“Tapuz” means “orange” to Israelis, but for thousands of Latin American youngsters, it means an exciting way to experience Israel.
The program called Tapuz began during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when the massive call-up created a manpower shortage. Brazilian teenagers came to help out and picked oranges on the mainly, Brazilian Kibbutz of Brur Hayil in the western Negev. That group has been followed by many more in what has become probably the most popular program for youngsters.
Today they no longer only pick oranges. The two-month program combines a few weeks of kibbutz life with trips around the country and informative seminars.
Ariel Wagner, a 26-year-old school teacher from Buenos Aires, came to Israel recently in charge of a Tapuz group from his home city. “I view Tapuz as a strengthening link between the Jewish communities in the diaspora and their history, the roots, “he said in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Coming to Israel, learning about the country’s history and getting to know it as it is today strengthens our sense of belonging.”
GETTING TO KNOW ISRAEL
Some 1,600 young adults come annually from Argentina, Brazil and nine other countries to spend their summer vacation in Israel. Most of the Tapuz groups come from southern hemisphere countries and spend January and February in Israel. Groups from northern hemisphere countries — Mexico, Venezuela and Spain — come during July and August.
For many it is their first visit to Israel. They become acquainted with Israeli life-styles and with specific problems related to Israel’s society, culture and political structure. They spend 40 days on a kibbutz, working in the mornings and attending educational programs in the afternoons. They learn about Israel’s political parties, about the country’s absorption problems and about the nation’s history.
A weekend spent with a family on a moshav and another weekend hosted by an Israeli youth movement give the youngsters a taste of other Israeli life-styles — outside the kibbutz.
FROM A VISIT TO ALIYA
Silvio Blau, 26, from Uruguay lives in Jerusalem and is about to complete his Israel Defense Force service. His first trip to Israel was on a Tapuz program at the age of 16. Three years later he made aliya.
“I decided to come to live in Israel when I was 18, but the idea was put in my mind during my first encounter with the kibbutz, ” said Blau. “That was the first time I worked in agriculture, and my decision to make aliya was bound with a desire to build a new agricultural settlement.”
“That experience in the kibbutz changed my life,” he added. “I took a B.Sc. degree in agriculture with that goal in mind before I joined the army. I suppose you could really call me one of Tapuz’s success stories.”
Wagner, currently in Kibbutz Lohamei Hageta’ at in the western Galilee with his group, said: “For most of my group, who attend non-Jewish schools and do not belong to any other Jewish framework, this is the first contact with Zionism. We try to show them the real Israel, rather than present a rosy picture that doesn’t stand up to the test of reality.”
He described a typical educational session. “Everybody acted the role of a political figure or party. We discussed the way the coalition was formed and the interactions and the balance of power between the various parties. Then we tried to form our own coalition,” said Wagner. “We ended up with a national unity government.”
STRENTHENING DIASPORA-ISRAELI TIES
Bemmy Richter, head of the Tapuz project at the Jewish Agency’s settlement and absorption department, affirmed that strengthening ties between diaspora communities and Israel is one of the goals. “We have devised a special Tapuz program, called Tapuz Hadracha, for youngsters who plan to become active in their Jewish communities upon their return home,” he said.
The program is similar to the regular Tapuz trip, with a shift in the emphasis from kibbutz life to educational seminars. The time spent on a kibbutz is halved, and instead the teenagers attend more intensive seminars. They also receive training in Jewish and Zionist education.
Pauline Benvenoti, 17, from Mar del Plata in Argentina, is on the special Tapuz program for young instructors. She said she planned to continue her work with young teenagers at her Temple community after returning to Argentina at the end of last month.
“Before I came I used to draw material out of books on Israel and magazines, in order to discuss the issues with my pupils. Now I will be able to draw from my own experiences. I hope I will be able to make the issues come more alive, ” she said.
VARIED TAPUZ PROGRAMS
Since 1973, Tapuz has grown rapidly. In addition to the regular program and Tapuz Hadracha, there are a few more variations on the theme.
The university Tapuz program is for those thinking of studying for an academic degree in Israel. In addition to a month of kibbutz life, the group is taken around the country’s institutes of higher learning.
A three-week Tapuz program providing training for community center directors, and a month-long trip for dance troupes who perform and learn new folk dances in Israel, completes the repertoire.
Richter believes that they have a formula that cannot fail. “Just as they are at the peak of the excitement, we board them on the planes and send them back home,” he said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
