Hashomer Hatzair marks 100 years

Zionist youth movement, which began in Poland in 1913, was established in US in 1930s. Photos discovered in Kibbutz Hatzor reveal its American members, who held camera in one hand while working land with other hand

Reuters | Published: 10.02.13, 13:18

Hashomer Hatzair youth movement is marking its 100th anniversary this year. The main purpose of the movement, which began in Lviv, Poland and expanded across the universe, was fulfilling the Zionist dream in the Land of Israel.

The movement's members in America immigrated to Israel and joined kibbutzim, some which had already settled in a permanent places (Mishmar Haemek, Ein Hashofet, Kfar Menachem, Galon and others) and some which were still assembled in temporary places.

I found a collection of photographs in the archive of Kibbutz Hatzor, whose founders included members of Hashomer Hatzair in 1940s America. Some of the movement members also founded Kibbutz Ein Dor. Very few of these members are still with us today, but the collection of photos tells their story.

Movement's 'camera holders'

The movement's members in America experienced upheavals when the United States joined World War II. The grownup youth joined the army, while activities in the movement's branches and training were significantly reduced.

In spite of the war's hardships, the social-ideological cohesion kept the groups together and did not affect the desire to immigrate to the Land of Israel, even against the White Paper policy of the mandatory government.

The movement's members included some "camera holders." Thanks to them, we have this collection of photographs as a memory. Some of these pictures are actually of artistic quality.

Unfortunately, there is no book or album to grace these photos and the story accompanying them, and they are scattered in negatives and prints in many envelopes.

I met member Aryeh Malkin, who is more than 90 years old, one of the movement's members in the US, in Kibbutz Ein Dor. He was able to identify names and places in the photos. Malkin, by the way, was a soldier in the Allies' corps when they established the "bridgehead to Europe" in Normandy during World War II.

Here is the story of Hashomer Hatzair movement from the US to the Land of Israel – in photos.

1. Hashomer Hatzair farm: Shomria next to New York, Hightstown Farm – an agricultural farm which trained members ahead of their immigration to the Land of Israel and establishment of a kibbutz with a shared community life, making a living from agricultural work and other labor. Aryeh Malkin helped me identify the members: 1 – Shoshana Hoffman, 2 – Nathan Pedatzur, 3 – Yehuda (Silverman) Sela, 4 – Ilana Eliav, 5 – Aryeh (Jacobson) Yaakobi and Franny Eisen, 7 – David Andrews, 9 – Abie Shipman.

2. Another Hashomer Hatzair community was located in Liberty (near the Canadian border). In the photo: Winter days in Liberty. One the right: Shosh Hoffman and Sarah Bar Moshe.

3. Hightstown Farm had a mixture of agricultural equipment operated by cattle alongside tractors and a work vehicle.

4. An aerial shot of Hightstown Farm, which was surrounded by apple groves, fields and a vegetable garden.

5. The hachshara ("training") members worked both in agriculture and in building the farm. In the photo: A hachshara member near the cement mixer.

6. Shosh Hoffman on a Farmall tractor.

7. Preparations to plant vegetables.

8. During the summer months they would go on scout camps. In the photo: Setting up a camp. On the right: Lotti Spier, who arrived at Kibbutz Ein Dor.

9. Hightstown Farm, 1941. Sarah Wexler sulfurizing the vegetable garden.

10. In order to help the youth in the hachshara farm become familiar with the agriculture work and other issues, emissaries would arrive from the Land of Israel to the farms in the US. In the photo: Zipora Avrunin of Kibbutz Mishmar Haemek, an emissary who arrived to teach the youth how to grow vegetables.

11. Preparing agricultural produce from the farm to ship to the market.

12. Ora Blackman and Sarah at the Hightstown Farm kitchen, 1941.

13. Chaya Keren and Franny Rifkin prepare preserves from the local produce. The preserves would be marketed.

14. Joseph and Bella Wilfend, emissaries from Kibbutz Ein Hashofet.

15. Shalom Bonim binding wheat at Hightstown Farm.

16. Field work at Hightstown Farm.

17. A pile of hay.

18. A wood sawmill at Hightstown Farm.

19. Hightstown also had a dairy farm. In the photo: Leah (Schwartz) Reisen milking a cow.

20. Nathan Brown and Shosh Hoffman build a net fence for poultry.

21. Hightstown, 1941, the chicken coop. Shosh and Yaakov Dorfman (co-founders of Kibbutz Ein Dor).

22. In the chicks' brooder.

23. The success in raising chickens led to an initiative by members of the hachshara to build a metal factory to produce equipment for an egg laying coop. In the photo: Abie Shipman at the local metal factory near a welding machine.

24. Hannah Neidle in the metal factory.

25. Yitzhak Heruti and his wife Hannah were emissaries from Kibbutz Merhavia to Hashomer Hatzair branches in Canada. In the photo: Their visit to Hightstown Farm, next to an emissary from Ein Hashofet. Yitzhak established Hashomer Hatzair movement in the Land of Israel. Hannah (Hanka) was a pediatrician in Israel.

26. Cultural life in Hightstown. From the right: Sarah Wexler, Aryeh Yaakobi and Leah Schor. Many of the photos were taken by Aryeh Yaakobi, who served in the US Air Force as an aerial photographer. He immigrated to Israel after the war and began taking pictures for a living, but not for long. He joined the Israel Air Force and was one of the founders of the corps' photography labs. He served in the Air Force throughout his career.

27. Moshe Gever. His fellow youth movement members said he had a remarkable visual memory. He was killed in the War of Independence.

28. Laundry – commune.

29. Joe Neidle on the tractor.

For all trips to the past – click here

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