Darren has been a part of Habonim since 2013 and has experienced some of the best Decembers of his life at the campsite. As a 20-year-old Mechatronic Engineering student, he fully immerses himself in everything Habo has to offer—whether it’s the stunning campsite, the enriching educational programs, or most importantly, the lifelong connections formed with both old and new friends.
He’s excited to contribute to a team dedicated to building a memorable and meaningful Machaneh that lives up to his cherished memories.
Zoe Kaplan has been involved with Habonim since she was 10 years old, attending every machaneh since then. Habonim holds a special significance for her, providing a meaningful connection to the Jewish community and a true sense of belonging. Her passion for Habonim began during her time as a channie, where she learned valuable skills such as leadership, teamwork, and responsibility for others. Currently, Zoe is studying Animation at the Animation School, and she has found that the skills she acquired through Habonim translate directly to her university work, particularly in teamwork and taking accountability for herself and her peers.
Shira fell in love with habo after her first machaneh in 2016. At 22 years old she still has such a passion for it. Being part of a Jewish, Zionist youth movement has brought her such joy and she has learnt so many valuable life skills. Shira is studying human resource management at the university of Johannesburg but it has not taken away from her time at habonim. She is Rosh Bogrim for the Johannesburg Ken and this year she has taken on the position as Rosh Ekonom for Machaneh. In such difficult times for Jews all around the world, being apart of habonim brings her closer to her Judaism and Zionism. Bringing the Jewish youth together is so crucial in keeping the community strong.
The Kitchen Team
The Purple One
Meyasdim means ‘founders’ because as the kitchen team, and so much more, Meyasdim form an extremely important part of the behind the scenes part of planning and running of Machaneh.
Before camp, Rosh Machaneh and Rosh Ekonom meet with a professional nutritionist to ensure that the meals and menu for camp are delicious and healthy. Then on camp, in the kitchen, you will always find our hired head chef cooking food for the whole site, and a professional Mashgiach overseeing that it’s all Kosher. On top of that, our Meyasdim team is always there providing much-needed extra hands, guaranteeing that no child on site is left hungry or without nutrition. They also man the tuck-shop stocked with the best treats that you could think of, and so much more of the camp-wide facilities. Rosh Ekonom makes sure sufficient stock of all food is on site and Rosh Meyasdim manages it once it’s in the kitchen. The Meyasdim team consists of Maddies that aren’t dedicated to a particular group of kids and are rather dedicated to the Machaneh holistically.
Moreover, our Channies get to experience what it is like to be part of this team. We pride ourselves on being self-sufficient and creating a society that we are all fully responsible for. That is why every child gets a chance to join the Meyasdim team to help prepare meals, manage the tuck-shop, and everything else that Meyasdim do. While we speak highly of the Meyasdim experience in terms of the importance of quality food on our Campsite, the Meyasdim team are so much more than kitchen workers: they are Maddies like any other. They interact with all kids on the campsite and run many of the camp-wide activities for everyone. This takes place in the form of Ghetz, a group of Meyasdim Maddies dedicated to making sure that there are ample options for Channies during free-time. They run arts and crafts, sports tournaments, and so much more. Because of this, they create an amazing camp-wide culture, and thus engineer some of the most memorable moments on Kikar, our main field. Meyesdim really are the Maddies of every Channie on site and a necessary support to the entire experience!
Habonim Dror Southern Africa 2024 ©