General presentation

All youth movements considered themselves educational movements with the aim to educate the Jewish youth in the spirit of the love to Israel, to the Zionist movement, in preparation of the Alyia to Israel. The influence of the youth movements among the young generation was enormous. Through these movements the young Jewish students, the working youths and the street youths were integrated in the schools. The youth movements succeeded to instill the Zionism and the bonds to Eretz Israel into the community and in every Jewish house in our town.

The national issue – the central and common leveler of all movements. The youth movements were acting towards awakening the national consciousness of the youth.
Those movements, which were all Zionist movements, shared a main goal: the Aliya to Eretz Israel, and the establishment of the state in Eretz Israel.
The local branch or the nest was the focus of attraction and activity of the youth.

We used to meet evening for evening in the local branch, for several hours, listening to lectures, learning Hebrew, learning how to sing and dance. This was a special experience in our adolescence. The local branch was our small “Eretz Israel” Often we made excursions into the nature, spending days and nights in the company of our friends in our “summer settlements”.

Upon the establishment of the Communist regime – a significant change occurred. This regime did not recognize Zionism. All local branches were closed down.

In brief: the large majority of the youngsters in our town, the pupils of the youth movements, immigrated to Israel and had the privilege to witness their dream coming true: the establishment of the State of Israel.

The “HaShomer Hatzair” Youth Movement: The movement was born in Bucharest in 1920. Over the years branches were opened in most of the Romanian towns, the town Focsani included. After World War Two, it became one of the biggest and most influential youth movements in our town.

The “Gordonia” Youth Movement, a popular pioneer movement.
The movement was established in 1923-24, and was named after the pioneer, teacher and educator Aharon David Gordon. The first branch opened in Bucharest, in 1925-25, and over the course of the years, many other local branches opened in various Romanian towns, in our town Focsani too. Socialism became the social philosophy of life of the movement, and the main goal of the movement was Zionism and its implementation.
“The ten commandments” of the movement were the spinal column, the identity card of the movement.

Man, nature and self-realization
Those were the three basics of Gordon’s doctrine. The instructor and coordinator of the branch in the Mayor Romano Streetwas Reuben Stern. I was a Gordonia-member and very active in the branch, together with A rie  Leonica Gherson, Izu Itzhak Moraru –Maridor, Elyahu Yaniv, Dina Moscovici , Ety Solomon , until the time they made Aliya in 1947.

“Buselia” – the Zionist movement of the more mature youths. Ya’akow Stern, God rest him, was among the most prominent supporters of the movement in the town.

“Dror HaBonim” – Zionist-Socialist Youth Movement
The movement appropriated Borochow’s theories and was part of the Proletarian camp. It was the movement of the working youth, mostly youngsters who did not pertain to any organization and came from the lowest social-economic classes, lacking even a minimum formal education, their main preoccupation being supporting their families. The goal of the movement was to bring these youths closer to Zionism.

The “Zionist Youth” movement was first established in the town of Bacau , in 1924.
It was the movement of all Jewish young people, as a counterpart to the “HaShomer HaTzair”. It refrained from coming close to the political extremes in the town. It was an active and dominant movement. Among its active members was Vilu Katz, leader of the national movement, who immigrated to Israel and returned as an emissary of the movement. Others were Mandy Steinberg, Haim Waizman, Matei Grisaru, Dr. Sami Herscu (God rest him), Prof. Levi Rahmani, who was arrested and sentenced for his Zionist activity. Itzchak Artzi, who later was elected a Knesset member, became the leader of the movement in Romania. The branch operated for a while in “Vila Cincinetta”.

BEYTAR – the Josef Trumpeldor Covenant
The youth movement of the revisionist Zionism, its basic objective being the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz Israel, on both banks of the Jordan River. The first nest opened in Tshernowitz (1926), Romania, following Zeev Jabotinski’s visit in Romania. Beytar was successful in recruiting the youth through the military, which became the foundation stone of Beytar. The movement was based on a command hierarchy with military discipline. The youngsters were proud of the uniform they wore.
The branch was set up in the house of Arie Levanon-Waitzman, Koka Waitzman Ben-Haim (in Strada Mare). Efraim Grinberg-Doron was the nest’s commander, later followed by Faibis as commander and Jacques Geber as his deputy.

These were the Zionist Youth Movements in the town of Focsani