We believe in the right of man to be free as an individual. In specific terms, this means that we want to develop an individual who is awake and sensitive to his world, who dares to participate in every phase of its life, and who creates within himself a force that drives him on to selfrealization. In other words, he is a young Jew who understands what is happening to his people in an alien world and, because of the sensitivity within himself, takes part in the renaissance of his people. His participation in this renaissance becomes the foremost factor in his life as an individual.
We believe in the right of an entire people to be free as a group. Were we to believe only in man's right to be a free individual, we would choose other avenues than Zionism on which to live. But it is because we believe in the value and the necessity for national living that we are Zionists. We familiarize our haverim with our historical past; we interpret our present struggle; and we point the way to return to nationhood as our only means of survival and our way of participating in the further development of our people and of society.
We believe that there must evolve a new society of cooperation where mankind will develop new values. When we speak of new society and new values, we are not dreamers after Utopia, but followers after the pattern of life being created now in Eretz Yisrael. In the new society that we seek to create, we try to erase the narrow concept of "me and mine," that concept which makes man struggle to fill his pockets so that he and his small family may enjoy the fruits of the world. In the place of this narrow view of life, we would implant a concern for mankind, for our people, for all individuals. And this concern would be demonstrated in our economic, cultural, and social selves. We seek to take the word equality off the lips of our haverim, and put it in their hearts and in their way of living. Equality must be expressed in every phase of life conomic, political, re ligious, social; otherwise there is no equality. This equality and this concern for mankind will become real only when man is judged by his selfless contribution to society, and only when he is a laborer for the improvement of that soci * ety.
In order to translate these ideas into human living, we must educate an entire generation of Jewish youth along new lines of thinking and acting. Discussion is an important part of education, but living is by far the greater teacher. In Camp Kvutza we live our ideals.
Our aims for the haver who participates in Kvutza may be summed up as follows -
Upon the madrich rests the Kvutza. He will create the atmosphere and the spirit; he will develop-or fail to develop-all the individuals who come to Kvutza. If his role is important in the city, it is absolutely vital in the Kvutza. For in the city, the madrich sees his haverim only once or twice a week, but at Kvutza he is With them during all their waking and sleeping hours. Now there are no "company manners" between them. Now there is only day-by-day living.
The madrich must come to Kvutza prepared for his duties. If possible, he should be ready with his discussion material, games, songs, and rainy-day activities. At the very least, he must be preared with the proper attitude. For no one in Kvutza is on a vacation; it is our training ground for the tomorrow of our people. The madrich directs the training. He faces a serious task, and only one who understands the responsibility should be entrusted with it.
Exactly what is his responsibility? First, he is responsible for the physical well-being of his haverim. He sees that they sleep enough, eat enough, keep themselves and and their sleeping quarters clean. Second, he is responsible for their psychological well-being. He helps them adjust to their surroundings, promotes friendly relations among them, wins their confidences, and spends many hours in just speaking with them about all the big problems we face together and all their personal problems. Third, be is responsible for their development as individuals. He explains Kvutza and people to them; he draws them into every activity; he discovers their hidden talents and interests; he makes them aware of the role they play in their group.
The madrich must be wide awake. He must foresee problems before his youngsters create them so that he can divert energies to other channels. He must be a good pal and know how to have f un with them. At the same time, lie, must know how to put across his way of thinking and the desired way of acting.
Herein lies a real problem for all madrichim. How far can we go in allowing the haverim of Camp Kvutza to go their own way in managing Kvutza? Will we create any sins against progressive education and against individual freedom if we guide all activities and if we are, at times, "firm" in stating our point of view?
The rosh of every Kvutza, together with the marichim, must understand that Kvutza is not merely an educational experiment. We do not bring together a group of youngsters, turn them loose, and then, with notebook in hand, write up our scientific observations. The luxury of experiinents in education for their own sake we must leave for people more fortunate than we. We are trying to "turn men into a nation and sand into a country." Camp Kvutza is our instrument for inspiring and remaking individual young Jewish lives. We want our youngsters to create their summer Kvutza because that is the way to teach them that they must build the real Kvutza in Eretz Yisrael. Kvutza must be a symbol to us-a symbol that we will eventually make real.
That symbol and its realization are the prime forces behind Kvutza. The rosh and madrichim must keep them in mind always. No amount of "freedom" is real or desirabTe if it destroys our Kvutza spirit or discolors our Kvutza design. Staying awake until all hours of the night is ruinous to health and humor-it is not freedom. Failure to participate in discussions, in work, in any group activity, is not freedom but a weakening of Kvutza spirit.
The rosh and madrichim are entrusted with young lives and young minds; they are likewise entrusted with a great responsibilty to the Labor Zionist movement. Let them not be frightened by terms or by name-calling. Our only sin can be the failure to make Kvutza what it must be: a pattern of life for our baverim.
For example, the mahaneh in which I am now living has chosen its Kvutza committee; with this committee I have had one discussion from which we concluded:
This year, like last, our movement faces a serious lack of leadership for our summer Kvutzot. This will mean that all who are madrichim must become well acquainted with the objectives of Kvutza before they go, must think a great deal about Kvutza as an educational institution and as a symbol, and must prepare as much as possible for the season.
With our awarenes of what is happening to our people in Europe and in Eretz Yisrael, we become more certain that we will face still greater responsibilities in the movement here and abroad. Therefore, our haverim. must feel that in Kvutza they are undergoing training for their role tomorrow.
Miriam Biderman, 1935