-- Shira Landau

A group of teenagers sprawled across an expanse of grass that scarcely accommodated all of them. Among them sat two well-spoken adults, passionately discussing Habonim Dror, the Labor Zionist Youth Movement, and aliyah, the commitment to live in Israel. The teenagers’ eyes enlarged to the size of lifesavers; they searched for a safe place where their thoughts could settle down.

To me, the words spoken by members of Kvutsat Yovel, a group of Habonim Dror movement members who have made aliyah to Israel, seemed one-sided, lacking room for new ideas. Yet, at the same time, the pair described the unending terrain of possibilities for experimental thoughts. I found myself confounded -- unsure of what to think -- as my previous concept of Habonim Dror vanished.

The teenagers engaged in a fierce discussion with the two adults, who are currently living Habonim Dror’s central ideology: a socialist lifestyle promoting social action in the Jewish homeland. Perhaps the pair was slightly anxious to communicate the significance of their chosen lifestyles to us, but their knowledge bewildered us, forcing us to question what we were doing and what we planned to do in our lives. The discussion remains one of the most unforgettable experiences and thought-provoking moments that I had during summer 2007, on Habonim Dror North America’s Machaneh Bonim Israel (MBI) program.

For the past 16 years, Habonim Dror North America, the Labor Zionist Youth Movement, has organized the MBI program for its post-campers, although it remains open to all rising high school juniors. Participants from Habonim Dror’s seven camps across the United States and Canada are invited to come together for this five-week program to form "the eighth machaneh (camp)." The mobile machaneh does extensive traveling across the country and engages in regular peulot (discussion-based activities), primarily focused on various aspects of Israel. The program emphasizes the development of personal connections to Israel through the exploration of Israel’s land, of its history, and of the history of Habonim Dror.

MBI 2007 participants floating in the Dead Sea.

Last summer, I traveled with MBI through the Northern Kinneret area, visited major cities such as Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yaffo, and Eilat, and then journeyed into the Negev, in Southern Israel. MBI 2007 began in the north with hiking and outdoor activities, which allowed participants to examine Israel’s unusual topography. In the lower Galilee area, the group hiked along Mount Arbel. The view from the peak of the mountain revealed two villages dotted with broccoli-shaped trees, one on each side of a road. One of the four tour guides -- the one who traveled with my bus -- perched atop a rock to explain how to distinguish which of the two villages belonged to Arabs and which to Jews. Every so often, our tour guide, Assaf, had us shift to the shady side of the trail so that he could discuss the history of the area around us. The coordinators of the program understood that teenagers would have difficulty paying attention to lectures in the heat of summer, thus pressuring the organizers to employ tour guides who could laugh with us while successfully communicating the essence of the historical information.

Toward the second week of MBI, groups of participants spent five days on machatz , which required living either with individual families or in a moadon (recreation room) on a Kibbutz. Participants stayed on kibbutzim Afik, Afikim, Merom Golan, Gvat, Kfar Horesh, Ein Dor, Sha’ar Hagolan, and Maoz Chaim. MBI participants and teenagers from the kibbutzim took overnight hiking trips, kayaked, or visited a museum. The integration of kibbutzniks and MBI participants is an integral part of MBI’s kibbutz experience; by exchanging dialogue about day-to-day life, the MBI teens develop a clearer image of how socialistic principals and a capitalistic market can merge.

At the Kibbutz, I was able to compare and contrast the aspirations of kibbutz kids to my own. Through discussions with others and on my own, I examined my values and those of the Israeli teenagers. The long nights provided ample time to determine why each set of values exists, and how our values operate in our individual societies. I was able to discover why I posses different goals from those of the kibbutz teenagers; our aspirations diverge as a result of differences in societal standards and cultural values. My aspirations reflect what I am passionate about, which in turn mirrors my values. The same holds true for the Israeli teenagers. However, our different lifestyles and societies have led us to value different things and thus find different passions in life.

MBI 2007 participants by the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.

One morning, before our visit to Mount Herzl, we took a tour through the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem. That afternoon, our program director, Leon, gace a tour of the area of Mount Herzl to a group of kids from my bus. Instead of dismissing us to wander around and meaninglessly stare at gravestones, Leon led my group through the area, pausing beside the graves of Israel’s leaders and soldiers to describe their actions and their beliefs with us. The dedication of the fallen received notice; I observed that a ten-year-old child had died fighting with Israeli militants. I thought about the commitment that it takes to sacrifice your own life on behalf of others. Additionally, I saw the vastness of the cemetery, the number of dedicated Zionists: people and their actions are often forgotten, but not on Mount Herzl.

In Tel Aviv, despite safety concerns, we were permitted to wander through the Carmel shuk (market) as long as we clustered together in small groups. The shuk reminded me of the Italian market on 9th Street, fed with Miracle Grow: it was at least twice the size of the Italian market, but equally intriguing to the eye. Colorful fabrics and clothing hung over tables of shiny trinkets. I had an interesting experience there while trying to use my limited Hebrew to haggle with a saleswoman. My American accent showed through in my speech, so she used her limited English, and between the two languages, we managed a discussion about prices. I spent ten minutes trying to convince her to lower her asking price on a handbag, but she would only decrease the price by a few shekels. The deal did not seem worthwhile. As a friend and I walked back through the shuk after we had finished shopping for the day, the same woman flagged us down, trying to discuss prices again.

A daring hike through Ein Avdat on broiling hot day.

In addition to the shuk, my group visited Independence Hall, Yaffo and Rabin Square. In Yaffo, the madrichim divided us into groups of ten or fourteen people, with one madrich/madricha (counselor) per group. Each counselor had a list of riddles and a series of marked locations on a map that remained within walking distance. Available madrichim , those not leading groups, waited at each designated location. Despite the heat, one of the Israeli tour guides dressed up in a velour costume as Napoleon, and he stood under a statue of Napoleon. Groups rotated from station to station, location to location, until the sun began to sink over the Mediterranean Sea. This method of touring allowed me to look at sites with a few people, without being overwhelmed by hordes attempting to point cameras at the same time in front of a narrow statue or building. I began to feel less like a tourist, and gradually observed a few of the intricacies of Israeli culture. For instance, I was stunned to notice cigarette packs as prizes in claw machines. One would never find that in America.

We held a ceremony at Rabin Square to honor Yitzhak Rabin and his accomplishments for the state of Israel. A group of kids directed the program, leading songs and reading portions from writings of Rabin. Before the ceremony began, however, one of our Israeli madrichim sat our group down next to a small group of headstones and the wall of graffiti in honor of Rabin to discuss the significance of Rabin’s work.

Our last couple of days was spent in Eilat. Snorkeling and last minute gift shopping were the two most popular activities here. Kids who were leaving Israel on the earliest flights said their goodbyes even before we left for the airport. We spent our final moments with friends who live across the continent, whom we risked not seeing for a long while. Teary goodbyes were said again before the first flight left, and yet again at JFK airport where both flights landed. No one wanted to break away to leave. A last embrace. The last time I’ll see you until winter break. The last time I’ll see you until next summer. The last time I’ll ever see you. I will miss you. Will you write me a postcard?

Excavating and uncovering remnants from an ancient wine press.

By the time I arrived at the parking lot of Knesset Israel synagogue in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, where the bus from JFK dropped us, I did not want to go home. I don’t think that any of us did. Home represented the ordinary life, where chores were not entertaining and I would be forced to do them without the constant companionship of close friends. I would miss the dialogue about obscure, sometime ridiculous topics that made me laugh.

Visiting Israel with MBI gave me a unique perspective of the country. The informative lectures left me with new impressions and dispelled fallacies. I imagine that other programs for teenagers to Israel tend to have a mechanical, pre-planned, cookie-cutter edge to them; yet I felt as though the MBI program was responsive to our needs and interests, and that the program was designed to accommodate a variety of personality types. Everything we did, everyone who spoke to us, and every one of our peulot, reflected Habonim Dror’s principles. The ability to travel with peers who share values, and who are interested in similar prospects, enabled me to view Israel through this particular lens. Recollections of good times with new friends in a beloved country will sustain me throughout the agonizingly long school year.

Curious potential MBI participants can find further information at on the Habonim Dror website.

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