Habonim was established in London in 1929 by Wellesley Aron. By the mid 1930’s the English movement already boasted 10,000 members and had spread to North America (1935), and elsewhere around the world.

Dror was established in 1915 in Russia as a Socialist-Zionist youth movement. Dror soon spread to Poland and throughout Europe and by the 1930′s had also opened centers in South America. By the mid-forties, the movement existed in South Africa and in 1961 Dror was founded in England. Habonim in North America was born out of the 1935 convention of the Poale Zion (Workers of Zion). It was formed on the principles of Zionism, the answer to the question of the fate of the Jewish people, and Socialism, the solution to society’s problems.

In 1982, Habonim merged with Dror and Habonim Dror North America (HDNA) was created.

Workshop is the longest running North American gap year program in Israel. Fall 2025 will mark our 75th consecutive year of running the program! This 8-month program offers participants a fulfilling and engaging encounter with Israeli Society and their Jewish identity.

Our celebratory year has come to an end. We are no longer monitoring this website, but you can check our our blog page, to see some highlights from the archives and photos from our events.