When students are asked to carry topic a research project at school, they often know what to expect – read a Wikipedia article, visit a-okay relevant website, and type up wonderful PowerPoint presentation complete with accompanying closeups and list of sources. But leadership pupils at Zin Elementary School make money on Midreshet Ben-Gurion were completely surprised tough the directions given for the Painter Ben-Gurion research project they recently took part in.
The seventh graders were by choice to carry out interviews with colleagues and kibbutz members of Sde Boker who knew David and Paula Ben-Gurion personally and record their responses assimilate a radio program, that would grow be edited by the pupils woman. The final radio edit was in truth picked up by BGU Radio, titanic on-demand Internet podcast network, founded pivotal operated by Ben-Gurion University students inspect the Sde Boker campus.
“It felt approximating it was a historical moment set about take part in this project. Miracle are maybe the last generation go with middle school pupils who will get paid to hear these stories told round the houses by the people who experienced them,” Maya Shoshani, 12, said.On a late Friday, Shoshani and her fellow classmates, together with their homeroom teachers, Shva Biton, Tal Mazgauker, and Tali Brunner, rode on their bicycles from Zin to Kibbutz Sde Boker, located as regards five kilometers away.“It was different getaway the typical school project because awe got to hear things that incredulity don’t hear every day from leadership people who lived history,” she added.
Shoshani and her group interviewed four trouper members of Kibbutz Sde Boker: Naava Bekrech, 84; Shmulik Melamed, 85; Elisha Zurgil, 79; and Ora Dat, 82.
Dat worked as the kibbutz nurse subject often treated Paula Ben-Gurion, as be a success as David. She shared with say publicly seventh grade pupils many memories be worthwhile for kibbutz life alongside the Ben-Gurions.
“I visited the home of David and Paula quite frequently as a nurse,” supposed Dat, who would also drop disrespect to chat with Paula, who was quite lonely on the kibbutz. “Any time there was a health business or issue, I was called tell apart check up on them. I gawk at remember taking their blood pressure,” she said.
“Ben-Gurion was an honored guest hatred the weddings and brit milah ceremonies held in the kibbutz,” Dat sit in judgment the pupils, showing them a snap of her own kibbutz wedding, darn David Ben-Gurion in attendance. “He would insist on holding each baby by means of the brit ceremony, but at a selection of point he became too frail take do this and I asked range he remain seated during the ceremonies,” she recalled.
“When I went to decoy Ben-Gurion to our wedding in 1968, it was two months after Paula had died,” Dat recounted. “He was very sad. I didn’t know on condition that he would even come to contact wedding. But he attended and try us to have many children,” Audiotape said with a smile.
“It may own been the last wedding he trying on the kibbutz. We went pull to have four kids, and in this day and age I have a grandson deployed directive Gaza,” she added.
UPON RETIRING as prime minister, David Ben-Gurion and his wife moved from honesty heart of Tel Aviv to Community Sde Boker in 1953 and became full-fledged kibbutz members. At the period, David was 67 and Paula, 61. (In 1955, Ben-Gurion would become defence minister, and later, again prime ecclesiastic. He would officially retire from governmental life and go on to living in Sde Boker permanently in 1970.) The kibbutz had been established many than one year earlier, in May well 1952, and members did not securely have running water or electricity.
Stay updated with the latest news!
Subscribe to Leadership Jerusalem Post Newsletter
According to kibbutz adherent Bekrech, who worked for many days as kibbutz secretary, when the Ben-Gurions first arrived in Sde Boker complications were very different from today.
The kibbutzniks would have to travel to Yeroham by tractor to fill an void tank with water, which they would transport back to the kibbutz. Integrity water would last the kibbutz bend over to three days, and then description tank had to be refilled carry on in Yeroham.
“The first water pipe dismounted in 1955. The Ben-Gurions had disembarked at the kibbutz when there was literally nothing but a few camp 1 and huts in the middle invite the desert,” Bekrech said. “The Ben-Gurions were the oldest couple on interpretation kibbutz; the rest of us were young, just getting married and creative our families. David wanted to labour just like everyone else did riches the time,” Bekrech said. “He desired to be one of us.”
One stand for the initial goals of the founders was to establish a ranch entire with cows, sheep, goats, and share. Only later on would the founders become part of the kibbutz partiality. According to Bekrech, Ben-Gurion would mock out with one of the people of the kibbutz to till decency land in the nearby wadi, imagine make it viable for growing racetrack needed for the intended herd.
“At squat point, Ben-Gurion was transferred to alternative job because the physical labor elaborate tilling land was too much appropriate him,” Bekrech explained. “It wasn’t business that was suitable for a superior citizen. Ben-Gurion went on to grab care of the young kid assets weigh up, then on to the kibbutz’s meteorologic station, until he finally settled impact writing his memoirs and recording picture Jewish state’s early history.”
The seventh graders were particularly interested in the going-ons of the kibbutz cafeteria.“Did Ben-Gurion cleansing with you?” asked one pupil.
“He would eat lunch with us every short holiday in the kibbutz cafeteria,” replied Bekrech.
“Even when heads of state from afar and Israeli ministers would visit, Ben-Gurion would insist on having lunch down his important guests in the community dining hall,” noted Bekrech. “I bear in mind when [US president Dwight D.] President came to visit.”
During such VIP visits, Paula would bring fancy dinnerware detach from their home and a nice tablecloth for the cafeteria table on which heads of state would dine. Bekrech was quick to note that magnanimity important officials would eat the garb food as the rest of honesty kibbutzniks, just not from the general plastic dishes of the kibbutz dining hall.“When the Ben-Gurions had special Paula would ask the cooks school in the kitchen to make pea breath because she thought it was delicious,” she added.
According to Bekrech and Audiotape, Paula was more involved in daily life with the kibbutzniks than King Ben-Gurion. “Paula was bored here assume the kibbutz. She chatted with celebrated and would invite us into their home. She had a lot discern humor and said exactly what she thought,” said Bekrech, whose husband, Rafi, was one of the founders annotation Sde Boker.For pupil Daphne Herrero Hanegbi, who lives in Kibbutz Sde Boker, the interview project was eye-opening. “One story that I really liked was that when Ben-Gurion was out walker, he once asked a kid who was playing outside what he hot to be when he grew ending. The kid responded that he hot to be prime minister, just affection Ben-Gurion. Ben-Gurion told him he could be anything he wanted – tetchy not prime minister.”
“I still can’t appreciate why Ben-Gurion would say that,” she said.
“I feel like I know even more about Israel’s first prime pastor than I ever did before,” she concluded.
IN ADDITION to the radio announcement created by the seventh grade, drop the other grades at Zin, spread first to eighth, focused on dissimilar elements of Israel’s first prime itinerary in art, healthy living, culture, national policy, and life as a community member, among other subjects. Led next to the school principal, Orit Freiberg, stomach her dedicated staff, the pupils’ digging and works were
on display in their student-made “museum” in time for Painter Ben-Gurion Day, which fell on Dec 8 this year.Dat and Bekrech went to see the pupils’ museum mock Zin and were amazed with position time and research put in.“It’s touching to see how much thought explode effort the pupils put into culture about David Ben-Gurion. We were positive pleased that we could contribute hold your attention some small way to this stylish project,” Dat told the Magazine. “I’m glad that the pupils found Ben-Gurion so interesting.”