History of Habonim Hagshama Seminar

The past four days, the Workshoppers were travelling around the Galil, learning about the history of Habonim Dror in Israel. We started at Hatzer Kinneret, the first training farm of the 2nd Aliyah (1909-1914) for the chalutzim (pioneers), who later went on to establish the first Kibbutzim. After a visit to the Kinneret Cemetery, where important ideological thinkers and leaders, as well as kibbutz members, are buried. The Workshoppers had a chance to see the graves of Moshe Hess, Nachum Syrkin, Beryl Katzenelson and the poet Rachel. Afterwards, they visited Muki Tzur, a historian of the Second Aliyah and a former shaliach to Habonim North America. The Workshoppers continued the next day with visits to some of the earlier kibbutzim established by Habonim: Kibbutz Kfar Hanasi, Amiad and Yizrael. After learning about some of the processes of change that have occurred in the Kibbutz movement, the Workshoppers were left questioning what the role of Habonim is in pioneering Israel today. On Tuesday, they visited some bogrim (graduates) of Habonim who were part of Kibbutz Mishoal, the largest urban kibbutz in Israel. Finally, they finished the week of by meeting some of the newest graduates of Habonim to make aliyah and live in collective frameworks in Haifa. All in all, it was a challenging and inspiring week learning about, and questioning, the role of Habonim Dror in Israel.

Discussing the difficulties faced by the chaluztim at the grave of someone who committed suicide..

Totally fascinated by the life of Rachel, the poet of the Second Aliyah.

Meeting historian, former Mazkir of the Kibbutz Movement, and founder of Bina Muki Tzur.

Lighting candles with the families of Kibbutz Mishoal, the largest urban kibbutz in Israel.

Ofek: Tiyul in the Negev

Our final group for Ofek, Naomi, Shosh, Mia, Jack, Ilani and Eli spent five days hiking in the Negev. With the support of Ido, the British workshop madrich, they planned and ran the tiyul almost entirely on their own. During the preparation days, they learned how to navigate, including a practice navigation test throughout Rishon Letzion, planned their menu, planned fun activities, set goals for themselves and learned about safety on tiyulim. They also discussed their relationship to nature and watched the movie "Into the Wild." On Wednesday morning early, they headed down to begin hiking at Sde Boker. Over five days, they hiked over 60 kilometers through the desert. They overcame a lot of challenges, including a rainstorm in the middle of the night, with an amazingly positive attitude  and really enjoyed the time they spent together. The experience levels in the group varied significantly, but they met all of their challenges as a group and supported each other. It was an incredible experience, and for many of them the highlight of the year thus far.

Ofek: Bina Secular Yeshiva in Tel Aviv

The Workshoppers studying at Bina are Nora, Maya, Tali, Ari, Netanya, Shira, Cliel, Micaela, Erin and Rayna. Bina is a secular yeshiva, founded with the mission of connecting Israelis and Jews to Judaism in a non-religious environment. Using traditional methods of Jewish study, such as text analysis and chevruta (pair-based learning), Bina educators ask their students not only why Judaism is relevant to their lives, but also seeks to establish a basis of knowledge in Jewish texts and ritual.

Workshoppers are taking classes in Jewish philosophy, Talmud, Shabbat and Chaggim, Tanach and some special topic lectures. In between classes, their madrichim are also running activities, movie nights, and projects to connect their learning at Bina to their role as madrichim in the movement.

Some of their classes are siyurim of Tel Aviv, themed around different topics. On Sunday, their first day, they had a siyur of Rothschild Boulevard, about the founding of Tel Aviv.

Examining a model of the original settlement of Tel Aviv, in Migdal Shalom.

The mosaic of the founding of Tel Aviv, also in Migdal Shalom.

On Tuesday, they had a siyur of Yafo, about the Book of Jonah, as a complement to their Tanach studies. 

The whole Bina group with Elliot, their educator for the day.

Ofek: The Orchards at Kibbutz Ravid

Ofek has begun! The Workshoppers are currently split between Kibbutz Ravid in the North and their future kaveret house in Rishon Letzion.  

The chanichim on Ravid are Ariana, Elana, Emilia, Isaiah, Jake, Joanna, Kaela, Leah, Patty, Frenchie, Ronnie and Tom. They arrived last night to orient themselves on the Kibbutz, and meet with the people they will be working with over the next week and a half. Each day they are in the fields by 5:30, pruning the citrus trees. After a break for lunch and resting, they have peulot in the afternoon about agriculture, physical labour, and connection to the land of Israel, as well as more relaxed fun activities. 

Boneh Tekkes

On Thursday, Workshop 64 celebrated their completion of Boneh with a tekkes. Hosted by Ari, the tekkes included performances by the chanichim, and speeches by their madrichim. The tekkes was a chance for the Workshoppers to show what they were taking with them from Boneh, and for the people who had worked with them to say goodbye.

Rayna singing.

Frenchie reading a poem she wrote.

The Boneh educators speech: "Sometimes it may seem like struggle and uncertainty is holding you back. We know it is a tough spot to be in. But we have a quick little Jewish anecdote that touches on this issue: The name "Israel" is derived of the verb לִשְׂרות (lisrot, "wrestle"); the second half of the name is אֵל (El, "God"). "Israel" is the name given to Jacob after he wrestled with God's angel. The first Jew, then, became a Jew through the process of struggle. Cool right? One message we invite you to draw from this story is that perhaps the most essential Jewish act is the act of struggling. Questioning—if it is done deeply and with honesty and integrity—should not make you feel lame, second-class, or un-Jewish. By questioning in this way, as we’ve seen you do time and time again throughout Boneh, you are actively tying yourself to the history and legacy of the Jewish people. Defeat only comes when you stop wrestling. Only dead fish go with the flow."

 

Boneh Machzor Yud Chet!

Thanksgiving Weekend

The Workshoppers were also busy rehearsing for a new video, which they will be releasing later this week! We'll be sure to post it on the blog when it premiers.

WZO Event: Har Herzl

On Sunday, the Workshoppers went to Har Herzl* for a siyur with their Boneh educators and a text study session with the WZO (World Zionist Organization), in honour of the UN General Assembly vote in favour of the partition of Palestine into Israel and Palestine. Before that, they started with a delicious humus lunch to celebrate their upcoming completion of Boneh.

After lunch, the chanichim went to Har Herzl, one of the largest and most important cemeteries in Israel. Aside from Theodore Herzl, most of the former Prime Ministers of Israel and other major Zionist leaders, it is also a military cemetery. The chanichim visited the graves of Herzl, Hannah Senesh, Yitzkah Rabin and the Last of Kin Memorial (in honour of the Holocaust survivors who died in the War of Independence). After the tour, they went to the Herzl center for a session about Herzl and the UN Vote. Each chanich was presented with a booklet of material. 

Visiting Herzl's grave.

*Please note: the Workshoppers were accompanied by a guard, and were within a secure area the entire duration of their visit to Jerusalem. They did not visit anywhere in the city but Har Herzl, and arrived via private bus.

Weekly Theme and Siyur: Haifa

Last week's theme was Arab-Israeli Conflict, Part One. On Thursday, the chanichim traveled to Haifa for a siyur about the British Mandate period (1919-1948). They started the siyur with a view of the city and port from the Louis Promenade, discussing the different populations that existed in Haifa at the start of the Mandate period. From there, they moved to Wadi Nisnas (Valley of the Mongoose), and then to City Hall, finishing at a mosque in the Lower City. They discussed the economic struggles of the Mandate period, brought on by the development of the Haifa port by the British and the arrival of olim from Europe and Arabs from the neighbouring villages. The questions around co-existence in the face of rising Palestinian nationalism and increasing Jewish immigration throughout the 1920s and 30s were definitely still felt as relevant today.

Elana and Emilia at the Promenade. 

The start of the siyur.

Trying to figure out exactly where we are!

Roni getting a taste of Wadi Nisnas cuisine.

Trying out backlava from Wadi Nisnas.

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Kaela and Mia helping explain Arab-Jewish relations in the 1920s by 

acting as Hasan Shukri and Shabtai Levi, former local politicians.

Weekly Theme and Siyur: Trumpledor Cemetery and Palmach Museum

The theme of this week was Dilemmas of Nation Building, examining the dilemmas faced by the leadership of the state of Israel in its early years.

The guest speaker was Yisrael Medad, former Beitar member and Begin Center educator, speaking about revisionist Zionism. It was also a chance for the chanichim to ask questions about a different Zionist vision today, as Yisrael lives in the West Bank settlements. 

On Monday we set out from Ein Dor to the country’s centre, Tel Aviv. Our first stop found us at the Trumpeldor cemetery where many prominent figures in contemporary Israeli society are buried as well as some of the earliest Zionists who helped build the state off their Zionist vision. We visited the graves of Max Nordau, Joseph Haim Brenner, Ahad Haam and Eliyahu Golomb to speak about what the Zionist vision was and to start understanding that Zionism means taking active approaches towards shaping experiences of learning, volunteering, socialising etc in Israeli society and to bring those questions of action back home. We ended this part of the day with a question of vision and what vision we will try to create in our own lives. As a wise Zionist once said “The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. VISION will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to achieve excellence.” – Theodore Herzl.
We took a 5 minute walk down to Frischman Beach to stand before the monument dedicated to the Altalena Affair in 1948. After the establishment of the State of Israel a question of what is to be done about Israel’s defense force loomed in the air for David Ben-Gurion. An attempt was made to unify and absorb all the different fighting military organisations, Lehi, Irgun (Etzel) and the Hagana, into the IDF which would serve as one defense force for the State of Israel. The events surrounding the Altalena Affair was an act of defiance and resistance on behalf of the Irgun to bring in additional fighters and military equipment against the orders of Ben Gurion. The IDF met the Altalena on the shores of Tel Aviv and in an attempt to stop them a battle ensued. 

After hearing about the story of the Altalena it was time to make some lunch and relax on the beach and frolic in the water. Soon after we made our way to our final destination of the day, the famous Palmach Museum. The Palmach were the elite striking force of the Hagana, an underground military organisation of the Jewish community entrusted with defending the Jewish people in Palestine in 1941. The museum itself incorporates the pioneering spirit of the Palmach in an interactive and experiential way. It covered the Palmach legacy through the stories of individuals and groups and invited us to join the history of young Palmach recruits from its establishment until the end of the War of Independence. With three-dimensional décor, films and various effects, we travelled through time understanding the Palmach team spirit and sacrifices in the time of the creation of the state of Israel.

-Michelle Mizrachi, Boneh Rakezet

Rabin Rally Pictures and Reflections

The past weekend, 120 participants from Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, the Netherlands, America, Canada, South Africa, the UK, Germany and Australia gathered to discuss the legacy of Yitzchak Rabin and the struggle for peace in Israel. The seminar, while asking very difficult questions about the obstacles to peace in Israeli and Palestinian society, was also an chance to get to know Habonim Dror around the world. The chanichim had the choice to participate in the seminar in English or Hebrew. On Saturday afternoon, the chanichim also had a choice of guest speakers, to see different methods of people working towards peace in Israel.

Lydia Eisenberg, from Givat Haviva, discussing the work they do with dialogue groups between Israelis and Palestinians.

Ohad Lahav, from the Batim Lemida v'Emda, (a network of after-school clubs for kids in lower socio-economic neighbourhoods throughout Israel) explaining anti-racist education as a tool for peace.

We also had a guest speaker from the Beit Jala Project, an international organization of youth movements that seeks to create connections between Israeli and Palestinian youth groups, and the head of the Arab sector of Hanoar Haoved Youth Movement.

The Hebrew group having some fun at night.

Patty and Rayna singing at night in the tekkes.

We finished the seminar with a tekkes with representatives from every country before heading to Tel Aviv for the rally. The rally was a joint demonstration by all of the youth movements in Israel, and the speakers included President of Israel Reuven Rivlin, the mother of Naftali Frankel (one of the boys kidnapped this summer), and singer Orna Banai. You can read more about the rally here.

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Leah (Moshava) has shared her thoughts with us about the experience of the rally and seminar.

Attending the Rabin Seminar and Rally was a powerful experience for me. It was the first time I've worn a chultzah on workshop and getting to do so while surrounded by dozens of acquaintances from the global movement and later by hundreds of strangers from the HaNoar Haoved felt really cool. Learning this past week about the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin and about some particularly hard-headed religious Zionist settlers has sometimes been despair inducing, so getting to talk in depth about some alternative to violence and later organizing for peace and democracy was genuinely empowering for me.

Siyur Thursday: Zichron Ya'akov and the Pioneer Settlement Museum

It's been a very busy week for Workshop 64! On Tuesday, they traveled to Rishon Letzion for a movie night with all of world Habonim Dror, including the Australians and South Africans they met on Tiyul Sukkot.

Yesterday, they had a siyur (tour) of Zichron Ya'akov about the First Aliyah. Founded as an agricultural settelment in 1882 with the funds and support of Baron de Rothschild, the town became famous during World War I as the home of the Nili spy ring. Established by the Aronsons, the spy ring operated against the Ottoman rulers for the British empire. The Workshoppers had a tour of Zichron and some free time to wander around the town.

Afterwards, they headed to Kibbutz Yifat to visit the Pioneer Settlement Museum, to learn about the 3rd Aliyah. The 3rd Aliyah began after the end of the First World War, and was characterized by young olim (immigrants) headed for collective agricultural settlements. Many kibbutzim and moshavim were founded in the Jezreel Valley, where Kibbutz Yifat is located. The museum is an experiential look at the settlements the chalutzim (pioneers) founded, recreating the collective work projects, chader ochel, bathrooms, laundry, and sleeping tents. Some of the structures bore a strong resemblance to our own machanot!

This weekend is Rabin Seminar, and the Workshoppers will be at Givat Haviva with world Habonim Dror. There will be 120 gap-year participants, going through the seminar in English, Spanish, and Hebrew groups. Check back after the weekend for pictures and summaries of the seminar!

Informal Education Days

We opened last week on Boneh with a special two-day seminar on leadership skills and informal education.

To understand the basis for the informal methodology and unconventional practices that have been a regular feature of youth movements since their inception, we read from Paolo Freire's landmark Pedagogy of the Oppressed, as well as hearing from more contemporary educational theorists and policy advisors, such as Sir Ken Robinson. This helped up think critically about our own educational experiences in the formal system on the first day of the seminar. We also had some good old fun, watching a group of misfits rebel against the system in the 80's classic film The Breakfast Club, and re-enacting some of our favourite music videos.

On the second day of the seminar we learned more about the history of Habonim Dror as a youth-led, youth-run community, who could bring a fresh perspective to society. Later we learned hands-on skills for informal educational leadership in the youth movement, focusing on games, discipline, conversation, creating safe space, and writing effective programming. 

We can't wait to bring our skills to mesima (volunteer projects) later in the year, and back to the youth movements in our home countries!

                                                   -Nora Chong, guest educator

Guest lecturer Amit Breines, speaking about his experiences as a teacher at a school for youth at risk, based on the principles of youth movement education.

What is Ofek?

This year, we are excited to announce a new addition to the Workshop tochnit (program)! Ofek (horizon) is a chance for the chanichim to explore Israel and Israeli culture while developing an area of their own interest. Each chanich will choose from three options, each one designed to enhance their ability as madrichim by giving them tools to use their experiences and new found knowledge to strengthen their educational capacity. This year, Ofek will take place from December 7th to December 17th, and the three options will be a tiyul, a Jewish study, and an agricultural work placement.

Tiyul - The tiyul will be a chance to develop their skills at planning and leading tiyulim (hikes), while completing a more challenging tiyul. They will spend several days preparing for their tiyul: planning the menu, shopping, learning about the path they will be hiking and the geography and history of the area. Each chanich will plan small hadrachot (lessons/explanations) of the area where they will be hiking. They will be backpacking for five days in the South of the country. The sikkum will include projects/ideas for how to improve tiyulim at their home machanot.

Jewish Study - Bina, the Center for Jewish Identity and Hebrew Culture, is a secular yeshiva located in the heart of Tel Aviv. In their own words: "the Secular Yeshiva aims to cultivate a new generation of secular Israeli leaders who possess in-depth familiarity with the Hebrew cultural past and present, and who embrace social activism and Jewish study as central values by which to live. The Secular Yeshiva is a home where young adult students experience intensive learning, encounter varied approaches to Jewish life and embark upon on a fascinating journey." You can read more about Bina here. Workshoppers will be taking several courses a day, for example Jewish ethics and philosophy, or Shabbat and Chaggim, and getting a chance to learn more about Jewish ritual and morals through films and siyurim (tours). They will take this knowledge back to HDNA, to strengthen and enrich their ability to be Jewish leaders. Workshoppers will be living in the Kaveret house in Rishon Letzion and travelling to Bina every day.

Agriculture - Living on Kibbutz Ravid, the chanichim will be working every day in the mango, olive and grapefruit fields. This is a chance to develop their connection not only to the land of Israel, but also to the history of Habonim as an agricultural kibbutz-building movement. They will be discussing and learning about HDNA's relationship to farming, including the development of the gan/chava (small farms) that exist at many of the machanot.

Guest educators visited from Bina and ran an activity to explain more about Bina.

Debating if studying or learning is more important.

Learning in chevruta, the traditional Jewish form of text study.

Spread around in their chevruta pairs.