Page 55 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - Winter 20

I do not remember who our madrichim were and the Wolfson sisters, Barbara and Judith.
in those early days, whether Robert Weber,
or Sylvia Poli (Flowers), Anna Shur, Jackie
Lucas (Lapidot) or one of his brothers, all of
whom were just a few years older than their
chanichim. I enjoyed the group and the
activities: the dancing, singing, lectures, and
tiyulim into the Scottish countryside. We
built bricks out of cardboard and glue, and
completed the Hakdashah requirements,
which were akin to boy scout tasks. To this
day, I still remember, “I promise as a
Boneh…”. We learned songs about the
chalutzim, such as Trumpeldor, and danced
the Hora and “Mayim-Mayim”. When I think
about it now, all of this seems very strange,
living in Scotland and singing songs about
water and farm work. There certainly was no
water shortage! The dancing was fun and I
loved the singing, even though I did not
understand the words, just a jumble of
sounds. Communal singing became an
important part of life in Israel, often
reflecting nostalgia for times that never were
and places long lost.
Glasgow Third Seder – early days
I was quiet and a little introverted or shy. I
remember only a few in the group, including
Agnes Benjamin, Victor Kurtzman, Ruth
Samuel, Gloria Lipton (Tehila Bak, Haifa)
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With some, I remained friends until I left
Glasgow for Hachshara, and others, such as
Agnes, and Gloria, ended up for a time at
Kibbutz Amiad. Victor also went on Aliya,
but to a religious kibbutz. Later on, others
joined the Gedud, including Tommy Berman,
and Basil Rifkind.
There was much “flirting” between Habonim
and Bnei Akiva. Many of us belonged to both
movements. Perhaps there was a desire for
more religion or tradition, or it may have
been a case of personal friendships and
contacts, or the attraction of the opposite sex!
After a few years, when I was about thirteen,
I joined or was promoted to Plugat
Trumpeldor.
Eventually, I myself became a madrich in
Giffnock, one of the newer suburbs
developing on the south side of Glasgow. I
think Scottish Habonim was run separately
from English Habonim. Because of the war,
Glasgow was the centre of the Movement,
rather than London. Most of my early years
in Habonim were influenced by the war, and
then later by the struggle with Britain over
Aliya and the War of Independence. We all