Page 12 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - September 15
P. 12
A WEIRD COINCIDENCE
LEN GREEN, HAIFA
T was enjoyed by all. However, although the black
he 85th anniversary celebration of the
Nazi storm clouds had been gathering for years,
founding of Habonim has come and
gone. It was a great success thanks to the
excellent organization and work invested by we youngsters did not seriously expect that war
against Hitler would actually break out just a
Frank, Coral and a dedicated team of assistants. few weeks later! But it did and it was the most
Due to the pressure of time, some memoirs of terrible war ever experienced by mankind,
the fabulous 1939 jamboree camp were skipped. causing the deaths of about sixty million human
Quite a number of chaverim who participated in beings and the wounding of countless millions
that outstanding get-together 75 years ago are more! Despite years of horrendous Nazi anti-
still around but I wonder who else spent a week Semitism, few could have expected Hitler's
or two beforehand 'on pioneer'? demonic plan to wipe out European Jewry
resulting in the horrifying cold- blooded
I was a skinny lad of 14 when we arrived that
summer at Oakley, one of the tiniest villages you slaughter of six million Jews in the Holocaust.
can imagine, situated a few miles from Bedford. But World War-II did break out on the 3rd of
Our main task was to pitch the 300 or so Bell- September 1939 and anticipating huge scale
tents necessary to accommodate about 1500 urban bombing, many youngsters were almost
Habonimniks. The notoriously quixotic British immediately evacuated from London and other
weather decided to play pranks on us and, danger zones.
despite it being mid-summer, it decided to rain Together with others from my secondary school,
soon after we started!... and rain!!... and rain!!! It I was evacuated from NW-London to
was back-breaking work at best which became Wellingborough in Northamptonshire and my
more and more difficult as the site became a sea only sibling, 7 yrs old Linda, who attended a
of mud. It got to be such a swamp that serious different (elementary) school, was evacuated not
discussions took place as to whether or not to too far away.
abandon the whole enterprise, which would have BUT CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? Of all the
involved a considerable hassle and financial loss. myriad of places in England, she was actually
However, at the eleventh hour, the rain stopped evacuated and fostered to that identical tiny
and the weather turned sunny and fine. What a sleepy village of Oakley in Bedfordshire! The
relief after all that planning, hard work and coincidence was probably one in millions!!
excellent organization!
Footnote: - Sadly, years later, Linda fell ill and
And so, a fortnight of singing and dancing and died at the terribly young age of 33 leaving three
scouting and camp fires and Palestinography very young orphaned daughters!
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