Habonim Dror is in the midst of
conducting a referendum on the issue of
creating a national ma'apilim chapter of the Labor Zionist Alliance. This
will give our ma'apilim the opportunity to take active leadership roles in our parent
movement.
The first attempt at "testing the waters" between Habonim Dror and the LZA was
the HDNA-LZA Washington Action Conference. 17 ma'apilim and a dozen
LZA "Young Generation" members spent a weekend in D.C., meeting with Labor
M.K. Yona Yahav, Senator Carl Levin and other distinguished speakers. The seminar was so
successful we even got our name in the NY Jewish Week! (see attached clipping) This
weekend was the first opportunity to ma'apilim and LZA members to really meet each other,
and discuss both politics and the
nature of our beloved movement.
In an effort to educate our membership about LZA, we have asked LZA
member and Habonim alumnus Judy Silberg Loebl to write a few words to ex
plain what the the LZA has to offer to Habonim Dror ma'apilim.
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Shalom,
When I was in my late 20s I lost contact with my Habonim friends. Some had
made aliyah and others had moved out of town. There was a group of former
Habonim and Hashomer Hatzair people who met for cultural events (Pesach,
Sukkot, break-the-fast, etc.) A speaker on Israel brought us all together
and we discovered we had similar interests. We were Zionists, we supported
leftist Israeli politics, the peace process, and liberal U.S. politics.
There was no other organization or movement in the city that we could
identify with. We met informally for about a year until we decided that the
group needed more focus. We decided to affiliate with LZA. The reasons we
decided to join LZA are the following:
LZA is a part of the World Labor Zionist Movement, the same movement as
Habonim/Dror. As a world movement, LZA has more recognition and influence
than any one individual or smaller organization. Although we are part of an
International Movement we are still independent and able to express our
opinions to our World Leaders, including the leaders of the Labor Party in
Israel. Because our relationship to them is important they are willing to
listen, and sometimes our opinions affect their decisions.
As a movement we are also able to gain access into our local communities.
Members of LZA serve on Jewish Federation Boards, Jewish Community
Relations Councils, Jewish Community Centers and other important boards,
often representing LZA. Through these committees and Boards, policies on
Israel, funding for youth movements, allocations for Israel, etc. are
decided. Our members gain access on these Boards through their affiliation
with LZA.
LZA is at a turning point in its history. The older members and leaders
are ready for a change. They are encouraging new leadership and new
ideas.Individuals can make a difference. It is not hard to be a part of the
leadership and influence our ideology and our agenda. We found that we
could make positive changes in our Movement. I invite all Ma'apalim to join
LZA. We can work together to make a real difference.
Judy Silberg Loebl is a member of Labor Zionist
Alliance, Rabin Branch in
Detroit and serves on the National Executive Committee of LZA. She
currently co-chairs LZA 2000, an ad-hoc committee formed as an outreach for
rnew membership. Judy is a graduate of Habonim/Dror |