When I was a teen I was a member of Yehudah Hatzair which was in America known as Young Judea. Young Judaea is a peer-led Zionist youth movement that runs programs throughout the United States for Jewish youth in grades 2-12. . Founded in 1909, it is the oldest Zionist youth movement in the United States. All Young Judaea programs are centered around the movements ideology. The charter of the organization, officially titled Yehudah Hatzair Leumi Chukah, outlines the ideology and goals of the organization. Its main points include: Young Judaea is a politically non-partisan and religiously pluralistic organization. Young Judaea is a Zionist youth movement, recognizes the state of Israel as a central part of Jewish life and encourages visiting Israel. As a Jewish youth movement, Young Judea stresses Jewish values, Jewish education, and the preservation of the identity of the Jewish people. Social action is a part of both our Jewish and Zionist identities and as such Young Judea works to help Jews and others in need both local and worldwide. A cohesive community can be built regardless of religious and political affiliations. As a Zionist movement, Israel trips are a crucial part of the Young Judaea experience. Youth entering 11th-12th grade can spend several weeks in Israel through Machon or Israel Discovery. Both programs include a Special Interest Week, for example a desert trek, a stay on a kibbutz or training with the Israeli army. My parents had no money to send me to Israel but I worked for my dream and I ended up in a Kibbutzim cleaning out cages of turkeys. The job wasnt so bad but why work that hard when you can do a better job. I had a passion for cooking and I was transferred from cleaning cages to cooking for many and I mean many hungry Israelis who proposed to me every time they ate my brisket or roast chicken. My kibbutz life ended with an old but very famous politician from Israel who I fell in love with but we did not live happily after. The Munich slaughter of Israelis and the Yom Kippur War separated us for a while with both of us doing what we had to do in separate theaters. We managed to buy a home in Eilat and we lived together until my mother called to tell me that my daddy was dying and I must come home to say good bye. So I left him with a promise to return. He followed but the circumstances of the situation caused us again to separate. I never returned to him. He married I married and we both have children. We have remained good friends and I love him dearly and he loves me as friends only. Those were my years between 1967 to 1975,
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 01:55:55 +0000