ISRAEL SPEAKS
(World Zionist Organization event, Jerusalem)
In the 1960s many Kibbutzim were established all over Israel
2012 marked the 50th anniversary..
of the first Christian volunteer groups working in the Kibbutzim.
These first groups came from Finland.
A 'Kibbutz' is a unique form of settlement..
founded on equality and communal living.
Usually they receive their income from agriculture and industry.
In the 1960s some Kibbutzim..
started taking Christian volunteer groups from Finland.
These first volunteers were sent by the Carmel Association..
whose mission was to help the Israeli people and their country.
A key figure in the story of the first volunteers..
is Ahuva Ben Meir, originally known as Lempi Virtanen,..
who at a young age decided to follow Jesus.
I bought and read through the New Testament,..
and later read a whole Bible which my Aunt gave to me.
While reading, the importance of Israel suddenly became clear..
straight from the Bible, without hearing anyone talking about it.
And it affected me so deeply..
that I was almost crying for a whole week,..
thinking of what had happened to the Jewish people,..
though I knew only the bible stories.
And I made a decision to go to Israel, once I had enough money.
Ahuva started attending meetings and talks about Israel
and joined a group that was planning a trip to the Holy Land.
But when the day arrived, everyone else had cancelled..
and only I was left.
And I was thinking I would cancel too.
But something in my spirit said, 'No, you can't cancel now.'
And I struggled with it for a few days, could I dare to go alone?
But in the end I decided, yes, I will go alone.
It was a decision that shocked everyone.
The head of the Carmel Association in Helsinki, Pasonen, said..
'If I was a women, then I definitely wouldn't go alone'
And I said, 'Well, I am a woman, and I'm going.'
Ahuva completed her first trip, followed by two more,..
and while travelling around she visited the Kirjat Avavim Kibbutz..
located in the Judean mountains.
Some of the people there urged her to bring volunteers from Finland.
So a group was formed of several dozen people,..
all eager to accept the invitation.
The preparations lasted a year.
Meetings were held in Helsinki at Teinintie 6,
where some of the Carmel workers lived.
And I travelled around Finland on my own..
and spoke about it in various places.
And in the end a group totaling 38 people was formed,..
which was a surprise to Finns and Jews alike.
In 1962 the first Finnish group arrived in Kirjat Anavim.
It was the first time Christian volunteers -
had come to work in a kibbutz.
Michael Shapira and his wife Aliza, who still live in the kibbutz,-
remember well many of the Finns who came.
Michael taught them the Hebrew language and Old Testament,-
and spent a lot of time with them.
For some, having Christians in the Jewish settlement was difficult.
It was a little problematic.
(Micheal Shapira, resident of Kirjat Anavim Kibbutz) Some said, that a Christian group
whould practice Christianity in the kibbutz.
We were a non-religious kibbutz.
We didn't even build a synagogue here.
Now a religious group would come, and even Christians!
Each group came for a year.
The residents called the volunteers living area 'The Finnish Village'.
The volunteers did a lot towards the kibbutz's development.
They worked everywhere; in the kindergartens, the kitchen,
the rest home, the orchard and the henhouse - everywhere.
Their contribution was enormous.
They were good workers and always ready to help.
They didn't demand much.
The conditions of the Finnish Village were like in an army base.
The showers and toilets were shared.
We got to take part in the work and other activities of the kibbutz.
We also had opportunities to study the Hebrew language -
and all kinds of other special things, alongside the hard work, -
though it was hard for some, easier for others -
depending how it worked out.
Because the group members were spread out across the kibbutz -
into different tasks.
Most of the nursery workers already had permanent positions in Finland.
Each found the place where they fitted best.
So we had quite different experiences.
I liked them right from the start.
A connection was made immediately.
They were a little confused because of the new environment.
Our friendly welcome helped them to open up.
During the 1960's Carmel volunteers -
started to be sent also to other kibbutzim.
Hilkka Ashkenazi came as a volunteer in 1966 -
to Ma'ale-Hahamisha kibbutz, located close to Kirjat Anavim.
She married an Israeli man, and still lives in this kibbutz.
Hilkka remembers well her first day in Israel.
It was truly a special experience.
I remember that day when we came by boat to the city of Haifa.
We could see the mountains, something so unusual for Finns -
who have lived their whole life in a very flat area.
All those mountains made a deep impression.
Then we were welcomed into the kibbutz.
And with this warm welcome and everything else, -
it had such an effect on us, we felt like we were coming home.
It was a really wonderful feeling.
We were in the fruit garden. First we were picking the grapes -
and we got burnt in the sun.
It was really hard for us in the beginning,-
the autumn heat in Israel is really tough.
I was first here for a year, with the Carmel group.
That was in 1966/67, then I came again.
I came in 1970, and that time I stayed. I got work in a dairy -
which I really enjoyed, it was familiar to me -
from my country childhood.
It was really pleasant there, I really enjoyed my job.
The kibbutzim also organised interesting free-time activities -
for the volunteers.
We organized teaching for the volunteers.
We gave general information about the kibbutz.
We also organized trips in the land.
According to the agreement They had to have trips
so that they would learn to know the land.
I felt it was important.
Before the Six Day War Israel was a small country.
One of the interesting trips was made to the Jordanian side.
They visited Bethlehem and the Old City of Jerusalem,
where Israelis could not visit.
They told me about the sites, where I could not go.
We were in parties and weddings and other such things.
We were always invited to these, and often asked to do something -
to sing some Finnish songs.
And then we would, all the Finns, at Christmas for example,-
organise a small party. And all the kibbutz would come.
And they looked forward to it, asked us 'when's your next party?'
Once at Midsummer’s, we invited them all over for coffee.
They were always really interested in us.
The way they treated us felt really good.
The volunteers had to face many questions and situations -
quite different to those at home.
There was the question of when to take -
the Sabbath, on Saturday or Sunday.
And I suggested - because there is a Finnish proverb -
'when in the country, as in the country'-
- that we should hold the Sabbath when the Jews do.
And this caused a stir in Finland.
Journalists started flowing into the kibbutz.
They asked 'What kind of group is this'.
They'd never heard of Christians holding a Saturday Sabbath.
We were the group which was here during the 6 day war.
This deepened our connection with Israel-
and especially with the kibbutz.
We were asked to leave, the embassy requested we return to Finland.
There were 2 youths in our group that had to go home.
But nobody wanted to leave.
We saw that now we could really do something useful, -
while the men were at war we could be here and help.
We weren't afraid, though we were a couple of nights -
in a bomb shelter underneath the canteen.
There were fierce battles nearby, around a military stronghold -
on the Jordan River.
We could hear the sounds of battle,-
yet strangely none of us were really afraid.
There were often discussions in the groups about new situations -
which no-one had faced before.
And sometimes it was really hard, many difficult discussions arose.
But miraculously the groups managed to hold together.
My group held together because I held bible studies every week.
And we had regular church meetings and also the Sabbath.
And all this was helped by the fact that -
although we had some crises, our unity was strong.
And it has lasted for 30 years, I'd say.
Because I was there for the 30th anniversary -
of the sending of the first groups.
And I asked them 'What do you remember from the trip?'
And nearly all the people from the first groups sent were there.
Nearly all! Though some were in Israel, but the rest in Finland.
And they came there to the meeting.
And I asked 'What do you remember from your year there?'
And they said 'Your bible studies.'
Well, what could I say?
Ahuva Ben Meir was like a mother to us.
She led bible studies and gave us all kinds of practical advice -
about how to act and behave, since she had been there before, -
in the kibbutz, and she knew about the work and everything else.
So she was truly a kind of mother figure.
- What is this? A garden? - "Tarha" in Finnish. A museum.
Over time many discussions arose between the Finns and the Jews -
about religion and faith.
I had discussions with them.
I am not a religious person, but religious matters interest me.
I listened to them and wanted to understand them.
It was an important cultural act
when a Finnish Christian group came and helped us.
They wanted to help to build the Jewish State.
They saw it as a realisation of the prophecies
and of the New Testament.
We sat together with a cup of tea and talked about religion
and about differences in views of life.
We formed a good connection.
They wanted to be in the Promised Land, where Jesus lived.
They wanted to be in the authentic place,
where Jesus was born and where he lived.
It was important,
that they could also see the sites on the Jordanian side.
I appreciated it a lot.
Our mentalities were different.
I came from Morocco. I am a very open personality.
They where more restrained.
But when the connection was made, we got along well.
I noticed that people were watching us closely, -
how we behaved and what we did.
And they were often amazed that we did such simple work,-
peeling potatoes in the canteen or kitchen,-
or cleaning the pots and pans.
Many sang as they worked,-
we were really a cheery and energetic bunch.
And they really took note, and were amazed and asked -
'How is it that you can be smiling at us every day?'
And we tried to communicate that we are trying in some way -
to give something back to you,-
because you have experienced such hardship.
There were many there who had come from concentration camps.
They had truly suffered a lot.
We wanted to show them that Christians are not all bad.
There are those that love you, like you, want to help you.
And I feel that this had a big effect -
on their relationship with us.
We sang Israeli songs always when we were together.
The mountain air is clear as wine
and the scent of pines
is carried on the breeze of twilight with the sound of bells
And in the slumber of tree and stone
captured in her dream
the city that sits solitary and in its midst a wall.
Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light
behold I am a violin for all your songs.
Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light,
behold I am a violin for all your songs.
Carmel Association sent Finnish volunteer groups -
to Israel for 40 years.
Around the year 2000 changes took place in the kibbutzim -
and the flow of volunteer groups dried up.
But there are still many that long for those bygone days.
I liked them very much.
If I heard now, that there would be a Finnish group coming,
I and many others would be very happy.
Many have already passed away.
We had a deep connection with the Finns.
Will it happen again?
I would like to send greetings with love, if they hear this.
I hope we will meet and hear good news about each other.
When once among the poppies -
on the mountains of Galilee,-
I picked one, gazing long as it shone.
And wondered, who is this here?
The world's Beauty, The Beautiful One.
Whose blood, on Golgotha, flowed free.
As the sea of poppies glimmered -
on the mountains of Galilee.
Ahuva Ben Meir led many Finnish groups working in Israel.
Later she got married to an Israeli.
At home in Jerusalem she thinks of the past -
and looks forward to the future.
As I see it, we were part of -
the first outpouring of the Zionist spirit.
It was very powerful here in Kirjat Anavim when we first came here.
Though the youth didn't know it beforehand, -
it's presence was very strong.
And we felt it, or at least I did.
I received a bible passage about this, where it says that -
"For he will come like a pent-up flood..."
"that the breath of the Lord drives along."
"The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those...who repent of their sins"
(Is 59:19b-20 NIV)
And that took place. But then the Prophet Ezekiel also says -
that a time will come when 'the Spirit is no longer in them'.
It was a first spirit of coming together, drawing together-
which came, and faded away, and now we are living without it.
The nation doesn't have that spirit anymore, and it's searching for it.
At least according to what's in the newspapers.
But it will come again, and 4 times stronger than before, -
because the prophet Ezekiel continues and says -
"Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man..."
"Come, breath, from the four winds and breath into these slain..."
"that they may live." (Ez 37:9 NIV)
This is the foundation, it must happen by God's strength -
not through political discussion.
"I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live,.."
"and I will settle you in your own land."
"Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it,.."
"declares the Lord." (Ez 37:14 NIV)