January 2003

"It is now 4 years since we made aliyah, and I am now writing to you from Kvutsat Yovel in Migdal Ha’Emek. As an ‘intimate kvutsa’ of 7 olim from Habonim Dror UK & North America, we moved here at Sukkot after three and a half years in Jerusalem. We moved to Migdal Ha’Emek in order to join with 4 other intimate kvutzot, groups of sabra-Israelis who are mainly bnei meshek from the ‘Kvutzot Habehira’ youth movement. Together, there are 45 of us here in 5 small groups, trying to build our own new community in a model which is perhaps best described as an urban kibbutz of kvutzot. The age range amongst our members here is from 22-32, with all of the Israelis having finished in the army, and all of the Anglos having finished their first degrees. There are many long-term couples, several of whom are married, and there are at least another 2 creative / kibbutz-style / non-halachik weddings already scheduled for this coming summer. There is also our first kibbutz son, ‘Shachar’, who was born to Arnon & Ya’ara of Kvutzat Bustan at Sukkot.

Having the first baby in our community is clearly one reflection of the serious, long-term intentions behind our project. Another indication is the ‘Amutah’ (non-profit / non-governmental organization) which has been set up under the name ‘Tikkun’. Individual members of each small kvutza work together with people from other kvutzot through ‘Tikkun’, running various local and national projects, largely focusing on educational and social community work. Most people refer to this as ‘The Meshek’, which echoes our common kibbutz movement heritage.

With regard to finances, each kvutza is autonomous, so each has their own different system of ‘kupah’, in which the level of ‘shituf’ varies. There is some financial overlap between kvutzot, created by the fact that a large proportion of people work through the meshek, and also by the inter-kvutza car-pool, which recently grew to 6 when Kvutsat Yovel purchased and contributed our first car. Decision-making is also independent for each kvutza, and each group therefore has their own time set aside for meetings, but in addition the ‘Beit Yotzer’ for any interested members of any kvutza meets every Sunday afternoon, ensuring that constant dialogue and mutual learning between the groups takes place weekly.

There are many hardships, besides for the obvious security and economic ‘matzav’ in Israel, the impending war with Iraq, and the recent disastrous elections. Settling down in Migdal Ha’Emek is a big change from Jerusalem, especially for people who were brought up in Leeds, London, Manchester, Chicago, Vancouver and Maryland. Several individuals from Yovel are still looking for more work in the north, with obvious financial implications. We are all still forming and developing our relationships with the other kvutzot, and none of us know what the ideal dynamic should be. In our most recent discussions, we are starting to figure out how best to contribute to the development of Israeli society via our educational / community work whilst also prioritising each individual’s career aspirations and the need to balance our budget.

The enormity of such challenges is sometimes daunting, but we feel greatly strengthened and supported in the knowledge that there are new groups like us developing all over Israel, whom we have regular contact with via the ‘Magal Hakvutzot’ forum of the Zerem Shitufi in the Kibbutz Movement, and via the ‘Tnuat Habogrim’ network of Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed graduates.

As our kvutsa develops as part of our kibbutz of kvutzot, I hope that we can positively influence the society around us in the north of Israel whilst also maintaining our contact with the movement abroad. Several of our members are now preparing to start up a much needed voluntary English tutoring project in after-school study centers in Carmiel, which should be a step in that direction."

James Grant-Rosenhead

*******

Kvutsat Yovel: Habonim Dror is Back in Business – the Kibbutz Building Business!

A group of 12 Labour Zionists from America, Canada, England, Scotland and Australia are attempting to renew a fading dream.

After more than a decade of decline in the achievement of their aims, the 'Habonim Dror' youth movement in the English Speaking world seems set to turn against the trend and give birth to a new urban kibbutz in Israel.

One and a half years ago three Bogrim (graduates) of Habonim Dror Britain made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) together. Three more have since joined, and in December another six will arrive from other countries. Admittedly, this is not really earth-shattering news, but in the world of Labour Zionism in the Western Jewish Diaspora, group aliyah (immigration and settlement in Israel) hasn’t been happening very much for the past 15 years…

Habonim and Dror olim (immigrants) built and developed Kibbutzim all over Israel in every decade from the 1930’s (starting with Kfar Blum) until the mid-1980’s. The most recent examples of western movement ‘hagshama’ (realization of ideals) were Tuval (Britain & South Africa), Ravid (North America), and Kadarim (Australia & New Zealand). 

However, the collapse of several ‘garinim’ (aliyah groups) during the 1980’s left Habonim Dror somewhat directionless. The 1990’s were bleak: not only were no movement kibbutzim built or developed, but very few movement olim arrived at all. Strong individuals have sporadically arrived on aliyah in very small numbers, but no new ideas nor frameworks have adequately replaced the ‘chalutzik’ (pioneering) appeal of the kibbutz building business.

Now new groups of movement olim are suggesting an answer: building communities of social activists to work towards a better Israel. They say: “we have taken too long accepting that the old pioneering - the draining of swamps, developing agriculture and then industry, defending the borders etc – doesn’t need us any more”. But, they add, “there is still plenty of pioneering work to be done within Israeli Society.” Israeli issues which worry movement members in the west include the environment, poverty, minorities, racism, sexism, homelessness and homophobia, as well as the peace process. 

Inspired by the work being done by the urban kibbutzim Tammuz (in Bet Shemesh) and Migvan (in Sderot), perhaps the ‘new chalutziut’ of social justice can give direction to Habonim Dror and revive the movement’s aliyah rates?

Such new ideas already have a firm place amongst Labour Zionist youth in Israel – several hundred post-army bogrim of the youth movement ‘Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed’ have already been building a network of ‘next generation’ communes and kibbutzim for the last few years. In Kibbutz Eshbal, for example, the settlement is remote and rural but agriculture and industry are absent: members work with the Arab youth in Sachnin, Russian youth in Carmiel, and Bedouin women in a nearby ‘unrecognized village’. They teach in Israeli schools, run seminars for groups in Poland, staff the Shoah museum at Lochamei Hagetaot, as well as running their own boarding school for Ethiopian ‘hard-cases’.

Thanks to such appealing examples, six bogrim of Habonim Dror North America, Canada and Australia came to Israel on a pilot tour in May. They decided to merge with the group of six British and American Habonim Dror olim already living communally in Jerusalem. 

During discussions in Jerusalem, the 12 chose the name ‘Kvutsat Yovel’ after the ‘Yovel’ celebrations which were described in that week’s Torah portion. According to this part of the Bible, every 50 years the ‘jubilee’ (‘yovel’) included the freeing of slaves and the egalitarian redistribution of land amongst the children of Israel. The name is rather symbolic, since Kvutsat Yovel members (like all the other new kibbutzim described in this article) share their property and earnings, and make all their decisions by consensus.