Habonim Dror

Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAB : Habonim Dror

The Habonim Dror Emblem (known as its Semel / סמל) The semel is symbolic of many things: the grain in its center symbolizes labor, the figure in its center shows the importance of people to the movement. The figure's arms are raised up, symbolizing the imporance of aliya - of moving to Israel; the word aliya derives from the Hebrew word meaning to go up or rise. The Star of David symbolizes Judaism, and the graphic leans to the left to show the leftward leaning of the Habonim Dror movement.

Habonim Dror (Hebrew; Translation: 'the freedom builders') is a Socialist-Zionist youth movement formed by the merger in 1982 of the Habonim and Dror youth movements.

Habonim Dror's sister movement in Israel is 'Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed' - the Working and Studying Youth.

Contents

1 Ideology
2 History
3 Today
4 Reevaluation of ideological fulfillment
5 Countries in which Habonim Dror operates

5.1 Habonim Dror North America
5.2 Habonim Dror Australia
5.3 Habonim Dror Brazil
5.4 Habonim Dror Southern Africa

6 See also
7 External links

Ideology

Like other movements, Habonim Dror is founded on a set of ideological principles which its members ideally hold in common and strive towards. Although each branch of the movement around the world composes and reviews its own set of principles, Habonim internationally is based on some mix of Judaism, Zionism, and Socialism. Each country describes each of these a bit differently, some elaborating and creating other "pillars" while some have gotten rid of pillars all together (for example, Habonim Dror South Africa has changed their socialism pillar to "Social Action" to better address the pressing issues of post-Apartheid South Africa).

Although there is no internationally accepted set of movement goals, those of Habonim Dror North America are shown below to help elaborate on some of the movement's ideology:

To upbuild the State of Israel as a progressive, egalitarian, cooperative society, at peace with its neighbors; actively involved in a Peace Process with the Palestinian people with the common goal of a just and lasting peace; and as the physical and spiritual center of the Jewish people. To this end, Habonim Dror calls first and foremost for Aliya to communal and collective frameworks that actively work to achieve the aforementioned goal. In addition, HDNA also calls for active involvement in progressive Zionist and Jewish issues in Diaspora communities.
To strengthen the relationship between North American Jewish youth and Judaism through their involvement in progressive Jewish communities with the purpose of enlisting their participation in the upbuilding of a renewed Jewish culture. This will be accomplished by the development of individual Jewish identities by means of promoting the exploration of Jewish spirituality, the full expression of the Hebrew language, an understanding of Jewish history and a personal relationship with Israel.
To participate in the creation of a new social order throughout the world, based on the principles of self-determination, individual freedom, political democracy, and cooperative economics, the equality of all people and the equality of human value.
To participate in constructive activities in the North American Jewish community while advocating change where necessary to foster Jewish continuity and creativity and the democratization of the community.
To develop within its members the will to realize their own capabilities and a feeling of responsibility for themselves and their movement.

As didactic tools, Habonim Dror North America employs five "pillars":

Progressive Labour Zionism – the belief in the State of Israel and the return to it
Cultural Judaism
Socialism – working for collective good through communal living; equality and social justice
Actualization (Hagshama) – acting out one's beliefs
Social Justice – acting in the a new social order based on the principals of self-determination, individual freedom, political democracy, and cooperative economics, the equality of all people and the equality of human value

Habonim Dror's semel (emblem) comprises a wheat sheaf in a Star of David, symbolising the roots of the organisation in Labour Zionism and in building the Kibbutz movement.

History

Habonim was founded in London in 1929. It was modeled after the Wandervogel movements in Germany. Its aim was to found and inhabit Kibbutzim in Mandatory Palestine, later Israel. The idea soon spread to other English speaking countries and finally throughout the Jewish world. The movement was responsible for founding, amongst others, Kfar Blum, Kfar Hanassi, Bet Haemek, Mevo Hama, Tuval and Gesher Haziv. The ideals of Habonim were promoted through weekly activities and summer camps. As the kibbutz movement ideals find themselves in decline Habonim has sought to redefine its aims towards settlement in urban communes (kvutsot) in Israel. In the 1980s it amalgameted with a similar group and is now known as Habonim-Dror. Famous graduates include Mike Leigh, Mordechai Richler, Jonathan Freedland, Stanley Fischer, Chaim Herzog, Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali G, Borat), Dan Patterson and Mark Levison, producers of Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

Dror was founded in Poland in 1915 out of a wing of the Tze'irei Tziyon (Zion Youth) study circle - the majority of Tze'irei Tziyon had merged with a group called Hashomer in 1913 to form Hashomer Hatzair - those who remained outside of the new group formed Dror. The group was influenced by the teachings of the Russian Narodniks.

Dror went on to become a driving force behind the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Mordechai Tennenbaum, a Dror member, rallied two underground factions in the Bialystok Ghetto to take up arms.

Dror was aligned with the Kibbutz Meyuchad network while Habonim was aligned with the Ichud kibbutzim. When the two kibbutz movements merged in 1980 to form the United Kibbutz Movement (TaKa"M), so did their respective youth movements.

Today

Today, Habonim Dror exists in twenty-one countries worldwide, and continues to promote Socialist-Zionism by supporting and building both rural and urban communes in Israel dedicated to improving Israeli society. It is aligned with the United Kibbutz Israel which recently merged with the Kibbutz Artzi Federation aligned with the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement. As a result of this merger, the two youth movements have increased their level of co-operation where previously they had been rivals. Traditionally, Hashomer Hatzair is the more left-wing of the two and has been aligned with left wing Zionist parties such as Mapam and Meretz where Habonim has been aligned with Mapai and the Labour Party. Hashomer Hatzair has also been more aggressively secular than Habonim.

Reevaluation of ideological fulfillment

For the majority of the history of Habonim and Dror, the ultimate expression of the movement's ideology was "chalutzik kibbutz aliyah", immigrating to Israel to build or join a new kibbutz. Many hundreds of graduates of Habonim and Dror indeed achieved this aim, primarily in garinim, groups which built and reinforced about 40 kibbutzim around Israel between the 1930s and the 1980s.

With the decline of the Kibbutz Movement, along with socialist movements in general, the 1980s and 1990s experienced a lull in ideological fulfillment (hagshama) for graduates of Habonim Dror. The very concept of hagshama itself even became diluted to form a rather pluralist interpretation of Hagshama Atzmit (Self-Fulfilment), which diverged from the movement concept of common ideological pursuit in favour of personal choice.

In 1996/7 (at the 'Emergency Asepha' in December, and then at 'Veida in Israel' at Pesach) a struggle for the reinterpretation and renewal of the Hagshama concept within Habonim Dror began in the United Kingdom. Such discussions also began in North America (1998) and then spread to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in 1999–2000. The redefinition of Hagshama involved a methodological shift towards "urban kibbutz" or irbutz, which replaced physical settlement with social activism as a new, more relevant, version of the Socialist-Zionist pioneering in Israel.

This shift was influenced by Habonim Dror's new contact with the urban kibbutz Tamuz in Beit Shemesh, and by the renewal of ties with the new graduate movement kvutzot of Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed in Israel. These theoretical debates, which took place in the democratic forums of the youth movement around the world, have since resulted in the actual creation of new socialist Kvutsot in Israel, built by graduates of the Habonim Dror youth movement:

Kvutsat Yovel began in 1999, and comprises graduates of Habonim Dror from the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada. They live in a kibbutz of 7 communes in Migdal Ha'Emek and Upper Nazareth in the Galilee, totalling about 70 members.

Three additional kvutsot (Kvutsat Gal Bniya, Kvutsat Hemshech and Kvutsat Zeeq) that were all founded in 2004 merged in May 2006 to form an 11-member group in Hadera.

Collectively these communes form the basis of the Habonim Dror Tnuat Bogrim (Graduates' Movement) network in Israel, together with other new immigrants from Habonim Dror around the world who live in traditional city and kibbutz communities.

Countries in which Habonim Dror operates

Habonim Dror North America

Habonim Dror North America (HDNA) runs many programs during the year, including a biannual veida (a mass meeting with representatives from around the movement), local events in central cities, kibbutzim in Israel, a year long program in Israel (called Workshop), and many other ideology-focused gatherings.

HDNA also runs 7 summer camps across the continent. These have become a large part of the movement, and in most cases are more important to members than local meetings (called ken meetings). The seven camps are as follows:

Camp Galil (Ottsville, Pennsylvania, USA)
Camp Gesher (Cloyne, Ontario, Canada)
Camp Gilboa (California, USA)
Camp Miriam (Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada)
Camp Moshava (Street, Maryland, USA)
Camp Na'aleh (New York, USA)
Camp Tavor (Three Rivers, Michigan, USA)

Additionally, a five week trip, named Machaneh Bonim in Israel (MBI) is a summer tour of Israel for 16-year-olds (summer after 10th grade). Students from the seven camps spend time together and learn about Israel and their faith in a Habonim Dror context.

HDNA publishes B'tnua, the movement's quarterly magazine.

Habonim Dror Australia

Habonim Dror has four kenim (branches) around Australia. They are in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Each Ken holds weekly meetings, regular seminars and two camps each year (winter and summer), with chaverim (members) from all of Australia coming together for senior summer camp.

Every year chanichim (members) travel to Israel for a year on Shnat Hachshara le'Aliyah, commonly referred to as Shnat, where they receive extensive education and actively carry out movement aims. This is considered the pinnacle of education for members and is part of the natural progression in the movement. Australian and New Zealand Shnat participants spend the year together.

Habonim Dror Brazil

The movement arrived in Brazil by influences of the Argentine activists, and began in Porto Alegre (Southern Brazil) in 1945. Within a few years, Habonim reached Curitiba, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Some time later, it arrived in Recife, Salvador and Belo Horizonte.

At these seven branches across the country, Habonim runs weekly activities for children, teenagers and young adults from 7 to 22 years old, as well as weekly-long Machanot (camps) in Summer and Winter. Also twice a year is held the National Machaneh.

Once in a four-year cycle, a Veidah Artzit (National Convention) is held, comprising a meeting of all the senior members os the National Movement. The Veidah has powers to modify HD Brazil's ideological platform, as long as it doesn't oppose to the World Movement's principles.

Habonim Dror Southern Africa

Habonim Dror Southern Africa (HDSA) was founded in 1930 by Norman Lourie. HDSA annually hosts a summer camp with over 1000 people – the largest in the southern hemisphere – at their campsite in Onrus outside Cape Town. As well as weekly meetings and other national events, HDSA coordinates tours to Israel for 16 year-olds and school-leavers.

Its two primary kenim (branches) are based in Cape Town and Johannesburg, although the movement operates across the country.

In 2005, Habonim Dror SA celebrated its 75th anniversary. Over 1,300 current and former members met at Kibbutz Yizrael in northern Israel, for what was likely the largest ever reunion of South African Jewry. In Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, the movement hosted then Israeli Housing Minister Isaac Herzog.

External links

[Habonim Olami] – World Habonim
[Habonim Dror Southern Africa] – Habonim Dror Southern Africa
[Habonim Dror Brasil] – Habonim Dror Brasil
[HDNA] – Habonim Dror North America Homepage
[B'tnua] – HDNA's movement magazine
[HDOZ] – Habonim Dror Australia Homepage

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