Page 15 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - September 14
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kibbutz parents, who for most of us a successful different directions having met our respective
kibbutz parent was determined by the level of wives, and our agendas changed accordingly.
their culinary skills, anything that kept us out of
the Hadar Ochel being considered positive. I went to live in the city and discovered a
different life in Israel, an Israel where you had to
The year allowed us to experience the full Israel adapt to survive. My Aliyah was at the time of
and the kibbutz and to grow up away from the the large Aliyah from the former Soviet Union
home comforts and to learn to accept each other. and Ethiopia and the country was changing.
We spent many hours discussing ideology and Any visit to one of the Ministries, Absorption or
how we were going to change the Movement on Interior, was normally met with staff talking to
our return to the UK, along with other issues me in Russian, the signage was also being
which at the time were so important to us but displayed predominately in Russian and if you
now seem trivial. We were a force that could could find someone that spoke Hebrew or
make changes and the experience instilled a love English they would normally say why did you
for Israel and a belief that this was indeed the leave England? This did not perturb me at first;
Jewish homeland. it actually made me more resolute in my
convictions that I would make Israel home.
Returning to the UK, many of us had already None of the endless standing patiently in line at
decided that we wanted to return to Israel as the supermarket checkout to be asked “I am
soon as possible, in fact within a year we already behind you, just hold my place while I go and do
had 6 people in Israel. For others it was a time more shopping,” or at the bank again waiting my
to give back to the Movement now as turn, which when finally arrives, I am told by
Madrichim to our own Chanichim as we another customer that they just have a quick
continued our life in the UK, until we too could question to ask of the teller, have made me
manage to return to Israel or find our own way regret my decision.
of shaping the Anglo Jewish Community. It is a
testament to the Movement that so many of that The power that a small minority hold on the
group of 34 either in the UK, or Israel have country, the peace process or lack of process, the
remained Zionists and will all I believe look religious/secular split and the lack of any local
back to their days in Habonim-Dror as quality football teams have done nothing to
fundamental to their way of life today, wherever change my mind. I look at my children who are
that is. growing up in a country where they do not label
themselves as a minority and nor do they look at
I made Aliyah in 1991, with a close friend of others in a different light. They are free to be
mine also from Manchester, Howard Collins. whom or what they want to be in a safe and
We were part of a small Garin to Kibbutz secure environment. They can drop round to a
Kadarim in the Galilee. We were the exceptions friend’s house without making an appointment,
at the time as we did not plan on making Tuval and they are confident in themselves. Yes it
our home, which was the main focus of HDUK sounded like a good idea at the time and yes we
at the time. We chose Kadarim which had been were all sold stories of paradise in the making,
set up by a core group from Australian and New but, in Habonim-Dror, we weren’t spoon fed and
Zealand Habonim-Dror as we felt it was a we understood that we could make a difference.
kibbutz with a slightly different direction, a
direction in fact that most kibbutzim have now I am sure that, for those of us lucky and
followed, oh and they had a great pub on Friday privileged enough to have grown up through
nights. Our time on Kadarim was short lived, as Habonim-Dror, the vision of the country we are
we both found ourselves being pulled in part of building and shaping has not changed.
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