,
their own laundry. "You take a spe-
cial pride in the building that you
painted or the meals that you serve.
Most people have not spent time liv-
ing together in tents, which is the ul-
timate in having to live with people,"
Alan Silber of Washington D.C. ex-
plained. You have to have considera-
tion for everybody and you learn to
respect each other."
This is our camp and we take
care of it. Everyone has a common
goal to work together, which is the
main thing the (Zionist) movement is
about," Gaby Rothman of Ottawa,
Canada explained. "We have become
very dependent on each other. We're
independent because we're away from
home but there is a lot of give and
take."
Not only do the campers repre-
sent a wide spectrum from all over the
globe but so do the staff. Besides being
Israeli counselors, Hillary and Dani
Weiss are husband and wife who rec-
ognize the importance of their
presence at the camp. The kids will
now have contact with us in Israel
and we will be an address for them (to
visit or write)," Hillary said. Perhaps
the most important contact these
campers encountered was Ragihb Ab-
bas, Palestinian counselor from the
Galilee village of Kfar Canna. He is
involved in an organization called In-
terns For Peace that works to build
understanding between Arabs and Is-
raelis," said camp director and coun-
selor Mark Raider. "They were able to
talk to Ragihb about being an Arab in
Israel. I think what these kids will
walk away and say is, have a friend
who is a Palestinian Arab and a nice
guy.' " Unfortunately, Abbas had to
leave camp early due to procedure
problems but "next year when they go
to Israel it will be important for them
because they will come into contact
Continued on next page
I
CAROLE GARVIN
Jewish News Intern
Ro h McKeo wn.
111he' former
,
Health
Club restaurant at
the main Jewish
Community Center
was transformed for
.three days last month
into . a Habonim Dror seminar on
"Zionism Today" for 56 teenagers and
eight counselors.
Habonim was formed 50 years
ago as an international Zionist youth
movement that is sponsored by the
Labor Zionist Alliance. Our goal is to
try to convince young people to settle
in Israel," emissary for Habonim and
the JCC's Benny Schwarz said.
Since June 29, these -16 and 17-
year-old Zionists from all over the
United States and Canada have been
part of a national leadership program
— Machaneh Bonim — at Camp
Tavor in Three Rivers, Mich., near
Kalamazoo. "When you meet people
from all over the world who have the
same ideas as you, it's amazing and
fun," said participant Rachel Berlin of
Farmington Hills. Tavor is one of five
Habonim camps around the U.S. and
Canada.
Machaneh Bonim not only
"brings together the future leaders of
the Zionist movement" but also pre-
pares them for a workshop program in
Israel, where each camper will stay a
year on a kibbutz, and Machon, a pro-
gram that allows teens to live in
Jerusalem and study at the Zionist
institute for Jewish and Zionist
studies. The current group leaves for
Israel in September 1987. Berlin has
not yet selected what she would like
to do, but "I just came back from Is-
rael a month ago. I was there for two
months on another program and I
went to see if I want to go by myself. I
can't wait to go, I'm so excited."
Camp Tavor is community
oriented, kibbutz style. Campers live
in tents, prepare their meals and do
Israeli counselors Dani and Hillary Weiss.
23