Crazy Weather, Renovated Swimming Pool Opens, Squash Court nearly ready, Tennis Court operational, Children's Day 2015 without the theatre production, Caring for veteran members, street names already on Waze, Entering Matzuva on Shabbat and the automatic gate code…… ------

Crazy Weather! The weather in the spring is always unpredictable and at Matzva it's no different! Being mainly a fruit farm the is always dependent on the weather assisting the growth of the many varieties of fruit. This has not been the case this spring during which we have experienced extremely cold weather with strong winds that especially hit the banana plantations throughout the country (the price of bananas in supermarkets has spiraled upwards despite the fruit not being of the usual prime quality). We have also had "hamsin" weather with temperatures around 40o C. Thankfully our avocado groves have been well received in the local and overseas markets. Without doubt agriculture is a risky occupation!!!

Matzuva Swimming Pool Reopens…. Finally the pool has reopened after being closed by the ministry until the necessary work involved in upgrading the facility was finally completed. The finance involved was very high. A small ad- hoc committee was formed in 2014 to find the necessary money to cover this expense. Residents of Matzuva were asked to donate in order to finance the work. Most of the younger families made contributions and in doing so they are able to use the pool at a special rate. The rest of the residents and visitors would pay a different and higher entrance fee. Thanks are due to the ad-hoc committee for successfully re- opening the swimming pool.

** The original builder of the swimming pool in 1950 was the late Eliyahu Koren who was among the founding members of the kibbutz. In the Matzuva archives we have a 16mm. silent movie produced by Eliyahu of the voluntary work involved in turning the dream into a reality. Our official photographer member Max Nathans has converted the movie into a CD and this is also stored in the archives.

Shavuot: The festival of "Shavuot" and "Bringing of the First Fruits" is a traditional harvest festival celebrated throughout and especially so at agricultural villages such as moshavim and kibbutzim including Matzuva. All the various fruits grown at the kibbutz are brought in wicker baskets by kibbutz kids to the ceremony held in a field as well as livestock on tractors. We are proud of Matzuva Agricultural for many years the most successful farm in the Western . We salute Johnny Adjemi, the head of the team and Eitan Shefer the agricultural advisor from the Miluot Regional Conglomerate as well as our members working in agriculture not forgetting our Thai workers Chickens:

The chicken runs at the kibbutz are slowly climbing up the success ladder & now are in seventh place in the entire region thanks to Ori Samoushi and his team. However, the human fruits are by far the most important with no less than 14 babies born at Matzuva during the last 12 months

Matzuva Squash Court is nearing completion reports Ohad Fleiderman who is take part in a squash tournament in Raanana to the north of Tel Aviv even after more than a year that he hasn't held a squash racquet for nearly a year. He did however managed to get some practice at our court – he wasn't sure it was enough to win the tournament! Thankfully the squash court survived a stormy winter and now we are in the mist of "hamsinim" well over the 350C to 400C mark. The parquet floor and the rear wall are now successfully in place. Volunteers willing to take on responsibility to undertake specific tasks are more than welcome to contribute to this new sporting project in the Western Galilee.

Annual Children's Day at Matzuva 2015 2015 took place at the kibbutz on the weekend of June 12th & 13th. Every year Matzuva prepares two days of surprises for the younger generation beginning on a Friday with a fun-fair and a festive meal exclusively for Matzuva youngsters. In the evening the Matzuva children enjoy an Sabbath Eve meal with their parents and at 20:30 all the kids assemble for various events according to their particular age group. The teenagers have a party at the famous "Miflat" pub with music and refreshments. The younger age group have their own party with food and music in their clubhouse while the 1st to 3rd grade kids enjoy a movie with popcorn and refreshments. The next day the fun-fair, side shows, creative games and refreshment and candy booths are open to all members and visitors alike – in other words a great lunar park for all to enjoy. The only event missing this year was the theme pantomime theater production by Matzuva members with 3 performances at the kibbutz theater near the swimming pool. A fuller report will appear in the next update Flyer for "Yom HaYeled 2015

The editor of the Matzuva Newsletter "Aleh Givah", Edna Nathans, now a grandmother remembers the Matzuva "Children's Days" during the British Mandate prior to the establishment of the State of Israel. The special day for the kibbutz kids at Matzuva has become an essential and integral part of the cultural activities diary of the community. The annual pantomime performances for the children she remembers as a 3-4 year old. In those days the kibbutz dining room was a large wooden construction that served as a dining room and kitchen, meetings and social activities for the community including the weekly movie evening. Today the building still stands and houses the kibbutz supermarket. The fact that the theater production for the children didn't materialize this year broke the tradition of decades. We all hope that next year Matzuva residents and many from the Western Galilee will attend one of the three sold-out performances at the kibbutz theater. During the last 15 years the talented producer has been Hava Cohen and we all hope after her "sabbatical" she will produce for the next 15 years.!

Small Band of Pioneers Last week I had a conversation with Ronen Gal, the external director of the Matzuva Local Committee who works on a part-time basis as the chair of the elected local committee comprising of both kibbutz members and neighborhood residents (majority of the committee members). As mentioned before the kibbutz has a committee called "Agshach" (the Matzuva Agricultural Association) representing all the kibbutz members. There is cooperation on the ground that is evident especially in the cultural life of the general community. However, the demographic picture shows that the majority of residents are youngish families with young children whereas the kibbutz population includes an increasing number of younger families but the older families are also active in many cultural and committee work (the 50+ Club for example). I estimate that the average age in the kibbutz is considerably older. The number of founder members and Holocaust survivors unfortunately continues to dwindle. During the last 6 years I served as the Matzuva contact person with the "Yes" Satellite Television Company (satellite T-V with dishes on roofs) with about 270 signed- up clients. I had during this time numerous calls from senior members who couldn't handle the intricacies of satellite t-v, be it old batteries in the remote control, loss of pictures etc. or the need to order a satellite rep to solve the breakdown problem. I sight this as a little problem but a larger problem for the elderly who rely on the T-V for their entertainment. Within the last decade the "Savyon" House for the Elderly at Matzuva has been closed by the "Amal" Company as not being feasible with less than 20-25 senior beds. The reason was economic as a 12-bed facility was not economically viable. The facility today is an empty shell and today as a consequence we have Matzuva senior members under care at , Kibbutz , Shlomi, , and Evron in the area with one at a home in Be'ersheba in the south of the country. Today, the Savyon House is now to become a children's house after renovation. This is a real need with so many youngsters now part of the community. I mentioned all of this to Ronen who listened to my request and agreed that the matter of the small band of pioneers has to be placed on the agenda of the Matzuva local committee and the Agshach committee. We owe them this!

Remember your time at Matzuva? I spent 3 months at Matzuva in 1957 as a young youth leader along with others at the Institute for Youth Leaders from Abroad in Jerusalem. We came as a Habonim group from the U.K. USA, Holland, Canada, Australia and South Africa. We had a great time working in the vineyards across the northern road. We all had foster-families at Matzuva and integrated into the life of the kibbutz. Two of the group eventually settled at Matzuva, the Late Pamela Ben-Porat and I who moved to Matzuva with my family 17 years later! Baruch Kadmon

New Project at Matzuva – We still need your help!! Remember your time at Matzuva

"A Miniature Matzuva" …but not exactly Madurodam!

This new project called "Aliya to Matzuva" is the brainchild of Nitzan Reuven. The location is the little hillock to the north of the new circle immediately past the main gate into the kibbutz. The target date is the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of Matzuva in 1940. The project has been designed by architect Itzik Ben-David, a resident of Matzuva, along with the input of kibbutznik Ezra Segali and the Matzuva Trustee Noam Netzer.

The idea is to include replica items such as the security wall around the new settlement, a watch tower, the first bell tents and hut of the fledgling kibbutz including basic agricultural implements of that period. We will publish a more detailed map of the project in the coming updates.

"ALIYA TO MATZUVA" PROJECT

North ↑ To Shlomi

PROJECT

PERIMETER ← SITE

FENCE →

MAIN ROAD INTO KIBBUTZ MATZUVA MAIN GATE *to the south → of the road the community neighborhood NEW ↑ TRAFFIC CIRCLE

Background: Way back in February 1940 the first settlers left the "" Camp at Lower Hanita and crossed the northern border road and began to climb up a hill on the southern side of the northern road and in doing so established Kibbutz Matzuva. This was at that particular time a daring and significant step that determined that the area north of Akko would become in 1948 an integral part of the fledgling State of Israel. This became the Western Galilee region right up to the border with Lebanon ratified by the Rhodes Armistice Pact of 1949. The Matzuva land had been purchased from wealthy Arabs in Beirut and was one of the few Jewish communities north of Akko in the Biblical area of the Tribe of Asher (one of the 12 tribes of Israel).

Conditions were frugal and tough with no water within reach and these young adult pioneers lived in tents with a single shack that served as a dining room and communal center. The initial diet was made up of carobs and olives with water being brought by road from . In this sparse environment the first child of Matzuva was born. He was named Nitzan and was the pride of his parents the Reuven Family and the small community. Sadly, Nitzan's father was killed near Akko while on a mission for the Hagana resistance in 1943. At this time Palestine was then under the British Mandate while across the border nearby was the French mandate over Lebanon that during the WW2 was under Vichy control.

Today, Nitzan is in his mid 70's but still working as a motor mechanic for Matzuva Agriculture. He is married to Tamar who is also a daughter of founder members. I spoke with Nitzan recently (who is a neighbor of ours) about his aspirations as a proud grandfather. He told me of his dream to ensure that the early days of Matzuva be somehow remembered not solely in words but also in a tangible way for present and future persons of the wider Matzuva Family. I asked Nitzan what idea he had in mind!

He said that we would love to establish a "Miniature Matzuva" depicting physically how Matzuva became a reality in 1940. He subsequently spoke with Noam Netzer the kibbutz trustee who embraced the idea. Nitzan identified a little hillock not far from the main entrance to Matzuva with the kibbutz to the north and the community neighborhoods to the south. At this site a retro of Kibbutz Matzuva 1940 is to be erected as a visitor's center attracting visitors to the Western Galilee as well as the hundreds and hundreds of volunteer guests and Ulpan alumni who we hope will make a nostalgic visit to Matzuva and Israel to meet residents and take a walk down Memory Lane.

We need your assistance and generosity to turn Nitzan's dream into a reality that will bring back in most cases pleasant memories of younger days including the kibbutz experience of work, study and camaraderie bringing together young adults from numerous countries and backgrounds.

The project has been recognized and approved by the Mateh Asher Regional Council and the plans have now been submitted for approval. The cost of the project is not finalized at this stage but we will keep you informed when known.

Once again I recommend readers to visit Max's Photo Album on this website for a pictorial view of life at Matzuva through his excellent and original quality photos and videos. Enjoy! Baruch

MATZUVA AGRICULTURE Growing with Love

Until the next update – keep well and be in contact.

Best wishes to all our readers Baruch - Matzuva, June 18, 2015

M A T Z U V A ’’S 7 5 t h Y E A R 106 YEARS OF THE