Published: 10 August 2021
Last updated: 11 November 2024
Under the agreement between two rival Labor Zionist movements, the programs will have a youth leader from each group
AFTER A DECADE-LONG ideological struggle between two Labor Zionist movements, an agreement has been reached between them to work together in facilitating gap year programs for all Habonim Dror branches around the world.
As part of the mediation process, there will be two madrichim (leaders) on the program who will each bring their own worldview in the example they set for youth.
One will be affiliated with HeChalutz, an organisation formed 15 years ago by immigrants to Israel (olim) who live in intentional communities in Israel devoted to the betterment of society through educational and social enterprises, associated with Dror Israel.
The other will be selected by Habonim Dror Olami (HDO), an establishment organisation with strong connections to the kibbutz movement.
The program is fully sponsored by MASA and has the blessing of the Zionist Federation of Australia. At the most recent ZFA executive meeting, President Jeremy Liebler congratulated Habo for negotiating this accommodation.
Habonim Dror Australia overcame the many obstacles posed by Covid to create a densely-packed six-month journey for the 16 participants from Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Queensland and New Zealand.
The group will begin by touring around Israel, before heading to Kibbutz Ravid near the Lake Galilee (Kinneret) where they will be joined by participants from the US, Canada and the UK. After three months of agricultural work, as well as learning Hebrew and Jewish and Zionist studies, the group will head to Jerusalem for an intensive study tour, where they will work with various organisations representing many facets of civil society.
They will end their journey with an independent living experience focused on volunteering. “Being able to send Shnatties to Israel this year is so special to the Australian movement,” one Habonim member told The Jewish Independent.
“We did not expect that with the hardships of Covid we would end up with 14 Australians going to Israel in August (plus two Kiwis!). We have worked incredibly hard to make this program possible and we are so proud to be able to offer the opportunity to the next generation of Habonim Dror leaders who have decided to take part in it.
“The group that has embarked on this journey are a strong group of passionate individuals, ready to take on challenges and grow. We hope that this program will establish a path in which we can send large groups of shnatties seeking to strengthen their Jewish and Zionist identities in Israel.”
Sydney-based participant Tovia Jakovsky Coleman, 18, said: “Having had our HSC disrupted last year and then our uni life this year clipped back due to Covid, to go to Israel is incredibly lucky and exciting. I think because of this, we will cherish and make the most of every single moment of Shnat. We are so absolutely ecstatic to go!”
Parents Emma and Marc Light said of their daughter: “Layla has grown up hearing our stories of our own Shnat experiences and has been looking forward to her own Shnat year since she started at Habo in Year 3. We are so grateful that despite the pandemic the movement has managed to make this possible.”
Habonim Dror Australia is currently in the process of organising the Shnat program for 2022, where early indications suggest it will see the largest cohort in years.
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Photo: Habonim Dror Australia participants arrive at Ben Gurion Airport (Maya Lamm)
