MERCAZ USA Newsletter — Spring 2009

New Rabbis to Lead Hannaton Revival

Newly ordained rabbis from the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary, Yoav Ende and Yonatan Sadoff, are leading the efforts to revitalize Kibbutz Hannaton, the one kibbutz in Israel associated with Conservative/Masorti Judaism.

Located in the Lower Galilee, north of the city of Nazareth and near the Arab village of Kafr Manda, Hannaton was founded in the early 1980's by Conservative/Masorti Jews from the United States and Israel. Later on, immigrants from other Masorti communities in South America, South Africa and Canada joined.

Nevertheless, economic and social problems plagued the kibbutz, whose population over the years dwindled down from over one hundred members to just six families. During this period, Hannaton was kept afloat with garinim (groups of Israeli youths) organized by the United Kibbutz Movement.

Yet, ideological conflicts arose between the members who wanted to structure Hannaton as a new semi-privatized "renewed" kibbutz but maintain its Masorti affiliation and the newcomers who wanted to keep Hannaton according to the classic socialist definition of a kibbutz, yet drop the religious orientation.

Finally, last year the Israeli courts ruled with the members, thereby paving the way for a group of twenty Masorti families to join the "renewed" kibbutz, led by Rabbis Ende and Sadoff.

Ende has been engaged as the new director of Hannaton's Educational Center, a traditional stop for USY and other Conservative Movement tour groups, which is undergoing a thorough refurbishing. When completed, the center is envisioned to function as a place of innovative and holistic Jewish experience, combining traditional study, spiritual prayer and real-time "gemilut hasadim" (good deeds).

MERCAZ USA is helping Hannaton's renewal through a fundraising effort to facilitate the work of the Educational Center. Donations of $250 or more are being rewarded with hospitality vouchers worth $100 that are good for a one-night stay for two people. For more information about the campaign, contact the MERCAZ office at 212-533-2061 or visit the MERCAZ website's home page.

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