Page 22 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - September 14

YIGAL LEVINE

Born - Glasgow 1944; Glasgow Ken; Machon - 1963-64; Madrich
Noar - 1964-65; Rosh Ken Manchester - 1965-67; Aliyah 1967;
Amiad -1967-68; British Olim Society -1969-1998, the last 10 years
of which he was Managing Director; Deputy Director, Commercial
Section, British Embassy, Tel Aviv - 1998-2014; presently retired
and resides in Tel Aviv

It was definitely my mother's suggestion that I Lemadrichim. The Far East and India may now
should spend my Sunday afternoons in the be the in places for a gap year away, but for me
basement of Garnethill Synagogue at the newly the experience at the Machon (Machzor Lamed
opened Habonim group. That was where I first Gimmel in case you were wondering) was
met David 'Toby' Tobias, our Madrich, and was unforgettable and was definitely the deciding
introduced to a blue shirt, a yellow kerchief, a factor in making me think of Aliyah.
wondrous device called a toggle, lots of fun games
and stories of a distant land. Not quite sure why Like it or not on my return to the UK, I was sent
making a cardboard brick should have had such an by the Movement to Manchester to be the Rosh
effect on my life – but it did. Something about the Ken. I suppose I should be grateful to the
whole experience obviously attracted me as a few National Mazkirut since, had they decided
years later I too became a Madrich, organizing differently, I would not have ended up manning
games and telling stories. This was no mean feat, the Habonim stand at the 1965 Yom Ha'atzmaut
as to reach the Glasgow Bayit for me meant sitting celebration next to the Jewish Agency stand
in a number 44 bus for its entire route from one womanned by Linda Fidler and, as they say, all
side of Glasgow to the other. the rest is history.
Amiad was the destination of our Garin and Linda
Seemed to me most sensible that the next stage
of my Zionist life would be to actually visit Israel. and I duly arrived there in September 1967 –
My various Madrichim had all promised me a newlyweds and newly kibbutznikim. Looking
Land Flowing with Milk and Money – I obviously back, the year we spent at Amiad provided us with
had hearing problems from an early age – and this the smooth transformation required from keen and
sounded to me a bit different from the West End eager Habonimnikim to the rather more sober
of Glasgow. So my initial experience of Israel realities of life in Israel. However all good things
was Israel Camp and the first night was spent at come to an end as did our time on Amiad but we
the Guest House of Kibbutz Maaleh HaHamishah. left with absolutely no regrets and began the more
In the evening we heard sounds of music coming difficult part of our Aliyah, raising a family and
from the nearby Kibbutz of Kiriyat Anavim so finding a job.
naturally a few of us wandered down and found Good things happen and a former Shaliach to
ourselves invited to join a Kibbutz wedding Manchester YPZ was responsible for finding me
ceremony. In those far off days, Kibbutz my first job in Israel, running a small Youth
weddings consisted of chicken, fruit and mitz Centre in Givat Shmuel which merely proves that,
followed by Israeli dancing so I soon found while you can take the man out of Habonim, you
myself opposite a young Israeli goddess without can never ever take Habonim out of the man. By
being able to say three words to her. That rather a strange quirk of fortune, another former
frustrating experience was perhaps the biggest Shaliach to Manchester YPZ was again
motivation to my studying Ivrit when I returned to responsible for me starting to work, this time in
Israel the following year on the Machon
the British Zionist Federation which soon became
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