Gordonia youth movement
Encyclopedia
Gordonia was a Zionist
youth movement. The movement's doctrines were based on the beliefs of Aaron David Gordon, i.e. the salvation of Eretz Yisrael
and the Jewish People through manual labor and the revival of the Hebrew language. In Gordonia the cadet
s learned Hebrew and the graduates organized themselves into training groups pending aliyah
to the Holy Land.
, the movement promoted aliyah to kibbutz
im in Palestine
during the inter-war period. These pioneering initiatives were crucial in the development of the kibbutz movement in Palestine and the state of Israel
as a whole.
Being established after many of the other socialist Zionist movements, Gordonia, in its early years struggled existentially. Emerging from ideological crisis, Gordonia was seen as a reaction against the fatal errors of movements such as the Hashomer
whom they viewed as adopting ‘foreign ideals’ (e.g. Marxism
) which threatened to divert attention from the important historical pioneering task. Gordonia saw itself as the pioneering youth movement of the Jewish masses – rejecting theoretical ideals of socialism
and romanticism
in favour of practical pioneering as embodied in Gordon himself. The principal distinction between Gordonia and the other movements was its decision not to engage in political activities (in alignment with the philosophies of their figurehead).
The United States branch of Gordonia was small and largely based in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore
and Dallas areas, with only one summer camp, Moshava
, near Annapolis
. The group merged with the Labor Zionist
youth movement Habonim
in April 1938.
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
youth movement. The movement's doctrines were based on the beliefs of Aaron David Gordon, i.e. the salvation of Eretz Yisrael
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
and the Jewish People through manual labor and the revival of the Hebrew language. In Gordonia the cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
s learned Hebrew and the graduates organized themselves into training groups pending aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to the Holy Land.
History
Founded in 1925 in PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, the movement promoted aliyah to kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
im in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
during the inter-war period. These pioneering initiatives were crucial in the development of the kibbutz movement in Palestine and the state of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
as a whole.
Being established after many of the other socialist Zionist movements, Gordonia, in its early years struggled existentially. Emerging from ideological crisis, Gordonia was seen as a reaction against the fatal errors of movements such as the Hashomer
Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
whom they viewed as adopting ‘foreign ideals’ (e.g. Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
) which threatened to divert attention from the important historical pioneering task. Gordonia saw itself as the pioneering youth movement of the Jewish masses – rejecting theoretical ideals of socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
in favour of practical pioneering as embodied in Gordon himself. The principal distinction between Gordonia and the other movements was its decision not to engage in political activities (in alignment with the philosophies of their figurehead).
The United States branch of Gordonia was small and largely based in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and Dallas areas, with only one summer camp, Moshava
Camp Moshava
There are several Jewish summer camps named Camp Moshava, including:*Camp Moshava *Camp Moshava *Camp Moshava...
, near Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. The group merged with the Labor Zionist
Labor Zionism
Labor Zionism can be described as the major stream of the left wing of the Zionist movement. It was, for many years, the most significant tendency among Zionists and Zionist organizational structure...
youth movement Habonim
Habonim Dror
Habonim Dror is a Jewish Labour Zionist youth movement formed by the merger in 1982 of the Habonim and Dror youth movements. Habonim Dror's sister movement in Israel is Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed, the Working and Studying Youth.-Ideology:...
in April 1938.