Page 36 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - September 14

an emotional association with the country that the platform to ask questions and enter into
would turn out to be very influential.
The Shnat experience opened doors for me, not
only to a country which I could make my own,
but metaphorical doors in my mind allowing me
to stop and consider what I want in my life, what
was important to me and how I had the power to
achieve it. I imagine that very few people have
such an opportunity presented to them at the age
of 18.
So I returned from my gap-year, ready to move
onto the next stage of ‘the Formula’.
Accordingly, I started my Psychology degree at
Birmingham University, studied hard, got a
boyfriend, drank copious amounts of vodka
redbull and put up a different Facebook album
for every night out. I continued to be involved in
Habo as a leader and I continued to return to
Israel year after year. I loved the country but, at
the same time, questions that I had been occupied
with on Shnat receded into the corner of my
mind. 1 was English and that was that.
As time went on, I began to consider my career
options, exclusive of a future in Israel. I picked
Law. In my final year of University I began to
pursue a career as a lawyer.
But just as I was about to start law school, I got
cold feet. But what about Habo? Have I
experienced my last ever camp fire? I wasn’t
ready to let go. I postponed law school for a year
and became a Movement Worker for Habo. One
of the most challenging jobs I have ever, and
probably will ever, do. It was during this time
that Israel came back into the picture and it was
during a seminar in Israel that I opened up the
‘Aliyah box’ for the first time, seriously
exploring what was inside. I began to realise that
there were some parts of me that were not truly
settled in England, and that were probably never
going to be. Once again, Habo was giving me
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discussions, sidelined for so many years.
In between my two years at Law School, I went
on a two month trip to Brazil. This valuable time
away from my reality enabled me to reflect on
my life at home and a possible future in Israel. I
concluded that in order to make a decision, I
would need to go to Israel for a prolonged period
of time to test whether I actually wanted to live
there, or whether I had made up an alternative
reality that I was never going to pursue. The
next summer this is exactly what I did. I spent six
weeks in Tel Aviv, I rented a room in a flat, I
stayed in an unglamorous area next to the Central
Bus Station and I explored the city. And when I
left, I promised myself I would return soon for
good. I just had the small matter of completing a
two year training contract in London first! So
before the flip flops came the heels.
There are many reasons as to why I have decided
to move to Israel this year, but I know for certain
that my past involvement in a Jewish Youth
Movement is one of them. During my time in
Habo, from an inquisitive child on summer
camp, to a leader who came back year after year,
and finally to my role as a Movement Worker, I
was able to explore questions that are sometimes
unanswered and most often not even asked.
The ultimate part of the Habo journey is to make
socialist-Aliyah, living in a socialist group or
community and working to improve Israeli
society. I am not making Aliyah as part of Habo.
I left the Movement several years ago, and I am
moving to Tel Aviv as an individual to fulfil my
personal dream. However I am certain that my
future in Israel will be founded upon the values
and morals instilled in me by the Movement,
beginning a journey that has undoubtedly been
fuelled and fostered by my time in Habonim-
Dror, for which I am forever grateful.