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There can't be many literate people in the Western world who don't know the word
"kibbutz". Indeed, for many it is the first association with the name Israel, despite
the fact that at no time did more than 6% of the population live on kibbutzim. But what is a kibbutz? In brief, it is Israel's original form of commune, arising out of the special circumstances of the Jewish national renaissance and the return to the land of Israel. Democratic socialism and back-to-nature ideas from Eastern Europe were rife among the pioneers at the dawn of the 20th Century. But the first kibbutzim arose out of economic necessity " the need to join together a group's meager resources in order to build up the land and reconnect the Jewish people to the soil. Making the desert bloom, draining the swamps, the revival of Hebrew culture, self defense, "the conquest of the sea" - these Zionist slogans were the essence of kibbutz life.  A bird's eye view of Kibbutz Urim (by courtesy of the Yad Tabenkin Archives) As a result, Israel - unlike other countries - has a legal definition of its commune. A kibbutz is "an organization for settlement which maintains a collective society of members organized on the basis of general ownership of possessions. Its aims are self-labor, equality and cooperation in all areas of production, consumption and education." It should therefore not be surprising that kibbutzim are different from communes in the rest of the world. (Press here for an answer to the question, "How does a kibbutz compare to other communes?") Kibbutzim are autonomous economic and social units. Although similar to villages (except for the 4 urban kibbutzim), they are legally private domain. Between kibbutzim there are varying degrees of co-operation, usually through the national kibbutz federations and the regional councils. The former differ to in their politico-ideological viewpoints, today far less than in the past. The following extract of a new book, The Changing Kibbutz, by kibbutz member Eli Avrahami, illuminates the basic principles and structure of the kibbutz:  Common ownership of the means of production and consumption; General responsibility and mutual help; Independent and democratic management; The commune and the settlement are one entity (the geographical-municipal entity and the social
community, the kibbutz, are congruent); The principle of self-employment, without hired labor; Organizational connection of each individual kibbutz to a nationwide movement, and connection of
the movement to the Workers' Federation and the Zionist-socialist political parties.The structure and lifestyle of kibbutzim has always been dynamic and not uniform. The last decade has seen an increasing rate of change in most kibbutzim, mainly with regards to consumption and in the direction of measures of reward for effort. For more details about the changing kibbutz, press here. A Few Facts The 269 kibbutzim are scattered all over the country,
from the Lebanese border in the north to
near the Red Sea in the south, from the now-fertile coastal plane to the barren Dead Sea shore. In pre-state Palestine,
kibbutzim were established wherever land could be bought, most often on desolate wasteland or inhospitable swamps. Kibbutzim on the map. (Central Bureau of Statistics) In the 1948 War of Independence,
kibbutzim played a vital role in the defense of the newborn
state. Those that were conquered were raised to the ground; in one kibbutz alone, 151(!) defenders
lost their lives. The smallest kibbutz has
only 25 members and candidates, plus 9 children. The largest kibbutz, Maagan
Michael, has a permanent population of 1200 souls.A Few Statistics |
| Population | No. of Kibbutzim | Year |
| 10 | 1 | 1910 |
| 805 | 12 | 1920 |
| 26,554 | 82 | 1940 |
| 66,708 | 214 | 1950* |
| 85,110 | 229 | 1970 |
| 125,100 | 270 | 1990 |
| 115,600 | 269 | 2002 |
| 120,667 | 269? | 2005 |
| *After the War of Independence, 50 kibbutzim were established in 1949. | ||
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In 2002 the median age of
the kibbutz population was 29.5 years, slightly lower than the national Jewish
average (30.2). The 25-44 age-group comprises 23.4% of the kibbutz population,
while the 45-64 age-group is somewhat smaller (21.5%). (Source: The Kibbutz Movement "Facts and Figures" 2004, by Avraham Pavin, Yad Tabenkin.)
|
| Permanent residents | 723 | |
| Temporary residents | 95 | |
| Members | 364 | (190 women, 174 men) |
| Candidates | 15 | (not "kibbutz sons and daughters") |
| Children | 186 |
(
pre-school - 55, primary school - 60, intermediate school - 32 highschool - 39 ) |
| Sons and daughters | 132 | (not members) |
| Youngsters on military service | 46 | |
| Youngsters on national service | 7 | (pre-military) |
| On leave | 60 | (Mainly youngsters, not yet members) |
| Members' parents | 15 | |
| Youth from overseas | 11 | (in highschool) |
| "Adopted" soldiers | 18 | |
| Workers in service branches | 70 | (Including "Pensioners") |
| Workers in industry | 20 | (Plus "Pensioners") |
| Workers in small enterprises | 33 | |
| Workers in agriculture | 23 | |
| Workers in education | 10 |
(Not including teachers) |
| Workers off the kibbutz | 110 | |
| Members below the age of 40 | 60 | |
| Members above the age of 70 | 46 | |
| *Tzora, founded in 1948, is the largest kibbutz of its age-group. | ||
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The Kibbutz and Agriculture All kibbutzim began as agricultural communities. Returning the Jewish people to the soil and to nature was a vital part of the Zionist revolution. Partly due to the absence of traditional agricultural methods, and partly because of the possibility of a commune taking risks where a private farmer could not afford to do so, the kibbutzim have played a major part in diversifying and modernizing agriculture in this part of the world and in "making the desert bloom". The initiative of kibbutz members, despite the lack of personal reward, has contributed in almost all fields: from irrigation to pest control, from cotton growing to dairy farming, from fish breeding to tropical fruits, from flower growing to desert cultivation. There are very few countries in the Third World that haven't been aided by the agricultural expertise of kibbutzniks. Today, it is an undisputed fact that in Israel it is well nigh impossible to make a living from agriculture alone, because of competition from world markets, the shortage of water and limited land area. The need to vary the occupational possibilities of members has also contributed to the trend away from farming. Nevertheless, over 15% of the kibbutz adult population work in agriculture and the kibbutzim still provide some 40% of the gross added value of Israel's agricultural output. The Kibbutz and Industry The shortage of fertile land and water, the impossibility of making a living from agriculture alone, plus the need to vary occupational possibilities, has led nearly all kibbutzim to set up industrial projects of various kinds and sizes. Some are a direct outcome of kibbutz agriculture: irrigation methods (world-renowned for saving water), food processing, plastic crop coverings, wine making, etc. Others range from health products to optics, printing to diamond-tipped tools, hi-tech to mosaics, high quality glass to television sets, furniture to health products, toys to musical instruments. You name it - we make it! Regional plants of several kibbutzim are common, but a recent development is joint ventures with private capital.  Developing "green" pest control at religious kibbutz Sde Eliyahu (with thanks to Biological Control Industries) A few statistics (for 2001): Altogether, there are 327 kibbutz industrial plants and 11 regional corporations, comprising some 50 industrial units. These make up 8.5% of Israel's total industrial income: including plastic and rubber products (37%), metals and machines (17%) and foodstuffs (15%). About 25% of the kibbutz adult population works in industry, which comprises about 70% of the total Kibbutz production. The Kibbutz: Education & Culture The kibbutz has always invested much in education, both in manpower and in finance. Almost all kibbutzim maintain their own children's houses and kindergartens. Many of these accept children from outside, their high standard being a big incentive to non-kibbutz parents. Nowadays, no kibbutzim have their own primary schools and high schools are all regional. Many of these attract outside pupils, because of their less formal atmosphere and original educational programmes. All but a small minority of kibbutz sons and daughters finish high school and are encouraged to go on to tertiary education. Many kibbutzim provide this, even if the youngsters have decided not to remain on the kibbutz.  The First Fruits Procession on Shavuot (Pentecost) on Kibbutz Tel Yosef (by courtesy of the Yad Tabenkin Archives) Informal education has received a high priority, after-school activities in the various arts being provided in many local or regional centers. The large number of kibbutz educated artists, writers and performers, in various aspects of Israeli culture bear witness to their success.... Sports are encouraged at all levels, and kibbutzniks excel in various branches.... The Israeli educational youth movements get a great deal of support from kibbutzim, both financially and in the form of manpower. The kibbutz movement has established a number of tertiary educational institutions: two high-level teachers training colleges, four research bodies, two adult education centers and an economics and agricultural institute. A number of regional colleges have been set up in outlying areas. All are partially staffed by kibbutz members. Short-term, specifically focused courses are a special feature of many of these bodies. 50% of the adult kibbutz population has completed more than 13 years of studies, compared to 30% in the general Jewish population. The kibbutz movement maintains two large choral groups, a chamber orchestra, a youth orchestra, a modern dance troupe (with an international reputation), a theatre group, an art gallery in Tel Aviv and a major publishing house. Besides these, a number of local art galleries and specialized museums exist on various kibbutzim. All of them provide kibbutz members with the possibility of expressing themselves artistically, while contributing to the country in general. A high percentage of the leading figures in all fields of Israeli culture are products of kibbutz education. How Others See Us Visitors come looking for a secret formula, not realizing that, although we are a collective society, we are actually a large collection of individuals. To sociologists, we huddle together for security. To psychologists, we are interesting variants. To Marxist socialists (if any remain) we are irrelevant deviants. To democratic socialists (if any remain) we are the pathfinders to the future. To historians, we are a passing phase. To reporters, we're good copy. To tourists, we're a stop on a guided tour. (With thanks to Saadia Gelb, Almost One Hundred Years of Togetherness, Kfar Blum.) |
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