The smell of hurricane
The concept of a group or Kvutsah was also lamps and tilly’s and of course, the bog pits and
introduced to me at this time with our own Shir Elsan blue. At the end, we had no voices left,
Hakvutsah for Mifkad at the end of each Sunday hadn’t slept or washed for at least a couple of
and for the times we met with other Kinnim, nights, but none of us wanting to return home.
from such far-off places as South Manchester
and Leeds, our very own Ken Song. This was My progression through the Movement followed
the place that we heard stories from our the usual pattern, Amelim, Chotrim, Bonim,
Madrichim, all of whom had spent time in Israel Konenim and then to Shnat Hachsharah, off to
on what they called Shnat, and we met our first Kibbutz Bet Ha’emek with a group of 34
Shlichim, the Israeli families sent from their chevrei, some who were to spend the first 5
respective kibbutzim to be a part of Habonim- months in Jerusalem in Kiryat Moriah at the
Dror UK, to share stories of Israel and in return Machon while the rest of us settled into kibbutz
to get good advice on the best shopping areas life. We found ourselves very quickly adapting
and sites to see in England. to the early starts, the different work branches of
the kibbutz and living with kupah (our collective
Habonim-Dror quickly became a second home money) as our source for luxuries such as
for many of us, it allowed us that freedom to Noblesse cigarettes and Gold Star Beer.
express ourselves and to experience a society
where we felt equal to each other regardless of We started to grow our hair longer with some
our ages. Yes, there was the hierarchy, and to be facial hair so that we all soon looked like a
a Madrich demanded a certain respect, not to bunch of crazy English kids that the members
mention the Rosh Ken who had equal status to could easily identify as the ‘shnatties.’ To be
God in many of our young eyes. The weekly accepted by the members, we needed to prove
meetings were fun but it was the machanot ourselves at work and within the daily life of the
(camps) that gave us the opportunity to make kibbutz. This was helped by having adoptive
14
