National holidays, May Day and more

It has now been a couple of weeks since the Shnatties have returned from Pesach Chofesh, and they have had quite an eventful time since then. Upon returning from their break they started an educational module called Chalutziut, during which they explored the ideas of early Socialist Zionist thinkers and the way this impacted the creation of the state. They also looked at the structures and values behind kibbutzim and learned about the Histadrut (General Labor Federation) and the many political factions which influenced the Yishuv (pre-state Jewish community in Palestine) in its early days. 

The chanichim also signed up for the next set of Power Courses, the special interest classes they will be taking for the rest of Boneh. The three options they had to choose from were: The Art of Cooking (where the chanichim will be learning how to make exciting new dishes),Techniques in Acting (where they will be rehearsing and putting on a theatrical performance), and The Real Price of Products (where they will be discussing how consumer goods are made today and how this effects society at large).  The chanichim seemed very excited about all three options and had their first Power Course yesterday!

There have also been quite a few national holidays over the last few weeks. The first of these days was Yom Hashoa (Holocaust Memorial day) during which the chanichim attended the local tekkes (ceremony) on Kibbutz Ein Dor and a national tekkes at Kibbutz Lochme Ha’getaot (Ghetto Fighters kibbutz).  On Lochmei prior to the national tekes, the North American and Dutch Shnatties from Habonim led a meaningful commemoration for all the HD members who were present based on their experiences on the Journey to Poland from which they recently returned, and this gave our Shnatties a lot of food for thought.

They also had a couple of peulot that day about the three “Yomim” that fall in a two week span (Yom Hashoa, Yom Hazikaron, and Yom Ha’atzmaut). During Yom Hazikaron, the Shnatties went to Haifa and participated in the 'Zer Lanofel' operation led by our sister youth movement Hanoar Haoved, in which youth movement members hand out bouquets to the bereaved families which come to visit military cemetaries.  Haifa has had over 1,700 fallen soldiers since the founding of the State and the cemetery was full of people and a very solemn atmosphere; it was very meaningful to be there and observe the atmosphere, as well as taking part in the commemoration.  After the official state ceremony the group had a short peula and read about a member of another Israeli socialist-Zionist youth movement (Hamachanot Haolim) from Haifa who was killed in the Second Lebanon War, as well as marking ANZAC Day which fell on the very same day.  They then were released for their free day for Yom Ha’atzmaut. and many of them travelled to fun city celebrations in Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem.

Following Yom Ha’atzmaut, the Shnatties all went to May Day seminar, which is a seminar with all the Habonim Dror English-speaking Shnat groups. The seminar dealt with the place of labor in today’s society and how we relate to work, solidarity, exploitation, and much more.   The groups from different countries bonded extremely well and the discussions were fruitful and interesting, even when there were disagreements.  The seminar also dealt with question of why HD participates in the May Day rally in Tel Aviv, which we then attended this past Tuesday.  The different countries' Shnat groups met up once again on Tuesday for the rally, enjoying the festive atmosphere, the social message and the concert by Israeli pop star Moshe Peretz!   You can see one of the hits he performed here.

This past week, the chanichim have started a module called Dilemmas in Nation Building, where they explore the different questions and challenges that the creators of the state faced, such as the place of religion, how to absorb refugees, and how to create a unified military. They also went on a siyur today in Haifa, examining the relationship between Jews and Arabs in Haifa during the British Mandate period as a microcosm for the Jewish-Arab relationship across the country, examining the roots of the conflict we are still facing today.

Next week the Shnatties are going on a gorgeous tiyul in the Golan Heights. There is a Tzevet Tiyul chosen by the group responsible for planning many aspects of the trip, including evening programs and hiking routes.  We will be sure to take lots of pictures and update you soon!