Page 2 - C.A.L.L. #29 - Winter 2007
P. 2

Dear Readers,
                                                                                   CONTENTSONTENTS
                                                                                   CONTENTSCONTENTS
                                                                                   C
             This  issue is  dedicated  to our  secretary
             Sol  ‘Shlomo’  Etzioni,  who  sadly  passed
             away  recently.  This  time  the  cover,                             3 33 3
             which is usually so colourful, is in black                           From the Secretary’s
             and  white  out  of  respect.  As  we                                Desk
             remember Sol (see obituary on opposite
             page), I look back to the summer in an                               4 44 4
             attempt  to  recapture  the  vibrancy  and                           ICSA Conference,
             positive  feelings  I  experienced  at  the
             International   Communal     Studies                                 2007
             Association (ICSA) Conference hosted by
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             the  special  community  of  Damanhur  in  Italy.  It  was  due  to  Sol’s   100
             determined efforts, and his wish that I experience what he did when   School of Living, USA
             he visited ZEGG in Germany for the 2001 conference, that I was able to
             represent  the  International  Communes  Desk  (ICD)  this  year.  I   1 11 11 11 1
             remember a conversation I had with Sol before I left for Italy, in which   Kaleidoscope by Joel
             he  told  me  that  as  an  introvert,  he  often  pushed himself  out  of his   Dorkam
             comfort  zone  to  become  a  conspicuous,  active  participant,  and  he
             encouraged me to do the same. I was reminded of this conversation at
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             the conference each and every time I met someone who asked after Sol   1616
             and  sent  him  their  warmest  regards  through  me.  Many  people   Crystal Waters,
             remembered Sol fondly, and his desire to meet people made him many   Australia
             friends in the communal world; he will be sorely missed.

             The  conference  was  a  fantastic  experience;  an  opportunity  to  meet   1 11 17 77 7
             both academics and communards that are thirsty to both teach and     Kibbutz Shorts
             learn about communal living. The host community of Damanhur was
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             incredibly  inspiring,  an  example  of  people  that  are  attempting  to   1919
             actualize their values by the way that they live.                    Ecovillages, Worldwide

             This  issue  of  C.A.L.L.  has  much  content  related  to  the  conference,
             written by people that were there. I’d like to make particular reference   2 22 20 00 0
             to a wonderful sharing conversation I had with Anaconda Papaya, an   Twin Oaks, USA
             educator at Damanhur, some of which can be read on  page 25.  As
             educators,  we  agreed  that  there  is  a  strong  connection  between   2 22 23 33 3
             communal  living  and  education.  Many  communities  are  not  only   Christiana, Denmark
             building a more just society for themselves, but are also involved in
             affecting  the  outside  society  around  them  through  education  and
             living as a personal example.  The Damanhurian approach to education   2 22 24 44 4
             reflects  this,  and  is  congruous  with  the  following words  written by   Damanhur, Italy
             Martin Buber which I used in my presentation at the conference:
                                                                                  2 22 26 66 6
             In these recurring encounters between a generation which has reached its   Or Haganuz, Israel
             full development and one which is still developing, the ultimate aim is not
             to transmit a separable something. What matters is that time and again
             an  older  generation,  staking  its entire existence  on  that  act,  comes to  a
             younger with the desire to teach, waken, and shape it; then the holy spark
             leaps across the gap.

             Coincidently, the theme of the latest Camphill Correspondence is education, and the following quote appears
             on the front cover, written by their inspiration, Rudolph Steiner:

             It is aliveness that must be the guiding principle. Aliveness in the teacher must pass over to aliveness in the pupils.
             Joy and happiness for living, a love for all existence, a power and energy for work - those are among the lifelong
             results of a right cultivation of feeling for beauty and art.

             Finally, I’d like to add Sol to this esteemed company; an educator who, from his whole being, became a role-
             model for many to learn from and follow.

             Anton
             anton@kyovel.org
             www.communa.org.il




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