Hashomer Hatzair, a socialist, zionist youth organization, had an active chapter in Los Angeles starting in 1936. Los Angeles may not have been the most fertile ground for socialism, but in fact, the ideals of collective living on a kibbutz and social justice were welcomed by (most of) the parents and the kids who attended the meetings and the summer and winter camps in the mountains, and gave them a way to be secular Jews maintaining Jewish values.
Now, fifty or more years after these youthful experiences, 34 former members of Ken Nirim have reflected on those years and on the impact the "movement" had on their lives and their Jewish identity. They have created a collective memoir -- a piece of social history -- describing an alternative secular Jewish experience in ‘50s, '60s and '70s Los Angeles in this newly published book, Ken Nirim: Reflections and Stories.