Habonim Dror Alumni Make Aliyah to Jerusalem

To Form Kvutsat Yovel

December 30^th, 2000, five alumni of Habonim Dror, a North American Labour Zionist youth movement, are moving to Jerusalem to join with Habonim Dror olim from Britain and Australia to form Kvutsat Yovel, an urban kibbutz.

The group is picking up the kibbutz-building work begun by Habonim and Dror in the 1930s, inspired by a growing network of kibbutzim organized by the Israeli youth movement HaNoar HaOved v’HaLomed and by Israeli urban kibbutzim such as Kibbutz Tammuz in Beit Shemesh and Kibbutz Migvan in Sderot.

The olim hadashim are already attracting considerable attention both in Israel and the Diaspora, especially among those concerned about the declining rate of aliyah from Western countries, the future of the kibbutz movement, and the relevance of Zionism to Diaspora Jewish youth. The group has received media coverage from BBC Radio, Britain’s Daily Telegraph and Ha’Aretz.

In contrast to traditional agricultural kibbutzim, Kvutsat Yovel will be located in apartments in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Katamon, an urban centre where the group plans to be involved in the struggle for social justice. In light of the recent outbreak of violence, the group is strengthened in its determination to work for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, based on justice, compassion, and co-existence. This is also an effort to revitalize the Zionist movement in North America with an example of how to make traditional Labour Zionist ideology relevant in the 21st century.

As an urban kibbutz, Kvutsat Yovel also offers a reply to growing concerns about the decline of the kibbutz movement. “Traditional socialist values upon which kibbutzim were established are just as true today as they were when the state was founded,” says Kvutsat Yovel member Jared Matas. Kvutsat Yovel members will work outside the community, share their property and earnings with the communal kupa, and make decisions by consensus.

The North American group includes movement leaders from across the continent. Ezra Weinberg, of Amherst, MA, is currently the Executive Director of the Habonim Dror Foundation. He began his involvement as a camper at Camp Galil, the Habonim Dror Pennsylvanian camp where he also served as Camp Director the past two summers. Abraham Chiswick, of Evanston, IL, is currently completing his Bachelor’s of Computer Science at New York University. He was a camper at Camp Tavor in Michigan, where he has also worked on staff. Cheryl Weiner, of Boston, MA, is a Project Manager at Hadassah. She was a participant of Project Otzma and worked for the World Zionist Organization’s College Student Department in Boston and New York. Jared Matas, of Vancouver, B.C., has just completed a two-year term as National Director of Habonim Dror North America. He grew up at Habonim Dror’s Camp Miriam in British Columbia, where he also served two years as Camp Director. Robin Merkel, also from Vancouver, B.C., is another Camp Miriam alumnus. He currently works as a computer programmer in Vancouver.

For more information, contact Jared Matas (jaredmatas@hotmail.com) 212-861-7247 in North America or James Rosenhead (hdengtak@inter.net.il) 052-750-584 in Israel. Or check out: www.kvutsatyovel.com