Habonim Dror Australia

Habonim Dror Australia (colloquially known as "Habo" or "HDOZ") has branches ("kenim", in Hebrew: קנים) in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide (in descending order of size). In 2006, there were around 80 graduates ("bogrim", in Hebrew: בוגרים) Australia-wide.

Habonim Dror Australia runs weekly meetings for students from years three to 12 as well as biannual camps. Each state runs independent winter camps and a summer camp for junior students (years three to eight), while annually in January all state movements come together for a federal camp for years nine to 12, which runs for ten days.

History

:"For more information on the history of both Habonim and Dror, see the History section on the main 'Habonim Dror' entry."Habonim was first brought to Australia in 1940, when seven new Australians decided to create a Zionist youth movement along similar lines to those that already existed in Europe. In March of that year the first meeting was held in Melbourne's Herzl Hall, and later in December, Habonim's first summer camp.

After a brief union with Betar in 1942, Habonim grew into an Australia-wide movement in May 1944. The following year, Habonim Australia's first "hachshara" (preparation, in Hebrew: הכשרה) farm was established in Springvale, about 25km out of Melbourne's centre. The next year five Habonim graduates made aliyah settling on Kibbutz Kfar Blum.

In 1957, the first organised group of Habonim graduates made aliyah in a garin to Kibbutz Yizre'el. Six garinim would ultimately be formed with the intention of making aliyah. It is unclear how many succeeded.

Although Dror never had a presence in Australia, when the aligned kibbutz movements of Habonim and Dror merged in 1980, so too did their respective movements, with Habonim Dror coming into existence in 1981.

A more detailed history of the movement can be found on [http://www.hdoz.com/historyinfo.asp Habonim Dror Australia's website]

Ideology

Habonim Dror Australia's ideology is divided into are five pillars: "Chalutziut" (pioneering), "Hagshama Atzmit" (personal fulfillment), "Judaism", "Socialism" and "Zionism".

Preamble

Habonim Dror is a Culturally Jewish Socialist-Zionist youth movement, which exists to take responsibility for the Jewish people, Israeli society and the world. The ideology below is split under different headings for clarity, but these headings are not separate ideologies, what is written below is one ideology with each part integral to the next. Each and every chaver/a embodies the spirit of Habonim Dror based on their experiences and values gained in the movement. What is written below is an attempt to represent that spirit in words.

Hagshama Atzmit

#Habonim Dror believes that Hagshama Atzmit is the process of personal fulfilment of all movement aims; thus turning the vision outlined in Habonim Dror’s ideology into a reality.
#Hagshama is not an attainable goal but an ongoing process. Those who are living their lives intentionally, according to their values and are working towards reshaping the world according to their values are partaking in the process of Hagshama.
#Habonim Dror encourages each chaver/a to adopt an approach to life inspired by the movement's ideology.
#Habonim Dror believes that making Chalutzic Aliyah, whilst embracing one’s Jewish identity, is the highest expression of Hagshama; building a community in Israel holding paramount the values of social justice, equality, and peace.

Zionism

#Habonim Dror educates its chaverim towards Aliyah and Zionist Hagshama; the participation of the Jewish people in building Israel as a Jewish State and in strengthening it as a society based on the values of socialism.
#Habonim Dror participates in Jewish-Zionist education, both in Israel and the Diaspora, to fight assimilation and strengthen Jewish unity based upon the centrality of Israel.
#Habonim Dror promotes the expression of Israeli culture to help chaverim develop a deep love for the country and reinforce the aims listed above. Habonim Dror believes that Hebrew is essential to this and uses it wherever possible.

Chalutziut

#Habonim Dror believes that chalutziut incorporates both the methods for realising the movement’s ideology as well as being a value in and of itself.
#Habonim Dror believes in critical analysis including evaluating the accepted values of the society in which we live. In the process of evaluation we should recognise the merits of society and, where we do not find merit, we shall strive to pioneer alternatives
#Habonim Dror believes that hadracha is a unique and intrinsic element within the movement. Through informal education, the movement instils initiative and promotes leadership on accordance with the movement’s values. Self-education and education of others is a continuous process within this.
#Habonim Dror believes that dugma ishit is an expression of hadracha. Each chaver/a has a responsibility to set an example which reflects the ideology and values of Habonim Dror.

ocialism

#Habonim Dror believes in a socialism based on the values of equality, social justice, collectivism, peace and democracy, and educates its chaverim towards contributing to a society and living a life based on these values in Israel.
#Habonim Dror asserts that the practice of socialism - combining elements of common ownership, democracy, free access to resources and an understanding of collective responsibility - is essential for the equality of all people.
#Habonim Dror’s socialist aims include Tikkun Olam, healing our world on a personal, environmental and societal level, by:
##Striving for the betterment of self and our relationship with others.
##Caring for our environment and redeeming the ecological imbalance created by the actions, or inactions, of our society.
##Striving towards an equal and equitable society, for all humankind, through social action.
#Habonim Dror believes in the ideals of Kibbutz, be it agricultural or urban, as a society and system based upon the ideals of socialism, and educates its chaverim toward living in communities that maintain these values.

Judaism

#Habonim Dror believes in Cultural Judaism – a holistic approach to Judaism as a culture in which religion and nationality are interwoven and integral parts.
#Reflecting Habonim Dror’s conception of Judaism, we engage in a process of Jewish education through cultural practices and the use of sources and texts both secular and religious.
#Habonim Dror’s educational process – which is an aim in itself – facilitates learning and questioning of one’s beliefs and heritage. This encourages each chaver/a to determine the nature of his/her own observance, developing his/her own meaningful Jewish expression and Jewish identity.
#Habonim Dror believes that Judaism contains morals and values of a just and humane society, by which all chaverim should aspire to live.
#Habonim Dror believes in the centrality of the State of Israel as the home of the Jewish religion and people, and as an essential element of Jewish expression and education.
#Habonim Dror recognises and strives towards the basic solidarity of the Jewish people, which has a common destiny transcending geographical and cultural barriers. We are One People – Am Echad, characterised by mutual, collective responsibility.

Movement structure

At an Australia-wide level (federal), there is an executive ("mazkirut", in Hebrew: מזכירות) which includes a Secretary-General ("mazkir", in Hebrew: מזכיר), Treasurer ("gizbar", in Hebrew: גיזבר) and a Head of Education ("rosh chinuch", in Hebrew: ראש חינוך). Similarly, each individual branch has these executive positions, along with a point of liaison with junior leaders as well as Jewish schools. Currently, and in recent years, due to lack of bogrim, the Adelaide branch has only a Secretary-General.

Recently there has been more of an emphasis on collective responsibility for the movement and a shift away from the hierarchical secretariat system.

Decision making

In attempts to achieve a fairer system of electing officials, the movement has shifted the election process away from voting and towards a method of consensus. As of yet, the system has been highly contentious, but also highly effective.

Shnat program

Each year Habonim Dror Australia, together with Habonim Dror New Zealand sends gap year students to Israel for roughly ten months on a program called Shnat Hachsara L'Hadracha. Currently, the program includes:
#Three months of a choice between the Machon L'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz program with other gap year students from around the world; or a tailor-made program for Habonim Dror students known as Boneh.
#A kibbutz experience -- to Kibbutz Revivim -- for six weeks.
#A four-month program known as Kaveret, in Karmiel. Previously, other towns that the program has been held in include Or Aqiva and Migdal HaEmek.

See also

* Habonim Dror -- the global movement.
* Zionist youth movement
* Mark Regev -- former member of the Melbourne ken, and now Spokesman for the Prime Minister of Israel.
* Guy Spigelman -- former mazkir and now IDF spokesperson.

External links

* [http://www.hdoz.com/ Habonim Dror Australia website]
** [http://www.hdoz.com/adelaide Adelaide branch website]
** [http://www.hdoz.com/melbourne Melbourne branch website]
** [http://www.hdoz.com/perth Perth branch website]
** [http://www.hdoz.com/sydney Sydney branch website]