FIRST INSTALLATION

May 12 was an historic day for Habonim in New York. One hundred bonim, standing at attention under nine kvutza and shvatim banners, took the pledge of Habonim and officially marked the birth of our organization.

The four members of Merkaz Habonim who were in New York greeted the machaneh. Minna Solaveitchik, as master of ceremonies, presented a banner to each group and then introduced Nachum Guttman, who, in the name of the merkaz, presented the machaneh flag to the hanhaga.

Nachum explained the symbolic names that appear in red Hebrew letters on each of the white banners. There were banners with the names "Avoda," "Aliya," "Hapoel," "Achva," "Tikvah"; and the Solelim showed their tribal names of "Reuben," "Menasseh," and "Yehuda."

David Yaroslavsky, who is living at the Hightstown hachshara farm, where he is preparing himself for chalutz life in Palestine, came especially for the installation. Shulamith Siegel greeted Habonim in the name of the Young Poale Zion Alliance.

The guest speaker at the ceremony was Zaiman Rubashov, delegate from the Histadrut in Palestine and editor of the Hebrew labor daily, Davar. Chaver Rubashov told of the hardships the chalutzim had undergone to bring about the new Jewish colonies in Palestine and called upon Habonim to have courage to continue the work of building Eretz Israel and strive for a better Jewish life all over the world.

Upon closing the ceremony with the singing of "Techezakna," all began singing and dancing the Palestinian songs and dances.

Among the guests were bonim from Highstown, N. J., and New Haven, Connecticut, as well as New York members of Hechalutz and the Young Poale Zion Alliance.

From HABONEH, May, 1915