Hashomer Hatzair World Movement Ideology

         

The 10 Dibrot

1.)  The Shomer/et is a man/woman of truth and stands on its guard
2.)  The  Shomer/et  is  an  integral  part  of  the  Jewish  people  and  strongly  connected  to  the State of Israel. He/she is rooted in his/her culture and is a chalutz/a of our Judaism.
3.)  The Shomer/et finds meaning in his/her relationship to work and fights to create a world where labour is a productive expression of human creativity and freedom.
4.)  The Shomer/et  is politically active and a forerunner  in  the pursuit of freedom, equality, peace and solidarity.
5.)  The Shomer/et  is a committed chaver/a  that works  jointly with others, struggles for  the progress of society and promotes Shomeric values.
6.)  The Shomer/et actively develops and maintains relationships which are intentional, free
and  honest  within  the  kvutza  and  the  whole  Shomeric  community.  He/She  takes  the responsibility to look after his/her chaverim.
7.)  The shomer/et respects and cares about nature; he/she gets to know it, learns how to live within it and acts in accordance with sustainable practices.
8.)  The  Shomer/et  is  courageous,  independent,  thinks  critically  and  takes  initiative accordingly.
9.)  The  Shomer/et  strengthens  his/her  character  and  strives  towards  physical, mental  and spiritual wholeness.
10.)  The Shomer/et  is  led by his/her  reason and  takes  full  responsibility  for his/her actions. He/she sets Dugma Ishit.

The three Pillars

Hashomer  Hatzair  is  based  on  three  fundamental  pillars:  Zionism,  Socialism  and  Judaism.  The
concept of Hagshama requires us to realize our ideology and should look to include all elements of
these  firmly held beliefs because  it  is  the unique combination of  these  that makes us who we are. 
Essential to our beliefs is that we engage in a continuous process of re-examination that responds to
changing context and environment.
 
Hashomer  Hatzair,  as  a  Tzofiut-based  (Scouting)  movement,  believes  that  integral  to  being  a
shomer/et  is acting  responsibly  towards  the  environment. As  a Chalutzic  (pioneering) movement,
we encourage the realization of our ideology to be groundbreaking and revolutionary in nature.

Zionism
Definition:
Hashomer  Hatzair’s  Zionism  stems  from  the  belief  that  all  peoples  deserve  a
determination, and that Israel is the expression of Jewish self-determination. The Je
should be a safe haven for all Jews and the centre where Jewish culture and identity
Our vision is to create and maintain a self-critical balance between a socialist, Jewis
pluralistic, democratic and secular state that ensures social justice for all. 
Our Zionism consists of a mutual relationship between Israel and the Diaspora, inc
and criticism.
As  a  Zionist movement we  believe  that we  have  a  big  responsibility  to  contribu
educating our Chanichim to make a conscious and personal choice about it.
 
 
Educational Practice:
Hashomer Hatzair  educates  its  chanichim/ot  to  have  a  base  of  knowledge  in  orde
Israel  today,  its  heritage  and  the  relevance  of  their  connection  to  it.  Programs  n
dialogue that is done under a pluralist and critical viewpoint. 
We encourage long-term stays and programs in Israel that are relevant to the movem
We educate our chanichim about aliya and help  them on a path  to make a conscio
choice for their future.
 
The Shomer needs to actively express his opinion in matters related to Israel.

Socialism
Definition:
Hashomer Hatzair socialism rests on the belief that humans are free, creative beings who deserve to
live  in  a  society  that  empowers  them  to develop  themselves  to  their  fullest potential. We  take  as
central values social, economic, and political equality and justice.
We believe Capitalism and other oppressive forces create fundamentally unequal, exploitative, and
alienating  modes  of  production  that  themselves  create  poverty,  war,  ignorance,  ecological
destruction,  lack  of  freedom,  and  prevent  people  from  realizing  their  full  potentials.  We  see
socialism as not only an alternative to this type of society, but an entirely new and revolutionary one
that can stand on its own. 
We  envision  a world of  small,  cooperative  communities made up of  individuals  and groups who
practice intentional, free, egalitarian, and intimate relationships. We believe that these communities
must  have  a  balance  between  the  individual  and  the  collective  –  that  the  collective  is  actually  a
force that will free the individual. 
We believe in a society where the people as a whole possess the ability to control their lives, work
freely and creatively, and  to participate  in an equal and democratic society. We see socialism as a
tool and way of life that allows people to live truly human lives.
 
Educational Practice:
Hashomer Hatzair educates  towards unselfishness and being  responsible, critical and active social
beings. We teach Chanichim to live according to the values of humanistic socialism, both within the
movement and outside of it, furthering the equitable treatment of people.
We  require  of  ourselves  to  be  critical  of  society,  not  fearing  to  be  against  the mainstream  and
therefore standing behind these opinions.
We must  be  socially  responsible  in  all  facets.  In  order  to  achieve  this  we  put  an  emphasis  on
education  about  other  cultures,  the  role  of  consumption  and  over-consumption,  as  well  as  the
functioning of global and national politics.
To  these  ends,  we  use  tools  such  as  political  community  action  (Avoda  Kehilatit),  education
through experience, group work, symbols (such as Chulzah and Kuppah), organization into Kvutzot
and the treatment of the Chanichim. 

Judaism
Definition:
Hashomer Hatzair’s  Judaism  is  a  stream  of  Judaism  and  is  based  on  the  Jewish  culture  and  our
humanistic approach. We place  the  individual  in  the centre of our  Jewish worldview. Our morals
derive  primarily  from  our  sense  of  responsibility  and  respect  to  humankind. We  believe  in  and
practice  a  form  of  active  Judaism  that  encourages  everyone  to  give  personal  meaning  to  their
Judaism within the Shomeric community. 
Our Judaism draws upon the vibrant culture, tradition, history and legacy of the Jewish people and
connects  us  to  our  heritage.  We  view  Jewish  sources  as  inspiration  and  open  for  critical
interpretation. 
Our  approach  stems  from  a  thorough  understanding  of  Judaism  and  the  development  of  a
contemporary, meaningful way of expressing our Judaism.
 
Educational Practice:
We  provide  our  Chanichim with  an  opportunity  to  find  their  own  access  and  approach  towards
Judaism  and  strive  to  shape  confident  individuals  who  found  their  place  in  Judaism  and  feel
connected to their cultural heritage.
Hashomer Hatzair extends knowledge in Jewish heritage, classical and modern Jewish literature and
teaches about Jewish history, culture and traditions. The Shomeric activities fit the Jewish cycle of
life including traditions.
Hashomer  Hatzair  members  will  constantly  review  and,  if  needed,  renew  the  Jewish  traditions
according to the current philosophy of the Chaverim.
Our  Judaism  is open  to every person  that  feels part of  the  ideals  and  is willing  to  take part  in  it.
Every behaviour that does not follow the principles of secular Judaism can be kept at the condition
that it does not contradict the organization and progressing of the activities.

Hagshama

Hashomer Hatzair  sees many ways  of  self-realisation. We  believe  that  it  is Hagshama  that  gives
meaning  to our  ideology and brings us  to  the  realization of our pillars and dibrot and stresses  the
importance of putting it into practice.
 
Hagshama is a concept which often blurs the distinction between tools and goals. We accept that we
have much work to do in defining our conceptual definition of this term and that this process must
continue.
 
This document is a list of examples of Hagshama. It is not complete, however, its purpose is to give
guidelines, to be a source of inspiration and to provide tools: