Yehudit Arnon OBM- Founder of the Company

The late, Yehudit Arnon, a pioneer of Israeli Dance, founded and led Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company for over three decades. In 1965, she initiated and established a regional dance studio, which first opened the doors to professional artistic dance for the residents of western Galilee and the northern region. In the studio, and later in the dancer training workshop, she developed her unique teaching methodology and nurtured some of Israel's leading dancers and choreographers, including her successor, Rami Be'er. Through her faith, vision, determination and commitment she fulfilled her lifelong dream and established a one-of-a-kind home for Israeli Dance. In recognition of her extensive contribution to Israeli Culture, Yehudit Arnon was awarded in 1998 the honorable Israel Prize in the field of dance

Yehudit Arnon was born in 1926 in Komárno, Czechoslovakia. In 1944, her family was deported to the Auschwitz extermination camp, where her parents were executed. Yehudit was sent to forced labor and was the only member of her family to survive. In the camps, she danced for the inmates to uplift their spirits and discovered the power and hope that dance could bring. When she refused to dance for the Nazis, she was punished. After spending a night barefoot in the snow, she vowed that if she survived, she would dedicate her life to dance. After the war, she moved to Budapest, joined the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement, where she met her husband, Yedidia Aharonfeld. Together with their friends from the movement, they immigrated to Israel and established in the Galilee area Kibbutz Ga'aton. In the kibbutz, she produced large-scale performances, showcasing her talent for inspiring and engaging others in dance.

From her first days in Israel, Yehudit was involved in dance. Among her prominent teachers were Yarden Cohen, Valentina Arkhipova, Noa Eshkol, Gertrude Kraus, and Rachel Emmanuel. She later trained with Maurice Béjart's company in Brussels. In 1969, the regional dance company at Kibbutz Lohamei HaGeta'ot presented "Elegy," a performance she created based on her biography. The heavy stones on the stage served as a reminder of the hard labor she endured in the concentration camps. Her work in the dance department of the Kibbutz Movement alliance, established to develop and integrate both artistic and folk dance in the kibbutzim, pushed her to create a dancer training studio in Kibbutz Ga'aton alongside a company for the kibbutz members.

Establishment of the Studio and the Dancer Training Workshop
In the regional dance studio Yehudit founded in 1965 in Ga'aton, her unique teaching methodology took shape. Many Israeli choreographers and dancers made started their professional path in the studio and later on the workshop Yehudit established in 1977. The most prominent among them, her protégé and successor, Rami Be'er, took his first steps in dance at the age of 3, in Yehudit’s rhythmic classes, which later opened the doors for him to the world of artistic dance as a dancer in Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, as a choreographer, and eventually as an artistic director and her successor.
Establishment of the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company
In 1970, the dance department of the Kibbutz Movement Alliance decided to establish a new company that would also open doors for other kibbutz members from the Galilee and other regions of the country. Yehudit Arnon took over the artistic management of Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, which was based in Kibbutz Ga'aton. Thanks to her exceptional personality, Yehudit made friendships with renowned choreographers worldwide, who helped shape a diverse repertoire that led to the rapid ascent of the company, earning it widespread recognition in a short time. Among the creators were Mats Ek, Jirí Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Christopher Bruce, Susanne Linke, Gene Hill Sagan, Daniel Azoulay, Flora Kushman, Hada Oren, Oshra Alkaim, and others.

For her contributions to Israeli culture, Yehudit received numerous awards and honors. In 1995, she was invited to light a torch at Yad Vashem on Holocaust Memorial Day. The following year, she retired from managing Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company but continued to support the activities of the studio and the dancer training workshop. For her lifelong work in education and the art of dance, she received the Israel Prize in 1998. the prize committee notede: "Yehudit is a living example of the unyielding strength of the human spirit, demonstrating the ability to rise from the depths of the Holocaust to the heights of art and creating a masterpiece". In August 2013, Yehudit passed away and left behind an extraordinary legacy. Inspired by her memories of Auschwitz and her experiences during the Holocaust, Rami Be'er created "Aide Memoire" an iconic work and one of the few that addresses the Holocaust.