Goal:

Introduction:

There is an opening line to a sicha which starts..."If you and a bunch of friends were planning to settle on Mars, what types of skills would people need in order to create a settlement there?".  The answers are generally physical and practical in nature since you are starting from scratch and need the basics in order to survive. The idea of the sicha is not simply to discuss the need for Jews to be involved in physical labor since the type of involvement required will depend on the circumstances involved.  Rather, it is to demonstrate that in creating a new society/country there is a need for its' participants to take part in order to succeed and that ultimately the participants  must be responsible and accountable to themselves and cannot depend and wait for others to do the work for them.

This was a distinguishing factor in the Jew returning to Pre-State Israel.  In all the years in the galut the Jew existed in a non-Jewish environment in which he had no need (or ability) to take charge of anything outside of the Jewish community.  Upon returning to Eretz Yisrael the opportunity existed not only to live on the land as a tenant of others but to reclaim and acquire the land through working it and mixing with the soil.

The chalutzim did not only want to settle the land.  They also wanted to create a self sufficient society which meant providing all  basic commodities, services, and government from within their community (the "Yishuv").  This society required a new attitude and much sacrifice in order to succeed.   In the end, the framework established over decades of work enabled the newly formed  State of Israel to stand up and survive after its' independence.

Historically, the "Old Yishuv"(see enclosed background information) which had no ambitions of building up the land and creating an independent Jewish State was religious while members of the "New Yishuv" were primarily not religious.  For purposes of this sicha that distinction is not relevant.  Instead we want to stress the significance of the creation of an 'independent' Jewish State created by the Jews themselves and the need to maintain that independence and self reliance.

Implementation:

The idea of the following peula is to dramatize the ability to accomplish certain tasks through self sufficient means and the actual results visible today due to the commitment of prior generations to affect change in Eretz Yisrael.  The sicha should stress the positive side of  building up the land and self reliance, and the need that existed at the time, rather than the negative side of those who negated the contributions of the chalutzim.

Split the kvutza into two groups, each with a madrich.

Briefly explain  the two groups present in Eretz Yisrael a little over 100 years ago and their beliefs.

Each group should complete their enclosed form, one representing the "old yishuv" and the other representing the "new yishuv", and then bring the kvutza back together and discuss the answers.

Note - The answer sheets will also be used for the following sicha on the religious chalutz.

Project TvA

Self Reliance

Group Number One - the "Old Yishuv"

Over one hundred years ago there were two groups of Jews living in Eretz Yisrael.  They were the:

"Old Yishuv" -        Jews who had been living in Eretz Yisrael for a long time  and who:

                               Lived  mostly in a few concentrated areas

                               Supported themselves largely through donations from chutz la'Aretz

                               Had little interest in reclaiming the land or working towards the creation of an                              independent Jewish State

"New  Yishuv"        Jews who came largely as new immigrants to Eretz Yisrael and who:

                               Believed in working and reclaiming the land

                               Felt it was important to support themselves through their own work

                               Wanted to rebuild Eretz Yisrael and create an independent Jewish State

What if?

Your group is the Old Yishuv

What if there was only one group of Jews living in Eretz Yisrael - your group - and you continued living according to your beliefs.  What would Eretz Yisrael look like today?  Fill in the following questions and find out.

The year is 1880:

We are members of the "Old Yishuv" and our families have been living in Eretz Yisrael for a very long time.  Most of us live in a few cities.  We don't work the land and most of us live off contributions which we receive from Jews outside of Eretz Yisrael. 

The year is 1995:

Describe what Eretz Yisrael will look like today if the ways of the 'Old Yishuv" had continued:

This form was filled out by____________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Project TvA

Self Reliance

Group Number Two - the "New Yishuv"

Over one hundred years ago there were two groups of Jews living in Eretz Yisrael.  They were the:

"Old Yishuv" -        Jews who had been living in Eretz Yisrael for a long time  and who:

                               Lived  mostly in a few concentrated areas

                               Supported themselves largely through donations from chutz la'Aretz

                               Had little interest in reclaiming the land or working towards the creation of an                              independent Jewish State

"New  Yishuv"        Jews who came largely as new immigrants to Eretz Yisrael and who:

                               Believed in working and reclaiming the land

                               Felt it was important to support themselves through their own work

                               Wanted to rebuild Eretz Yisrael and create an independent Jewish State

What if?

Your group is the New Yishuv

What if there was only one group of Jews living in Eretz Yisrael - your group - and you continued living according to your beliefs.  What would Eretz Yisrael look like today?  Fill in the following questions and find out.

The year is 1880:

We are members of the "New Yishuv" and we are recent immigrants to Eretz Yisrael.  We want to work the land and create a Jewish country in Eretz Yisrael.

The year is 1995:

Describe what Eretz Yisrael will look like today if the ways of the "New Yishuv" had continued:

This form was filled out by____________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Background Material:

Adapted from the Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel