MOSHAV OROT

The nucleus which was later to become Moshav Orot was formed in Vineland, New Jersey. The suggestion that Jewish farmers from Vineland move to Israel and farm there was made by Zvi Lieberman of Nahalal, who was at that time on a private visit to the States. He addressed a large gathering of Poale Zion in Vineland, after which the Poale Zion held a conference to discuss the matter. This conference resulted in the formation of the organization, Haikar Haoved; and a constitution was drawn up by Jack Brodsky and Pinchas Weiselberg of Vineland, with the assistance of the Hechalutz organization. The constitution urged the establishment of cooperative villages in Israel.

In the winter of 1951, Levi Eshkol and Yitzchak Korn came to the United States and to Vineland, where a special conference was called. On this occasion, Levi Eshkol announced that a moshav was to be created in Israel for American settlers.

In Israel, a committee was formed for the purpose of choosing a site for the new moshav. They chose the site which today is Orot and sent to the States a map of "Ber Tuvia Bet," as it was called then.
The first settlers to come to Ber Tuvia Bet were Pinchas and Sheva Weiselberg and their two children, Carol and George. Other families were supposed to come very soon afterwards from America and from Canada, but they were advised to wait until everything was prepared to receive them. When the Weiselbergs arrived, they were surprised to find that absolutely nothing had been prepared on the site that was to be Orot. Ber Tuvia had put up twenty-five huts on their own land as temporary housing for prospective American settlers.

The Weiselbergs were hoping that Orot would be set up within a period of three months. However, there were problems in laying out the land, so that it was not until one year later that two thousand dunam of Orot land was finally ploughed by the new tractor provided by the Jewish Agency. Pinchas Weiselberg had arrived in Israel in September, 1951, and ploughed the first furrow in 1952. The development plans for laying out the land were finally accepted in the spring.

The first harvest at Orot was not without incident. All the ground at Orot had been used by Ber Tuvia for growing barley. After Ber Tuvia had reaped their barley, there was a sufficient new growth to make it worth 0rot*s while to attempt harvesting and selling it. Unfortunately, before the two Jewish Agency combines could get to this barley, most of it had already been picked off or trampled by the immigrants who lived in transient camps next to Orot. The police were called in from Gedera; they systematically went from tent to tent in the camp, retrieving the barley plus a quantity of grain stolen from other fields. The barley, however, could not be released for a year's time, for it had to be used as evidence in court.

By July, 1952, other families came to settle in Orot. The Lipson family came from Montreal, and from within Israel, the Blumenfeld, Rabiner and Maisels families. A garin was formed, and it was decided that all the families would move into the huts in Ber Tuvia until housing was put up in Orot. A budget had to be found for water supply, for scraping of the land, and similar important projects.

The date of Orot's official settlement was October 2, 1952. Seventy-five people were present and walked from Ber Tuvia to Orot, where Levi Eshkol helped lay the cornerstone. The most exciting part of the day was the coincidental arrival of several trucks from Haifa, carrying the prefabricated houses for Orot, just at the moment when the new settlers were making their way from Ber Tuvia to Orot. This event was photographed by Israel newsreel cameras.

By April, 1953, the chaverim had moved into their houses. The families each chose their homes according to individual preference as to location. Where there was conflict over a house, lots were drawn. Since the funds needed to install electricity were not available, chaverim lived for one year without electricity.

The rest of the history of Orot's development is one of small but important milestones, achieved quietly and welcomed joyfully by its inhabitants. Since Orot began, two other "sections" were added on, to complete the intended number of housing units, with six homes for craftsmen. Four years ago, the inhabitants of the second section were living without electricity and without a paved road. Two years passed before they received electricity, and the night that installation was completed, every light in every house in that area blazed out and proclaimed to the rest of the moshav, "We too have electricity!" The lack of a paved road was also a great handicap, more so in winter, when it was so difficult to slosh through the deep mud with horse and wagon. At that time the kindergarten was located in the unpaved section of Orot, and children frequently arrived there covered with mud, through which they waded every day. These hazards one day became a thing of the past, when the road was extended to these newer homes.

The new kindergarten building was almost completed when Orot celebrated its fifth anniversary. There had been no kindergarten at all in Orot when the inoshav first came into existence. Parents used to take turns transporting their children to Ber Tuvia by horse and wagon. However, by virtue of the rapid growth of child population in Orot, a kindergarten of our own was called for. This building, in the center of Orot, is the pride and joy of all the parents. The kindergartner is a native of Ber Tuvia, who has been working with Orot children since they started attending school in Ber Tuvia. Last year our kindergartner boasted that there was not a single group of children in the class at Orot who continued to speak English to each other at play. The children had gradually become entirely Hebrew speaking, except where their parents were concerned.

One and a half years ago, the third and newest section of Orot was completed. An additional ten houses were set up and occupied, all within a very brief period of time. At this time of writing, the section is occupied by four families from Israel, one from Canada, and five from South Africa.

Other improvements have come to Orot, all adding in small ways to the comforts of a life that can never be easy. One day the Ber Tuvia post office instituted house-to-house mail delivery, whereas, up till that time, chaverim had to waste precious time going to the main office every day to see if there was mail. The sight of the new mail boxes caused a great, deal of hilarity at Orot. People had used everything from lunch boxes to first-aid kits on sticks. There were also a few honest-to-goodness, store bought mail boxes, so that Freddy, our faithful mailman, was not altogether disheartened by these peculiar AngloSaxons.

The time also came when Orot arranged to have its own bread delivery service, apart from that of Ber Tuvia. Up till then, Orot had been at the mercy of Ber Tuvia's bread man, who, very often, arrived with bread for only half of Orot, after his stocks had been depleted by Ber Tuvia housewives. Now there is a regular bread delivery by one of our own chaverim, who derives additional income from this work. He has since expanded his service to include cigarettes, matches, candy, and chewing gum, much to the delight of Orot's heavy smokers and small fry.

Another development, which we consider a part of our own growth, is the changing of the Ber Tuvia general store to a system of self-service. Orot has always used the store in Ber Tuvia, even though we have our own building for this purpose. With the small number of families at Orot, it has never been considered feasible for Orot to operate its own store. The great revolution in the Ber Tuvia store was a boon to all super-market-loving Anglo-Saxons, who were now free to shop as quickly or as slowly as they liked, in the manner to which they were accustomed.

The latest development in Orot, and certainly not the least, is the institution of a weekly movie night. This will be most appreciated in winter, when poor weather will make it difficult to reach the movie house in Kfar Warburg or Ber Tuvia. Movie night, with chaverim bringing their own chairs, is becoming an important social event in Orot.

It was on the fifth anniversary of Orot that the cornerstone was laid for a community center, to be named after Governor Meyner of New Jersey. Funds for this had been raised by chaverim in New Jersey. Plans were drawn up by architects, and the one that suited the chaverim best was eventually chosen. Bids are now going out to contractors, and it is hoped that the building of the center will soon begin. With the establishment of a community center, Orot will really feel that it has come of age. Then we can get down to thinking about a swimming pool, and after that. . . .

Although there are houses here for fifty families, it is estimated that close to two hundred families, including those who remained, have lived at Orot. It is interesting to note that, of all the families who have come and gone, four of the very first settlers, Weiselberg, Lipson, Blumenfeld and Greenberger, are still here, together with several other early settlers, such as Maisels, Gertel, Brodsky, and Cohen. With the present crisis in agriculture in the country, other families are in the process of leaving; but those who remain see their difficulties as problems which will be worked out in time, to the advantage of those who are strong enough to hold out.

It was inevitable that a number of ex-Habonim people should also make their homes at Orot. Orot was a natural haven for those chaverim who found that they were dissatisfied with kibbutz life but still wanted to remain in agriculture. The ex-Habonim people who now live at Orot are quite a stable element in the moshav, have been here a long time, and will probably continue to live in Orot.

In no respect does the group of ex-Habonim people at Orot function as a closely-knit social unit or as a separate group. Occasionally a visit from a mutual acquaintance will bring together these chaverim) who are normally too occupied with daily chores to take the time to see each other. Nevertheless, there is still an underlying feeling of mutual sympathy and a certain similarity in outlook on life, which can be attributed to the Habonim education which we hold in common. The bonds formed in earlier days in Habonim still remain; even thought they are slender and invisible bonds, they are enduring.

BATYA FROMM, Orot, 1959