Hello Parents, Friends and Family of Workshop 61,
This update marks the official end of Boneh for the
chanichim. Last night they had their
closing ceremony in the Kibbutz lounge with many invited guests making special
appearances. Thanks were given out,
songs were sung, slideshows were shown, jelly donuts were served.
They even got certificates of completion signed by famous Zionist
thinker/educator/philosopher – the late Martin Buber!
But before I get ahead of myself, I’ll bring the blog up
to date. When last we left off the
chanichim were in the middle of Habo History Seminar. This seminar concluded and was a great
success. The chanichim went on to visit
more Kibbutzim, learning about the process of privatization and how different
Kibbutzim adjusted to the changing realities of the day. Some abandoned core principles, some retained
most of their collective identity, some radically changed their structures. They went on to learn about how our sister
movement in Israel has taken the values of the Kibbutz movement and inserted
them into a new way of living which is mostly urban, in small intimate groups,
and their societal mission is educational.
The seminar concluded with the chanichim learning about how Habonim Dror
also adjusted to the changes in the Kibbutz movement and met with young Olim
(immigrants) who live today communally in Israel and work with Habonim.
Then the chanichim had their final week of Boneh, summing
up the different topics they learned about and beginning the arduous process of
cleaning and packing.
On Sunday morning the buses will arrive and whisk the
chanichim away to their new homes. There
they will have their Kaveret Preparation Seminar before heading off to
Chofesh.
It is also almost Chanukah, which the chanichim will
celebrate together in their houses. So
for now I wish you all an early Chag Sameach!
May your week be full of light and warmth.
