Young, Jewish, and free at Habonim

I’ve been part of Habonim Dror South Africa since they let me start going to camp. I joined Habonim because my family has been involved with “Habo” for a long time. My grandmother and my mom were both part of the movement. I remember my brother coming home from camp, singing camp songs, and just wishing I could be there. And I kept on going, because there’s no place on earth where you can be yourself freely like the Habonim campsite.

At camp, you don’t care if people judge the way you dance, the way you dress, the way you live. You can just live. You can express yourself however you like. It’s a space for productive conversation and debate to cultivate young Jewish minds. I created life-long memories and friendships I’m convinced I’ll cherish till I die. I told my friends that once you go on camp, you start wishing all of your experiences were at camp. You would never think, ‘I want to spend my birthday at camp’ until you go. Then all you want to do is have your birthday at camp. Everything has an air of the unparalleled joy of youth. I loved learning about the world and my place in it. At machaneh, you get to be young, Jewish, and free.

I’ve been to three machanot. It would have been more but for the COVID-19 pandemic.

I was in shorashim last year, and I had an incredible time. I reconnected with old friends and made new ones. So many of my best friends live in Johannesburg, and I grew close to them only on shorashim. I learnt about Israel’s history, ate incredible food, and experienced the culture. On that programme, I made memories that, with any luck, I’ll carry with me throughout my lifetime. It really was incredible.

This year, I had the opportunity to go to April Sem. I was surrounded by my friends and madrichim, and it was special. We learnt about some of the issues facing the movement, and how the leadership works. We got a taste of what it would be like to be Habonim’s leaders. It was empowering. I felt like we could do anything, and I believe that I and my fellow Habonim channichim will grow up to make important changes in the world.

By giving us knowledge, a safe space to think, learn, and grow, by teaching us how to navigate life, and by giving us the ability to believe we can, Habonim has allowed us to make the world a better place for all of the people who are a part of it. That’s why I’m proud to be a part of this movement.

• Leah Rodenacker is a shomrim chanicha at Herzlia High.