Page 68 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - Winter 20
P. 68
THEN AND NOW: We studied hard for six months: Hebrew
every day, Jewish History, Geography, the
1957 - 2011 – 2020 Arab/Israel Conflict, Zionist History,
Community Organisation, Scout Craft and
GEOFF BERCOVICH Camping, and Handicrafts. After six months’
study, we moved to kibbutzim all over the
country, and spent our time working half-
days picking oranges and studying Hebrew in
the afternoons. We all came back for the final
month in Jerusalem, speaking Hebrew fairly
fluently. The girl sitting next to me in class
was to become my wife. When we got back
to the UK, we got married and worked in the
A Movement for two years, in London and
fter my discharge from the British
Army in 1954, I was sent by
Dublin. We made Aliyah and returned to
Habonim to Jerusalem for a year's
study at the 'Machon,' the Institute for Youth Kibbutz Amiad in 1957. My wife was seven
months pregnant with the first of our three
Leaders from Abroad. All the 72 students, sons, Yonatan.
from some 10 different countries, contracted
to finish the year and then do 2 years’ The kibbutz was a very young kibbutz, only
movement work in the various Zionist youth nine years old. There were 24 houses – 12
movements around the world. east of the centre of the kibbutz, and 12 to the
west, nestling up against the Galilee
mountains. There were also some very
primitive wooden huts consisting of a single
room without water or toilet and that is where
we lived, for the first five years.
My wife had an English degree, so she
immediately went into teaching in the Junior
School in Kibbutz Ayelet HaShachar. She
eventually ended her teaching career as Head
Mistress of the Kfar Blum Area School, with
400 pupils. As for me, I went into agriculture
and worked, at first, in irrigation in the
orchards. Later, I was 'elevated' to become
Spray Tractorist and spent my time spraying
the 400 dunams of apples, pears, plums and
peaches against the insect onslaught, using
DDT and Parathion, never guessing, then,
how dangerous all that was.
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