Equality, a common cauldron, “from each according to his ability” are words that in our country evoke ambiguous emotions and associations with the Soviet past. But those principles, from which we fled like fire in the 90s, in Israel arouse the enthusiasm of tens of thousands of citizens who move to live in special communes – kibbutzim. Why do people of the XNUMXst century strive to live in a community and share everything with their neighbors?
Kibbutz Ketura is a green island in the midst of the rocky-sandy monochrome of the Arava Valley. This is the very south of Israel, 50 kilometers to Eilat, half an hour drive. Everywhere there is drought, lifeless mountainous reliefs, and here there are lawns, flower beds, kitchen gardens, a swimming pool. Horses graze behind the hedge, plantations of date trees grow green nearby.
A kibbutz is not a village, it is a commune. Here everyone works for the common good and respects the principles of equality. Today there are 270 kibbutzim in Israel, Ketura is one of the largest in the south. In terms of layout, it resembles a boarding house: in the center there is a public area (dining room, club, bar), around there are flat streets of one-story townhouses with front gardens and lawns; outbuildings in the distance. The silence is broken by bird trills and children’s voices.
Teenagers play football on the playground. Younger children run in a flock down the next street. Alone, no adults. And this is not a cause for alarm. The kibbutz is an absolutely safe place. It is surrounded by desert and surrounded by a high wall. A random person will not get here, cars almost never drive. Unless for household needs, with me a van with a trailer transported deadwood. The main thing is not even that. About 370 people live in Keturah (not counting volunteers and tourists). 200 of them are children. They grow before the eyes of the community. It is not easy even for an adult to hide, although everyone has their own housing. It’s like in a village: everyone knows each other well, sometimes it seems too well. As it turns out, this suits many.
common boiler
In general, the movement covers 1,5% of the population of Israel (about 140 thousand people). Enough to ask: what attracts them to the slogan “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”, so quickly forgotten in our country?
Everyone has the same rights, whether you have lived here since 1973 or arrived last year
The kibbutz really lives by the principles of socialism. All the money that members of the commune earn goes to a common bank account and is distributed to general needs: medical insurance and treatment, repairs, housing expenses and food. All of this is free for residents.
The townhouses have a stove and a refrigerator, but in the common kitchen they cook food for everyone, the choice in the dining room is several types of salads, hot dishes, desserts. Clothes and linen are washed in a common laundry room, each family has its own number, it is indicated on all things, after cleaning they are easy to find.
A serious line of expenses is compulsory education for children, including a nursery from 4 months old, a kindergarten, a school and a college (if desired, even abroad), as well as informal classes – sports and development. Current issues are decided by elected committees, key ones, for example, issues of large-scale investments, at a general meeting that takes place once a month. Everyone has the same rights, whether you’ve lived here since 1973 or moved here last year, work in the field, or run a business committee.
They believe in a fair distribution of responsibility and income. Funds that belonged to a person before joining the commune are not taken away by anyone, they remain on his personal account. This introduces some controversy. “Once there was a dispute about cars: one family could afford a car, and the other could not,” says Yuval Ben-Hai, one of the kibbutz’s top managers. – And we decided at the general meeting: members of the community are forbidden to buy cars. We have car sharing. The kibbutz owns 20 cars. If I need to go somewhere, I open the application on my phone, enter the time and date and see which car is available. After use, I return to the place.
But what if someone really needs to go to the city, and all the cars are busy? How to buy tickets for a concert or celebrate a child’s birthday if there are no savings from a past life? “Of course, I can buy tickets for a basketball game, go abroad or call a taxi if I need it urgently. Or buy a gift for a child – I have three of them, by the way, – says Yuval. – From the profits that the kibbutz receives every month, we allocate an amount that we share equally. This is a kind of pocket money, which everyone is free to use as he sees fit.”
Love and business
Energetic, cheerful Yuval is 38 years old. Even 8 years ago, he did not even think about life in the commune. After receiving a master’s degree in business in Tel Aviv, he worked as a basketball team coach, but romance interfered with the routine. He met a beautiful girl and fell in love at first sight. Avishag lived in Kibbutz Kentura. Yuval went with her to the south of the country. Today he has a large family and an important position as head of the business committee. With all the principles of social equality within the community, it turns into a capitalist-entrepreneur when it enters the foreign market.
“In order to survive and prosper, we must work efficiently, develop production, grow and sell something,” he says. “At least three sources of funds are needed.”
Any traveler can come, stay in a hotel house, dine in a common dining room, go on a tour
Ketura has date plantations, a barn that produces more than 10 liters of milk per day. In addition, the kibbutz partially owns the Arava Power Company (APC), a solar energy company, and the first solar installation in the country is located nearby. The Algae blue-green algae is produced at the Algatetechnologies factory, and its expensive extract is used in food supplements and cosmetics.
Ecotourism is also being developed here. Any traveler can stay in a hotel house, have lunch in a common dining room, take a tour, see how solar panels work, try dates, taste beer of their own production. It is also up for sale. A successful business is the key to the viability of the community. And there are enough people who want to live here.
In search of protection and harmony
Joining a kibbutz is almost as difficult as it used to be in the CPSU: a person applies for a candidate position, the entire community votes. If the majority voted “yes”, he is accepted into the kibbutz. A year later, a second vote: it is necessary to score at least 50% of the votes – then the candidacy is extended for the second year. And a year later, having received 66% of the vote, a person becomes a full member of the community. If the vote doesn’t pass, you pack your things and leave.
Even those who were born here have to prove their right: this does not provide any benefits, except perhaps a better understanding of the candidate’s abilities. But it’s not certain that it will work in his favor. After college, children travel, gain experience, a profession, and if they return later, they act on an equal footing with others. In 1973, Keturu was founded by a group of enthusiastic Zionists from America. Many volunteers from abroad, captured by socialist ideas, come here even now.
The minimalistic life of the kibbutz attracts those who are looking for peace and harmony with nature, who are seriously concerned about environmental issues
Religious considerations are not paramount. Ketura builds life on the principles of pluralism and tolerance. “We honor Jewish traditions, but above all we have a secular, democratic community,” explains Yuval. “We want people to be who they are, within reason.”
Minimalistic life attracts those who are looking for silence and harmony with nature, who are concerned about environmental issues. I can assume that those who feel vulnerable in the face of fierce competition, who are afraid of loneliness and who are limited in their abilities, are also drawn here. In the dining room, for example, I met quite a few people with special needs. Kibbutz allows everyone to realize themselves to the best of their ability and feel protected until death.
Of course, it is good for children to grow up in a commune: they spend a lot of time in nature, in the open air, in games and movement, in the company of boys and girls of different ages, which psychologists and anthropologists consider optimal for healthy mental development.
part of a whole
To some enterprising self-sufficient person, the idea of working for the benefit of others and giving their money to the common pot may seem strange. “Indeed, in the kibbutz my freedom is limited, I don’t have full control over my money,” confirms Yuval. “My house belongs to everyone. I cannot sell it. If I leave, it will go to someone else. But I love this place, I want to live here until the end of my days with my family and children. For me, the most important thing is to be part of a team. We are all tied to each other, incomes depend on each other. By combining our efforts and skills, we cope with the desert, withstand competition with external businesses, and we manage to build a profitable business. Being responsible for the people who are responsible for me is a wonderful feeling. I know: if anything, they will be there, and I will always be there. I feel like I’m doing something meaningful.”
Over the past 7 years, only two people have left the community, 30 have joined. The numbers speak for themselves
Staying or leaving is a personal choice. Leaving it is easier: you sign some papers and you are free. The amount of 100 thousand shekels that the “graduate” receives is enough to afford to start life from scratch somewhere else. Only rarely does anyone leave Ketura. Over the past 7 years, only two people have left the community, 30 have joined. The numbers speak for themselves.
But Ketura is not the most typical kibbutz in Israel. In recent years, reforms have taken place in most of them: housing is being privatized, community members keep most of the salary for themselves, instead of handing it over to a common boiler. Ketura is one of the few kibbutzim that has managed to preserve the traditional way of life in modern conditions. “It is difficult to say what will happen next,” Yuval comments. Maybe the next generation will want to change everything. But this will already be their kibbutz, their choice. In the meantime, we make decisions in accordance with our values of solidarity and democracy.”
We would like to thank the Israeli Ministry of Tourism for assistance in organizing the trip.