The Guardian / Sycamore Group
Based on documents retrieved from the Kibbutz Hazorea Archives, The Guardian / Sycamore Group provides a unique insight into the inner workings of children’s homes in the 1970s. The shomeret (in Hebrew, a female guardian or caretaker) played a crucial role in these homes, a duty assigned to the women of the kibbutz. They undertook a week’s worth of night shifts, twice a year.
Alone in a small, 15sqm room, the shomeret conducted nightly 'rounds' or 'checks' to ensure everything was in order. Any child in need—whether sick, sad, bullied, or troubled by a bad dream—could call the shomeret using a small receiver on the wall. The call for help usually began with the words “shomeret, shomeret.” After tending to a child, the shomeret documented the event in a “shomeret’s diary,” a record kept in each children’s home.
The Guardian / Sycamore Group is an illustrated short story entirely based on information extracted from these diary entries.
For more info see interview here.
