Habonim Dror Australia

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The emblem (semel, in Hebrew: סמל), of Habonim Dror is the same as that of world Habo (Habonim Dror Olami)

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.

1 History
2 Ideology
3 Movement structure
4 Shnat program
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] 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 Habonim Dror Australia's website

[edit] Ideology

Habonim Dror Australia's ideology is divided into are five pillars: Chalutziut (pioneering), Hagshama Atzmit (personal fulfillment), Judaism, Socialism and Zionism. There is a also a preamble that describes the purpose of the ideology.

[edit] Movement structure

At an Australia-wide level (federal), there is a secretariat (mazkirut, in Hebrew: מזכירות) which includes a secretary (mazkir, in Hebrew: מזכיר), treasurer (gizbar, in Hebrew: גיזבר) and a head of education (rosh chinuch, in Hebrew: ראש כינוך). Similarly, each individual branch will also have those positions, along with a point of liason with junior leaders as well as Jewish schools. Currently, due to lack of bogrim, the Adelaide branch only has a secretary in 2006.

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

[edit] 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'Aliyah. 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 Or Aqiva. Previously, other towns that the program has been held in include Karmiel and Migdal HaEmeq.