Hachshara for Israel in Nonantolla

Establishment of the Carpentry Workshop

Arrival of Tools: After significant negotiation with authorities, carpentry tools arrived from “ORT,” which was seen as a productive turning point for the house.
Expert Instruction: A master carpenter was brought from the Ferramonti camp to teach the children the secrets of the trade.
Vocational Training: This work provided the boys with a “real job” and a professional skill intended to serve as a livelihood for the rest of their lives.

The DELASEM Aid Warehouse

Centralized Relief: The central warehouse for “DELASEM” was relocated to the attic of Villa Emma, turning the house into a hub for relief efforts across Italy.
Logistics and Shipping: The youth worked with high enthusiasm, packing and shipping winter coats, dresses, and suits to other refugee camps and villages.
Increased Productivity: The young workers competed to increase their output, eventually raising their daily capacity from 10 packages to as many as 300.
Sense of Purpose: For many, like Tommy, this work provided a tangible connection to their past (such as his father’s shop in Vienna) and a sense of “real” or “useful” work.

Administrative and Educational Work

Help Office: A ground-floor office was established to manage aid for tens of thousands of refugees; older youth like Edgar, Henry, and Helena worked there for several hours a day.
Language and Ideology: Despite the freezing cold, the children huddled in corners to learn Hebrew. They also received instruction on the history of Zionism and the Land of Israel to prepare them for their eventual departure.
Resistance to “Idle” Studies: There was a noted tension where older boys like Pauli demanded “useful work” over the repetitive study of Zionist history, which they felt they had already covered in previous camps.

Individual Roles in the Warehouse and Office

Tommy: A central figure in the warehouse, he drew on memories of his father’s shop in Vienna to manage shipping logistics. He was highly competitive, boasting that he would be a “pig” if the team didn’t reach 200 packages in a day.
Pauli: Represented the older youth who felt a deep urgency for vocational training over classroom learning. He worked in the warehouse but often challenged the counselors, demanding “useful work” that would prepare him for a profession in the Land of Israel.
Alex, Fanny, Zvi, and Ehud: These youth were the primary workforce in the attic warehouse, handling the packing, labeling, and delivery of aid packages to the post office.
Administrative Team: Older youth including Edgar, Henry, Helena, Otto, Fanny, and Arnold (a journalist) were assigned to the ground-floor “Help Office”. They managed correspondence and aid distribution for refugees across Italy.
Yoshko : He worked in the office during the morning hours, specifically responsible for managing the files of refugees whose names fell under the letters “L-I”.

The Instructors and Leaders

Yoshko (lead educator): Teaches Hebrew, zionist ideology, and Jewish life in Eretz Israel.
Herz Schuldgfrei: An expert carpenter and former member of Hashomer Hatzair brought from the Ferramonti camp to provide professional vocational training.
Boris: A counselor who focused on nurturing the creative talents of the youth, specifically mentoring Heinz in music.
Emilio Freilich: A cook brought from Ferramonti who took over the kitchen duties, allowing others to focus on the warehouse and office work.

From Yoshko’s Memoirs

From “ORT” the carpentry tools we expected finally arrived—our efforts bore fruit. Along with them came an expert carpenter, an older man of experience. He was brought from the Ferramonti camp after much wearisome negotiation with the authorities. Every conversation with him opens with an introduction: “With us in Ferramonti, it was different.” He turns to me: “Yoshko, are you from Hashomer Hatzair? Me too. I even have a membership card. It’s been a long time since I was in the ‘Party,’ but in my heart, I remained faithful… write to the ‘Party’ that I am here too.”

We liked this Herz Schuldgfrei, especially since he was the only one who gave some of the group the secrets of the trade as a livelihood for all their future days. And of course, the part of our friend Boris, who nurtured a musician like Heinz, should not be diminished. The boys were happy! Finally real work, something productive. Not everything is perfect yet and additional tools must be purchased (and Nathan promised to activate “ORT”), but there is positive movement. And all the others who are not working? These, as yesterday and the day before, draw water, clean the house countless times, and in the afternoon are busy with something called “studies,” in the words of Pauli.