Page 32 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - September 14
P. 32
small booklet full of Zionist, socialist and Zionist friends in Garin Zayin who were already leaving
socialist theoreticians. I learnt about Marx and Amiad and my protégés planning to give it a go
Borochov. And so with the “Thoughts of in Mevo Hama (I told them I didn’t want to live
Chairman Geoff” in hand, I educated my young “upstairs” as it reminded me of the Yorkshire
protégés in the Movement by rendering my take Moors). My answer in the Jewish Agency Aliyah
on reality. questionnaire regarding my motivations for
Aliyah included all the right stuff including that I
At a summer seminar in the David Eder farm, it wanted my future kids to be Jewish. I also wrote
was Bud’ga who put the cap on it. His that the British climate stinks.
impassioned lecture convinced me I must at least
try kibbutz. Of course there were other Shlichim Would I repeat it if given the chance? The
like Zalman, Boris, and Alec. answer is a resounding “yes.” Malcolm had left
kibbutz because he couldn’t stand the bullshit of
Voila! I’ve just remembered! It was in a later others deciding for him. Ari Ben Canaan had
part of the movie that Steve Macqueen related tickled my imagination, while his movie sister
about another guy in El Paso who took off all his Jordana inserted glamour - notwithstanding other
clothes and jumped into a cluster of cactus. contributions by Sophia Loren as “Judith” and
When Eli Wallach, the bandit leader asked why, Senta Berger in “Caste a Giant Bagel.” Perhaps
Steve Macqueen with a twinkle in his eye replied Freud had crept into the equation. But it was
“Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.” finally Bud’ga who had clinched the deal. So at
Eli Wallach was puzzled. last, I have someone to blame. After all, I can’t
In 1970, I came on Aliyah to Degania Bet. This blame Paul Newman.
was a compromise between being with my
HaGalgalim Manchester Habonim, 1969
32