Chanichim Reflections from Poland

Recently our kvutsah has taken part in a shared journey with the American kvutsah in a journey to Poland where we visited concentration camps such as Auschwitz and Majdanek concentration camp, where we saw the horrible living standards and exploitation of the Jewish people, we also saw the death camp Treblinka and the mass grave of over 2000 Jews in Lopohova forest while also getting the opportunity to talk to a righteous gentile and visit ghettos and shtetl's throughout Poland and much more. During our time in Poland we tried to explore the mentality of all people involved in the Holocaust while also exploring the effects this event has had in our lives and the wider communities we live in. This speech was delivered by us in our final ceremony in Poland before leaving for Israel and it tries to put into words our thoughts and feelings after the amazing week long experience we had with one another

One of the greatest tools that HDUK has is a summer machaneh solely dedicated to holocaust education, not only is this beneficial for the chanichim but also to further educate the madrichim. From this we feel privileged to have received such thorough education on the Holocaust and its relevance to our lives today. With all this being said, one of the hardest realities which we as a group found hard to come to terms with, is the fact that the holocaust did actually occur. This may sound like a strange comment to say but for the majority of us, the horror stories of Auschwitz 1 and Treblinka were simply stories which we have grown up learning and hearing our entire lives. Being woken up from the day dream we have on the holocaust, that it is not simply a popular story line we see in films such as Schindler's list, The Boy in the Striped pyjamas and The Pianist, and immediately being hit with the stark reality that Auschwitz Birkenau is not a movie seen and is in fact a real place where horror's occurred is something we immediately had to come to terms with, not only this but also that it was carried out by human beings.

As our Madricha (Lucy Travis) likes to say over the past week we have starred into the abyss of mankind and seen what it is truly capable of in its darkest hour, over our journey through Poland we have realised that we are all connected to this event, either by the fact that we are Jewish or through a personnel family connection to the event. We were shocked to see how the Nazi's turned the extermination of Jews into a capitalist enterprise through exploiting them for all resources possible, whether that be using them as a slave labour force, the sale of all their possessions which even includes the gold from their teeth and hair from their heads, and the use of their ashes from the crematorium to use as fertiliser, while also trying to exterminate them as cheaply and efficiently as possible .

However despite this we have taken great inspiration and strength in the knowledge that Jews did not always "go like lambs to the slaughter", when all will and power was drawn from individuals, they found the courage to rise up and prove to mankind that we deserve more than "three lines in history". Being part of Habonim Dror has always been special for us, however it only took until this journey to truly see the power of the movement. Throughout this experience we learn't about both the Warsaw and Krakow ghetto uprisings and how being part of the movement which we are currently in, allowed its members to escape from the reality of the outside world and to develop a space for friendship and laughter, while also demanding courage from its members to take responsibility over the Jewish youth but also allowing them to demand the courage from one another to rise up against their oppressors. We felt the way that the movement achieved this, is best explained by Zivia Lubetkin in her piece 'The Secret of the Movement's Strength'

"The Movement always knew how to demand everything from its members. The Movement’s goal had always been to educate a new kind of man, capable of enduring the most adverse conditions and difficult times while standing up for the emancipation of our people, of the Jew, of mankind. It was our movement education which gave us the strength to endure. I don’t know if I succeeded in describing how much we tried to live up to those values. I did mention how we were almost obsessed at times with preserving the unblemished personal morality of each of our members as individuals, and of the movement as a whole…. What gave us this moral strength? We were able to endure the life in the ghetto because we knew that we were a collective, a movement. Each of us knew that he wasn’t alone. Every other Jew faced his fate alone, one man before the overpowering, invincible enemy. From the very first moment until the bitter end, we stood together as a collective, as a movement. The feeling that there was a movement, a community of people who cared about each other, who shared ideas and values in common, made it possible for each of us to do what we did. The greatest tragedy was that the Jews did not know what to do. From the very first days of demoralisation in the ghetto until the final days of destruction and death, they did not know what to do. We knew. Our movement values showed us our goals and how to achieve them. This was the source of the strength to live. It is the very same source which keeps the survivors alive even today."
                                                 -Newman 

I swore never to be silent whenever an wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tortured" As holocaust survivor Ellie Wiesell so wisely said. We should not only take pity and sorrow from the holocaust but we should take inspiration from those both Jewish and non-Jewish who decided to fight and not sit idly by.
The words "never again" are always used when we come to talk about the holocaust, and they should not solely apply to racism, discrimination or even genocide. We should use these words to understand that we as those who have the ability to look at a situation an critically analyse should make it that when we see where an injustice prevails, we should act and attempt to prevent this. We MUST learn from the holocaust that the ability of millions to stand up and attempt to change the reality was not met. We MUST take from this an abled body and minded people to stand up and protest any injustice that we see or hear about. Are we not as guilty as those who commit the crimes if we just sit and stand Idly by and watch? WE MUST NOT BE THE BYSTANDERS!!!

                                               -Harry 

Poland Pictures

Pictures from our Journey to Poland.

Entering Auschwitz.

Tal and Sophie, with two of the Americans, sharing their research about Dr. Mengele. A unique aspect of our journey is the opportunity for chanichim to shape their own learning, through giving small lessons about things they are interested in. We had chanichim sharing their research about Mengele, movies and the Shoah, children's poetry, their family history, and why the Allies did not bomb Auschwitz.  

Chantal, Amy and Noah's tekkes at the end of our day in Auschwitz. The tekkesim are another way for the chanichim to shape their experiences, by reading poetry, singing songs, or writing reflections about the places they visit. 

At one of the few remaining pieces of the Warsaw Ghetto Wall. 

At the synegogue in Tykotchin, a shtetl near Bialystock that we visited on Friday of the journey. The Jewish population ranged between 60-85% of the village population from the 17th century onward, and coexistence was generally peaceful until the onset of WWII. You can read more about the village history here.

Walking among the stone memorials at Treblinka. Each stone represents different communities destroyed at Treblinka. The camp itself was taken down and hidden by the Nazis. 

At Grochow, the former hachshara (training) farm of the movements before and during the war. Standing behind us is the only wall left from the farm. The movement was allowed to continue training members in the early stages of the war, and the farm was an important respite from the ghetto. Zivia Lubetkin, a leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and Dror member, says that the training farms and communes of the movement were the nucleus of the rebellion.

At the memorial to Mila 18, the bunker where Mordecai Anielewicz and other fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising died. On Saturday, the chanichim walked the Path of Heroism, learning the story of the Uprising and role of Dror movement. 

The final tekkes, at the Rappaport Monument. 

World Veida

After a couple of false starts due to the weather, the shnatties eventually made it to World Veida late in the afternoon on Friday the 20th. Although it probably seems like a joke compared to what's happening in the US right now, it was more than enough snow for Israel.

Leadership from around the world the morning before the shnatties arrived. 

This year was the 8th Veida Olamit (World Council) of Habonim Dror Olami. The Veida is the decision making body of Habonim Dror, and a chance for the shnatties, along with participants from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, to shape the ideology and future of Habonim Dror Olami. Veida convenes once every four years, and this year the participants voted on ten different proposals. 

The Veida also included a Saturday evening celebration of Habonim, with guests from the Jewish Agency, the JNF, the World Zionist Union and olim from Habonim Dror. The choir of Hanoar Haoved, our sister youth movement, performed, as well as a Brazilian samba band. 

In serious debate over the proposals!

Singing Hatikvah altogether before the voting. 

All the gap-year participants from Habonim Dror around the world.

Kaveret Messimot

What is messima? Messima means "mission" in Hebrew. In Habonim Dror, we view our volunteer projects as long term missions within Israeli society, working through education to create a just and equal Israeli society. Teaching English is the method we use to connect with Israeli youth and create a fun place for them to be, and to open a conversation about values, their life in Israel, and empowering them to shape Israeli society in the future. We work in partnerships with Hanoar Haoved v'Halomed, our sister movement in Israel, and with different municipalities. Today, we are active in Rehovot, Bat Yam, Yafo, Rishon Letzion, Acco, Haifa, Kfar Manda, Carmiel, Iblin, Deir Al Assad and Sachnin. Although there are some changes from year to year based on demographic changes within the messimot, our projects are ongoing, long-term relationships with the schools and organizations where we are active. The impact of the shnatties and other Habonim Dror chanichim that do messima in these places over the years is truly incredible, and today some of them rely on us to continue their activites. Each messima also has a melaveh (escort/guide) that runs weekly tzevet meetings where the shnatties can process their experience and sharpen their hadracha (leadership) skills. This is an important place for the shnatties to connect their experiences in Israel to their ideological questions, about Israel, being Jewish, and being a leader in Habonim Dror.

Tzevet Haifa 

The shnatties spend the morning and early afternoon at HaTichun HaChevrati (The Social High School), which is a democratic high school near Haifa for students who have had difficulty in other educational settings. They help the students with their English classes and homework as well as run optional programming during class breaks. They help the students with special weekly interest groups (acrobalance, music and art). During the afternoons, the shnatties work in an after-school center with children ages 9-13 where the children receive a healthy meal and participate in group and individual activities. The center is located in the Hadar neighbourhood in Haifa which is a mixed city of Arabs and Jews, giving them a unique opportunity to facilitate different activities for a range of children. 

Tzevet Kiyum Meshutaf “Shared Existence”

The “Shared Existence” messima is a long standing project between Habonim Dror and HaNoar HaOved VeLomed. By learning about each other’s cultures, the shnatties and the Arab youth with whom they meet, create common understandings and shared values. The relationships and understandings promote an idea of shared existence between Jews and Arabs.

The shnatties work three days a week in the morning in different schools in a few different Arab villages. During the day, they assist in public high schools. They run informal English programming during which they are able to explore ideas such as identity, community and leadership during English classes. In the afternoons, this tzevet facilitates group activities in different after-school centers for high school students.

Tzevet Acco 

The tzevet works in a public middle school in Akko during the mornings, working mainly with the Jewish population of Akko. They run informal English lessons and are starting to create a “Music Video” project in which each class will create a music video in English to be shown in an exciting screening event later in the year. In the afternoons, the tzevet works in the Moadon HaOgen, the “Anchor Youth Club” with youth from Grades 7 - 9. The Moadon is supported by the municipality of Acco, and provides a safe space for kids to congregate after school finishes. At the Moadon, the shnatties run different interest groups (sports, art, music) as well as group activities. A big emphasis is placed on the interpersonal relationships created between the madrich (the shnattie) and the chanich. A healthy meal and homework help is also provided. 

Reflections from Ofek

Some thoughts from Harry Brackup, after his experiences on Kibbutz Ravid during Ofek. 

What should habonim dror focus on?

The question that has arose for me since we have been here, and that is weather or not us as a movement we should return to our roots as a labour Zionist movement or carry on with our shift into Israeli society like we are doing. First of all it seems as though labour Zionism should have some sort of definition and that to me is the belief that we should come to Israel and work the land like our Zionist forefathers did before us. The dilemma that arises for me in this question is: what is more important? Labour Zionism possesses a massive importance to our movement as it was the start of our movement in Israel , creating kibbutzim like kfar Blum where it would be habonim drorniks working the land and being self sufficient off the land. This clearly worked at the time, shown by the massive kibbutz movement. Yet as times have gone on the aims and methods of our movement have shifted into modern day Israeli society into the irbutz community's and having an active role in shaping wider Israeli society. In my opinion I feel that returning to our roots possesses a big importance as it seems that all the education on the chalutzim is redundant without actualising on it. However I believe that there is no immediate need for us to act upon our labour Zionism but that there is a massive need for us to aim to shape Israeli society into a fairer more equal society. It seems as if we as a movement have moved into the direction of shaping the society we see has problems. And to me that is where we should stay and if anything have a greater focus on actively changing society in Israel.

Ofek: Tiyul Group

Our final group for Ofek, Noah, Max, Alex and Chantal spent five days hiking in the Negev. With the support of Ido, their 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 shnatties studying at Bina are Talia, Sophie and Amy, along with some American shnatties. 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.

The shnatties 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.