First Conservative Kibbutz to Be Established in Israel

Ten adults and four children left for Israel yesterday to establish the first kibbutz of the Conservative movement, it was announced here by the United Synagogue of America, They took with them a very special gift from a Conservative congregation in Brooklyn — a Sefer Torah.

Rabbi Benjamin Kreitman, executive vice president of the United Synagogue, made the presentation of the Sefer Torah on behalf of the United Synagogue at farewell ceremonies at JFK International Airport. The scroll is a gift from the Flatbush Shaare Torah Jewish Center, of which Kreitman is rabbi emeritus.

The settlement group will spend a year in training at a nearby kibbutz before moving to their own 375-acre site, located in lower Galilee just northwest of Nazareth, to be called Kibbutz Hannaton. It will feature an education center staffed by kibbutz members, to serve the Conservative movement. The center will host youth programs and offer seminars and courses on Conservative Judaism. The economy of the kibbutz will be based on agriculture and industry

The settlement group members are: David and Marcia Ashkenazy and their three children, Alexis, 5, Rachel, 3 and Shlomo, 3 months, from Chicago; Judy Firestone, Kansas City, Mo.; Mihal Hanandari, Cherry Hill, N. J.; Meir and Lise Krut and their daughter, Shiri, 20 months, Denver; Joel Morwitz, Cherry Hill, N.J.; Lauri Sendler, Oak Park, Mich.; and Jeff and Susan Zucker. New York City.

This group will be joining with 30 other settlement group members who left previously and are now in Israel. Their training kibbutz, Kfar Hahoresh, will greet the new arrivals with a welcoming ceremony and Succot celebration. The following week the new kibbutzniks will start their work rotation and ulpan.