Tell us what a kibbutz is like. Do people live in separate homes? How big is it? How many families live there? Do you eat meals together? Why do people choose to live on a kibbutz? Are you allowed to go outside the kibbutz? Is there a school on the kibbutz?
I asked our archaeologist friends, Dan and Michael who have stayed in this kibbutz while digging at Omrit for many years. The kibbutzim movement was very important in the 1970’s. Here is their answer:
Many American Jews moved to Israel thinking they would create a utopian communal type of living. In the beginning the kids even stayed separate from their parents in the children’s house all week long and only went home to be with their parents on weekends. All of the meals were communal and everyone was paid the same stipend no matter how important they were or what they did for work. There were small houses where everyone lived and then lots of farmland. Each kibbutz produced different things. Now the kibbutzim are changing. Most of the people living on the kibbutzim are older. Many of the younger people have moved to the cities.
Every kibbutz has a business that provides work and money for the people who live there. Many kibbutzim have an area where there are cabins for people to stay in when they vacation in the country.
There are no longer communal meals. Everyone cooks for themselves in their own homes. There is a small grocery store where people can get the basics. There is also a pub and a swimming pool. People are totally free to go where ever they want on a kibbutz. I think there used to be schools, but am guessing that there are not now.
The Jewish Virtual Library information about kibbutz
Tomorrow will be about my visit to Palestine.
Thank you for all that information about the kibbutz. I read the information on the link too. I still have one more question. How do you join a kibbutz?
ReplyDeleteP.S. Sister Susie has been truncated to S S because it always takes several tries for me to type it in as a name. So the shorter, the better.
Your question about how to join a kibbutz is a good one that I do not know. I will see if I can ask someone, but maybe someone else who knows will comment here!
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