The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume] (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1939-1992, 1939-09-15
Sixty Lucky Children

as Tar as the klShOn River and feel
that it is theirs.
Small wonder tina. I found
many of them as if in a trance.
Some were still almost tip-toeing
through the place, touching things
with their finger-tips to make sure
they were real, a sort of Alice-in-
Wonderland experience, until they
should be convinced that the beau
tltul garden patch, the new spa
cious stable, the shiny kitchen and
the glittering new implements
were indeed real and theirs to
have and to use.
AS their feet grow increasingly
accustomed to the new surround
ings, the clouds seem to vanish
from their eyes, the ominous
echoes from their tortured souls.
All those narrowing memories of
plumber and confiscation, of des-
perate cries for the chance of es-
Gaping to distant land, gradually
leave them. But not entirely, for
they cannot forget those left be-
hind in the inferno and cannot
fully realize that they are entire
ly away from it. For the time
being they conclude that the pres
ent is kind of holiday from life,
a respite from reality, that this
Children's Village at Kfar Hast
dim is a sort of temporary Garden
of Eden.
Every effort was made to Gre
ate background Of peace and
tranquility for these children. The
tract of land on which the village
is founded was allotted by the
Jewish National Fund, and more
than $4,000 were spent on erect
ing the dornitories, school build
ings, the workshops, the chicken
coop and stable, the laundry and
social rooms. The children are
divided into separate classes and
groups according to their predi-
lections and abilities. But ulti-
mately they have the same goal:
after two years they will be pre-
pared independently to take up
life on the soil of Palestine
Their day is divided into two
parts: the morning is devoted to
practical work on the land, in the
workshops, the kitchens, etc. The
afternoons are given over to theo-
retical studies: Hebrew language,
Jewish history, Bible Talmud, He
brew literature, geography and
Typography and natural life in
Palestine, English and Arabic; in
short, a comprehensive curriculum
for adjustment and productive life
in Palestine.
When they leave the Children's
Village after two years of study
and work, they will be full-fledged
farmers land with a high school
education) ready 20 enter Ke-
vutza, which is the goal for which
they are being trained. Besides
the above program, they are,
therefore, also being made famil-
lar with the fundamentals of col
lective life: selflessness and mu-
tual aid, and above all, love of
the land.
It is not surprising that for
many of them it is not easy i'm
mediately to grasp the principles
of collective life, although they
are supplemented from the first
day. But the teachers impart
them to the young newcomers
methodically and affectionately.
Numerous questions arise in the
puzzled minds of the youngsters
as to the equal duties and equal
responsibilities, equal rights and
complete absence of former class
differences or differences of en-
vironment. But gradually they
are enlightened.
I know that when I shall visit
Kfar Hasidim year or so hence,
1 shall find these youngsters full
fledged Palestinians, with that
transformation so often seen in
the Emek, which turns urchins
into responsible young people,
workers and soldiers, fully con-
scious of their task and mission
! 41.. doto,r,ninod to re-