An Important Message to Alumni and Friends of Habonim Dror
Dear Chaverim and Chaverot,
Another Summer has arrived. Another kvutza (cohort) of Habonim Dror youth are finalizing plans for the summer. This summer, almost two thousand young people will participate in a Habonim Dror program, either Machaneh (camp), the summer Israel program for tenth-graders (MBI), or the year-long Workshop in Israel. We are turning to you because you know first-hand the life-long impact of having spent the summer at camp or going to Israel at that age.
“Workshop so far has been the most exhilarating challenge of my life. These experiences have changed my life and empowered me to help up build this country. I am so excited to be an activist in this country
“.
– a Workshop 66 participant, whose experience your donation helped create.
Habonim Dror alumni and parents have been the vital source of support for the movement. Last year, with your help, the Habonim Dror Foundation granted over $90,000 to the youth movement for programs. Together, we provided scholarships to chanichim (participants) in need and supported the continued presence of a central shaliach from Israel to work with the movement leadership.
But this is not enough to meet the current need. We are still short of scholarship funds for this summer and fall.
“This gap year that I am doing in Israel is a culmination of many years of loving and caring deeply for my movement. There are a number of things I could have done instead with this year…, and yet I ended up here on Workshop. This year ultimately was about making a choice regarding what is most important to me. I believe I made the right one”.
– A Workshop 66 participant shared these thoughts with her American, Canadian, and Israeli peers during their Poland Journey in March
The cost of the Israel programs has skyrocketed, as subsidies once provided by the Jewish Agency and the Kibbutz Movement have dramatically declined. The cost of Machaneh also has increased, albeit not as sharply, and the local Habonim Dror camp committees continue to address this.
Today the cost of the MBI summer Israel program is $8,000. The cost for the Workshop is $18,000! It should come as no surprise that we have kids who want to participate but cannot for financial reasons.
Your donation can enable other chaverim and chaverot to make that choice.
We have almost 80 chaverim registered for MBI this coming summer – this is only about 50% of the campers that age who were at camp last summer. There are more who could go and should go, but need our help.
We need your help now and are asking that you make a difference for some of the chaverim and chaverot with your donation today.
Thank you in advance for your donation and for making it possible for these kids to have the profound and life changing experiences that we had.
Aleh U’vneh – Aleh v’Hagshem!
Yudie Fishman
Chair, Habonim Dror Foundation
Madison Slobin
Programs Director, Habonim Dror North America