Kibbutz Experience Reflections
After time being apart for Pesach vacation where many students enjoyed traveling, seeing family and friends, and experiencing Passover in Jerusalem for the first time, we had the opportunity to come back together as a group to continue and explore new facets of Israel. This past weekend we travelled North to get a taste and an understanding of the Kibbutz movement which were among the foundations of the establishment of the State of Israel.
The weekend was full of jammed packed activities to enable us to meet as many people involved in Kibbutz life as possible. From meeting with organic farmers at the most traditional kibbutz in Israel today, Sde Eliyahu, to tasting wine made out of an extraordinary man’s basement, to making cheese at a dairy farm, and lastly enjoy a team building competition where we had to make our own rafts and race them down the Jordan river. These activities gave us a new perspective on what the Kibbutz movement actually is, the reasons for its establishment and how large of a contribution it brings to Israeli national identity.
However, in my opinion, it wasn’t until Shabbat where we really had the chance to meet with members of the Kibbutz to learn about the movement, and to understand the rapid changes with modernization which the kibbutz movement is slowly undertaking. The Kibbutz we stayed on, an Orthodox Kibbutz, Shluchot near Beit She’an was founded in 1948 by Holocaust survivors. What struck me, as I learned more about this Kibbutz was how these survivors fled persecution and used the motivation to build something new, and something which later contributed to the creation of a new kind of modern Jew. We met with a modern artist and industrial designer who also runs a camp for children from outside the kibbutz, including children with disabilities. Additionally, we met with acouple who told us more about how life on the kibbutz is structured, and a variety of other locals. My highlight was definitely playing volleyball on Shabbat afternoon with some of the other Thrivers against 20 of the Kibbutz’s craziest kids.
All of the Shabbatot with Thrive this past semester have shown us very different parts of Israel, but which all make up a whole necessary to understand how Israeli society functions. The Kibbutz experience really gave us an understanding of how influential this movement was in creating the modern state of Israel. This weekend sparked some intense conversation and debate between us, which really stretched and challenged me. While I don’t think I will find myself picking up and moving to a Kibbutz anytime soon, it was beautiful to witness and experience such a close knit and sustainable community living and thriving together.
