I thought I'd try my hand at one of these members reports things which I've been hearing so much about... a few people at the fun-day expressed interest/ mild confusion as to where we have been for the past fortnight. Han, Ian and myself have just returned from a very inspiring and interesting trip to Eretz Yisrael, which included a seminar (where we were madrichim) for the Shnatties, and a seminar (where we were chanichim) called the 'Kenes Mazkirim ve Roshei Chinuch'.
Firstly the HDUK Shnat seminar. The Shnatties are, as you know, approaching rapidly the end of their programme. As I write this they have a mere 48 short hours left.
I'll leave the reports to them, except to say that the 'Kaveret' section of their programme - the last four months where they have been working in the community around Carmiel in the north of Israel - has undoubtedly been the making of their kvutza.
We are extremely proud of the stupendous efforts they have put in to the various work placements, ranging from Israeli and Isreali-Arab schools to 'Magen David Adom', the Israeli ambulance service. They have taken on these placements with determination and with style, and it is a tribute to them that in the four years that the programme has been running for HD countries all over the world, this has been the most succesful 'Kaveret' yet. They have really made a difference, as I'm sure you will all hear over the coming Summer.
Our aim was to spend a weekend talking about and thought-showering what the 2003/4 Shnat group can bring back to HDUK. It was very interesting to hear how they plan to impact our growing movement. This is particularly relevant in the Kenim which they feel, having experienced first-hand the thriving Kenim of Hanoar Ha'oved ve ha'lomed (our Israeli sister movement), that they are specially qualified to take on. We also talked about how they are going to maintain the special feeling of Kvutza which they have worked hard to forge over the last nine months.
The second stop in our trip was the 'Kenes 2004'. This is an annual forum which occurs in each of the three years between our world-Veidot. Organized by world-Habonim Dror, the forum aims to bring together each Mazkir/a and rosh chinuch from each of the world movements. Habonim Dror exists in twenty coutries world-wide, don't you know. Twenty-one of us attended, with reps from ten countries. Because Britain invented the movement 75 years ago, we get to take three people... well, actually it's because we have two chinuch workers. But we did invent the movement.
The seminar itself was superb, with plenty of cross-cultural pollenation and ideological chatter. It really is fascinating to find out about how each movement has its own unique situation, characteristics and structure. Examples include HD South-Africa, which is hugely active in the fight against HIV Aids, and epidemic which is particularly lethal across Africa. Another startling fact for us was that the Argentinian and Uruguayan movements spend much of their energy providing food not just for their chaverim, but their families too. A sobering thought, given our debates on the virtues of individual foreign cheeses for our Summer Machanot tsevet food.
The Kenes also included representitives from our Latin American cousins - we even had a simultaneous translator, Mauri, who made the whole affair feel like a UN conference or such like. He did, however, take certain liberties with his translation, such as when he translated on of my more loquacious diatribes as "I''m not sure what he's talking about, but keep nodding and we'll get through this together." Quite.
We took a couple of trips - firstly to Jerusalem, where Ron Shatzberg, who some keenos amongst you might remember as our Shaliach two shaliachs back, took us on a tour of the Security fence/wall which is planned for Yerushalayim. I'd like to take this opportunity to say that Ron is one of the more god-like of our chaverim - he just happens to be the second highest rank in the army, a special humanitarian advisor on the route of the fence, a negotiator in the Geneva Accords and still has time to look after his two (soon three) wonderful kids, who you just might remember bouncing around a Sababba long ago.
We also visited the British Shnat group, who were shown off as ambassadors for the 'Kaveret' community work programme. This made us all proud. We attended their 'hand-over' ceremony, where they offically handed over the work to the south-Americans who are about to take over their houses and their jobs. It was both inspiring, highly entertaining (Dan Conn's powerpoint comic-strip was truly inspired) and a little over-long, like a high-tech messabatzium.
We spent the rest of the time in a Camp X-ray style room underneath the beautiful Ramat Efal Seminar Centre near Tel Aviv. The room was in a bomb shelter, had no windows and was harshly lit by buzzing florescent lights. I think this was all part of the effort to break our spirits and mentally condition us. We watched countless power-point presentations about each individual movement and the way they work.
The point which struck us all was not the ideosyncracies of the individual movements, but the basic similarity in our ideals. This was the taste we were left with at the end, that, and I realize this is a cliche, our similarities far out-weigh our differences. We were left inspired at the huge efforts being made by world-Habonim Dror to build the 'Tnuat Bogrim' - a network of HD members from all around the world who have made chalutzic aliya - as well as the amazing people who work for the movement which we love all around the world.
At the end of the seminar, one of the actions we undertook was to build 'sister' movement relationships with other world-wide HDs. Our sister movement is HD Argentina, a natural choice because of the sterling work the social-actioners have been doing to raise money for the beleagured Jewish community there. You'll be hearing much more about this soon...
Chazak ve Amatz!
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