Page 18 - C.A.L.L. #41 - Summer 2016

An Urban Renewal of the

Pioneering Dream

One of Israel’s newest immigrants writes about his journey from Australia to join a network of urban communes
and kibbutzim working towards social justice and equality.

Rapha Tamir, June 1st, Haifa.

EARLIER THIS MONTH, in a Jewish “For us to move to Israel is not only to say that we
community centre in Melbourne, Australia, an want to be members of the country, but to shape
aliyah ceremony was held. This annual event and drive its future.”
recognises the Jewish Australians seeking to The six olim (this is the Hebrew term for Jews
relocate their lives to Israel. Year after year the who return to Israel) will be greeted by a larger
ceremony has seen a slow trickle of Jewish core group when they arrive in late June.
Australians moving to Israel, but this time Altogether, the group numbers 13 members: two
brought many fresh young faces and a positive North Americans and 11 Australians, myself
energy. Among the soon-to-be emigrants were included. All members of the group are between
six members of the 22 and 25 years old.
Socialist-Zionist youth
movement Habonim Together we have
Dror. A large crowd of decided that we do not
Habonim Dror want to take the path
movement leaders that many of our peers
came to the ceremony choose to take, which
to send their friends off. involves completing
academic studies,
These young twenty- finding a well-paid job,
somethings are not settling down in
uprooting themselves Australian or American
from their lives and bourgeois society only
families in Australia to perpetuate the
simply to resituate nuclear family model.
themselves We grew up in a youth
geographically in Israel. movement that placed
The group is choosing the equality of human
to join a community of value and shituf
urban communes Young faces dominated at 2016 aliyah ceremony. (collectivism) as its
under the banner of central pillars – and we
Dror Israel.
are choosing to base our lives around those
Speaking at the ceremony were two members of ideals, even as we grow beyond the youth
the group of young emigrants, Ellie Bouhadana movement that we are (were) a part of.
and Adiel Coheny:

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