THIS ISSUE

Hedad! The Haboneh, the new Haboneh, is in our hands. We've packed away our good old reliable mimeograph, and with the step forward in technical make-up, we hope we shall also go forward with a more interesting and more valuable magazine. With the help of all our bonim and tzofim and their friends, with the help of all our subscribers and those who just borrow someone else's copy, the editors are certain to put out the best Jewish youth magazine in America.

There has been no edition of the Haboneh since last Pesach, so it might not be amiss to say a few brief words about what the Haboneh is trying to do, just to refresh the memory of our old readers and to acquaint ourselves with the new.

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The Haboneh is published by Habonim for young American Jews. That's a pretty broad statement, and really doesn't mean much in itself; so let us dissect that fine group known as "young American Jewry" and discover the interests which the Haboneh strives to satisfy:

WE ARE YOUNG:
Yes, we are young. Our tzofim and bonim range between the ages of twelve and seventeen. There are no gray-beards among us. Because we are full of the vitality of youth, we crave what youth of all nations, races and creeds crave: to enjoy life in the fullest sense, to sharpen our minds and strengthen our bodies, to develop our character and enrich our social life.

On the pages of Haboneh you will find whatever the writer's pen or the artist's brush can create to inform, inspire, and refresh you. The pages of the magazine will also be open for your own original contributions.

WE ARE JEWS:
Brandeis, the Supreme Court Justice, who is one of the busiest men imaginable, who is deeply engrossed in the heaviest affairs of American government, is quoted as saying: "I never forget that I am a Jew." And Brandeis, whose eightieth birthday we are celebrating this month, has shown that he really means it with deed, not only with words, as his tremendous devotion to the Zionist cause proves.

Yes, we are Jews, the sons and daughters of an ancient people that never grows old. However, we are now living in an age when the very existence of the Jews is being threatened. Hitler—Poland— fascist marches even in liberal London! Economic ruin is staring European Jewry, especially Jewish youth, squarely in the face. Black clouds cover the horizon of millions of our scattered people.

The ray of hope that disturbs the otherwise somber theme of Jewish life is—Eretz Israel, Eretz Yisrael ha-ovedet. Labor Palestine, the Palestine of the chalutz. We as Habonim are part and parcel of the great Socialist Zionist movement which has borne the brunt of the burden for laying the foundation of a revived homeland. We, the Habonim, believe unshakingly that the homeland must be built, and we must build it. We do our share while yet in America, materially and spiritually; and soon many of us will be personally transplanted to Eretz Israel to be part of the new Jewish society.

But the world is not composed only of the pitch-black of Europe nor the enthralling task of rebuilding Palestine. We are interested in American Jewry, in its economic welfare and its cultural awakening. We are conscious that we have a great culture; and, what is more important, we want to know what this heritage is. We emphasize the use of Hebrew; we stress the importance of knowing our Yiddish literature; we study Jewish history and present-day Jewish problems; we sing Jewish folk songs and dance Palestinian dances and celebrate Jewish national holidays.

Yes, we are Jews, active Jews, intelligent Jews. We strive to cement friendly relations with other nations, with our American neighbors here, our Arab neighbors in Palestine. We strive to "know ourselves" so that we may better understand others, and they, us.

WE ARE AMERICANS:
Practically all of us were born in this country. We study in its schools; we enjoy its natural beauty, its democracy, and social institutions. And it is just because we are so interested in America that we are gravely concerned about its future, which is also our future as citizens and workers here.

This is a rapidly changing world. We are witnessing the breakdown of old economic and political forms throughout the world. We are beholding a titanic struggle between progress and reaction, between fascism and socialism. And we, the youth, although not yet in the saddle to guide the destinies of mankind, will very very shortly shoot into the adult world. We will face these great social, political, and economic problems. Some of us even now have to worry about "balancing the budget" in our homes.

In Europe, the fascist forces are training the children from the cradle to be good cannon-fodder. The Balilla tots in Italy romp around playing soldier. Soon they will be an excellent war-machine for II Duce. You can hear the clank! clank! clank! of their toy weapons all the way here.

We are Americans; and America is part of this great, confused world that is staggering on the brink of another world war, that is muddling through the greatest economic crisis of modern times. We are interested in solving these problems; and we believe that the solution lies in the creation of a better social order, a socialist society, in which equality and justice and peace will reign.

YOUNG — AMERICAN — JEWS:
Now, put all three words together and you have exactly what we are—young American Jews. It is in this spirit that we have outlined above that the Haboneh will be presented to you. The chalutz core around which the Habonim is woven calls upon us to be the pioneers, the standard bearers of the new Jewish labor commonwealth in Eretz Israel, and to be part of the great progressive army that desires a better society for America and the world.

We are Habonim—the builders. Let us rededicate ourselves to our tasks. Let us continue to build ourselves, our people, and all human society in the fashion of the chalutz.

With the appearance of the new Haboneh, let us go from strength to strength. The future is before us. A-lei U'vneh!

From HABONEH, November, 1936