Habonim

Habonim is a socialist Zionist youth movement founded in Poland in 1915. It was one of the organisations that worked with the Central British Fund to care for the Boys in the UK.

The Boys were teenage and child-Holocaust survivors, who were brought to the UK after the war for rest and rehabilitation.

Habonim, meaning “The Builders,” is a Jewish socialist-Zionist youth movement founded in the UK in 1929. Its mission was to inspire Jewish youth with the ideals of Zionism, socialism, and communal living, preparing them to help build the future Jewish homeland in Palestine. The organisation avoided any ties to political or religious groups and encouraged adherence to Jewish values and traditions.

^{Logo of Habonim Dror, 1945}

During and after the Second World War, Habonim played a significant role in aiding Jewish refugee children and Holocaust survivors, including the Boys. The organisation provided educational support, communal activities, and preparation for life in Israel. Habonim also helped place the Boys in hachsharot (training centres) across Britain, where they could gain practical and social skills. Thaxted farm was one of these.

In 1982, Habonim merged with Dror, another Zionist youth movement, to become Habonim Dror, which continues to be active worldwide today.