CONSOLIDATION (1953-1955)

The period under review indicates further consolidation. The movement reaffirmed its basic approach to Jewish life and adjusted itself to changes in Zionism and the American Jewish community which had occurred as a result of the creation of the State of Israel. The movement made many strides in recovering its former strength and vitality. A large group of graduates of the Workshop and other leadership courses began to lead groups of younger chaverim, which resulted in the growth of the movement, an increase in all activities, (and a larger aliya in succeeding years. There was a more optimistic spirit in the movement and general recognition that Habonim had weathered a serious organizational and spiritual crisis, and that it now had the possibility of moving on to new responsibilities. By 1955, there were significant advances in the development of leadership and in the organization of new cities for Habonim; twenty-four -machanot were functioning, and the membership was slightly over two thousand.

Two very significant, week-long "briefing sessions" for the entire older leadership were held at Camp Habonim, Red Hook, New York, at the end of the summers of 1954 and 1955. These seminars served to crystallize both a new generation of leaders and the educational methods and principles of the movement.

A special expansion drive was conducted from January to June, 1955. Emphasis was placed on the re-establishment of large, balanced kvutzot in every age level. Though this aim was not realized fully, this organizational principle was accepted by the movement and guided it in its future organizational work. The work for the funds also reflected a revival of interest and spirit.

One of the major factors which strengthened the movement was the work of the education department. Hamadrich was re-issued for group leaders, and several parts of a projected comprehensive educational curriculum were published. In addition to the magazines Haboneh and furrows, a special newspaper for bonim (the high-school age group) was printed, as well as an occasional, brief Noar Newsletter for older members. In 1955, Furrows appeared first as a newspaper and then in mimeographed form; at the end of 1955, however, it was decided to re-institute Furrows as the printed magazine of the movement. The Jewish Frontier was also sent to older chaverim.

The education department made a careful survey of the stencil file in the office and revised and reprinted much significant educational material on camps, holidays, and general background. Two full programs for Hebrew classes were published in the summers of 1954 and 1955. The camp program for 1954 itself included suggested discussions and projects on Jewish history, Israel, and American Jewry, while that for 1955 was based on the Second Aliya. In addition, we participated in the preparation of the Second Aliya Anthology and a booklet on North African Jewry, both published by the Zionist Youth Council. Throughout 1954 and 1955, kits were sent out to all madrichim every month and included a variety of bulletins, reprints, and special material. Leadership-training groups were coordinated nationally and followed a revised, more formal program. A major project of those years was the publication, in cooperation with the Reconstructionist Press, of Life in a Kibbutz, by Murray Weingarten. The movement alone sold over two thousand copies of the book, which received favorable comment from both the Jewish press and experts in the field of cooperative living.

Along with the growing involvement of senior chaverim in the camps as managers came a marked change of attitude in the field of physical development and financing of the campsites. The experience of the New York camp indicated that: it was desirable and necessary to have large, well-developed campsites which would be able to serve the younger age level now attending camp. The infusion of the traditional Habonim approach remained the responsibility of the Habonim staff; agricultural and scouting projects began to replace the construction programs carried out in former years when the campers were much older. Camp consultants were engaged to advise on the development, planning, and purchase of campsites.

The Detroit convention decided lo Hebraize all the camps over a period of several years. Though Hebrew had its place in the everyday life of every camp and several conducted Hebrew programs, Moshava was the one real Hebrew camp in the movement. The success of Moshava as a Hebrew Can-p Kvutza served as a stimulus to the other camps to move ahead with. the process of "Hebraization." The Workshop idea, originated by Habonim, was accepted by several other Zionist youth groups and by non-Zionist youth organizations as well. Habonim thus listed a significant addition to the list of contributions which it had made to the Jewish community over the years. The Workshop administration also conducted the Young Adults Workshop at Gesher Haziv, in which more than thirty people participated. This program, a more feasible one in line with the age of the participants, resulted in the settlement in Israel of many of its graduates.

The most significant achievement in the field of aliya was the development of Garin Gimel. 1953-54 saw the creation of a home for the garin in New York, the development of financial solvency, the regular publication of its magazine Bashaar, a substantial increase in its members, and the preparation of its first aliya group, which left for Israel in October, 1954. Another group went to Israel the following year.

In 1955, Habonim was very active in the Labor Zionist Assembly, which coordinated the work of all sectors of the Labor Zionist movement in the areas of aliya and public affairs. Habonim also participated in the Labor Zionist shekel campaign that year and was represented at the Zionist Congress which followed by Akiva Skidell and Murray Weingarten. 

During this period, the movement re-interpreted its ideological approach in terms of mitzvot which were expected of each chaver. These mitzvot, formulated at the Detroit convention in 1953 and amended at the Philadelphia convention in 1955, were an indication of both the movement's adjustment to the realities and demands of the new era of Jewish life and its renewed spirit of determination to fulfill its role therein:

Affirming the validity of the Zionist approach, the [convention], in the light of its beliefs and in the strength of its deliberations, directs its chaverim to mobilize themselves for the service of their people by the personal fulfillment of these Zionist duties —mitzvot:

1. Each chaver of Habonim must undertake to provide himself with a Jewish education—a fundamental necessity for the proper appreciation and understanding of contemporary Jewish problems.
2. Each chaver must study Hebrew—the major medium of Jewish cultural rebirth and a living bond which ties Jews the world over with their history, with other Jews, and with the Jewish renascence in Israel.
3. Each chaver must attempt to achieve the association of his own family with the Labor Zionist movement. In addition, he must press for the evolution of his own home into a truly Jewish one—where Jewish books and art objects are to be found, where Jewish subjects are discussed, and where Jewish traditions and holidays are observed.
4. Each chaver must endeavor to convince his friends of the importance of his beliefs, attracting them to participation in the movement.
5. Each chaver must contribute and raise money for such funds of his people as the Jewish National Fund, the Histadrut, and the United Jewish Appeal, and for his own movement.
6. Each chaver must consider it a personal goal to feel at home in the State of Israel through personally visiting there and becoming part of its atmosphere and problems, whether he plans to live there permanently or not.

a. In Habonim terms this means planning seriously to participate in the Youth Workshop in Israel. 

b. Upon his return from the Workshop, each chaver must consider the service he can render the movement, assuming responsibility for its future. 

c. Upon his return from the Workshop, each chaver must consider his Jewish education just started and therefore must pursue every possibility toward its continuation.

d. Each chaver must evaluate his movement experience in terms of what his personal contribution to the future of the Jewish people can be. The maximum contribution a chaver can make is his personal aliya to Israel and his joining with those forces in Israel which are recreating Jewish life. As a member of hityashvut haovedet, he has achieved his movement's highest ideal—hagshama atzmit.

e. Although aliya in garinim for the hityashvut haovedet is the means by which a chaver makes the greatest impact on Jewish life, the chaver who goes up alone as a professional can serve his people by identifying himself with the Histadrut.

f. The contribution of the chaver who shares the movement's ideals but does not go to Israel must be in terms of service to his people through work in the Jewish community and support of its institutions.

Facing the crisis in the Zionist movement and in Jewish life today, Habonim believes that inherent in that crisis is the failure of Jews who believe in Zionist theory to fulfill, in their own lives, these fundamental precepts. Only through a clear understanding of this fact will we be responding to the challenge of history.

D.B., 1960