Major Changes in the Kibbutz Movement

Dubi Ben-Ari is a second generation Israeli, born on Kibbutz Kfar Blum with parents who made Aliya to Israel from England and Austria.

Israel’s kibbutzim were instrumental in the development and security of the early state of Israel. As Israel has changed over time, so to has the Kibbutz Movement. At its peak, the movement consisted of 270 kibbutzim. Today, 75% of them can no longer be considered kibbutzim.

 

At Kfar Blum, we met with Dubi Ben-Ari, the general manager of Kfar Blum’s hotel business. Dubi was born and raised on the kibbutz, married a young woman from the kibbutz and raised three children there.

The kibbutz movement originated with the socialist and communist ideals of Russian immigrants who were early leaders in the Zionist movement. These early settlers had two primary motivations: they believed that the only solution to endemic anti-Semitism was a Jewish homeland, and at the same time, they wanted to create a society according to their ideals.

Kibbutzim became a major success not only because of the ideals themselves but because it suited the national interest of the time. Zionist leadership knew that to create a Jewish state, Israel needed Jewish settlers. Idealistic young people with a strong belief in equality were hard workers. As kibbutzim sustained themselves and fought for survival, they received more land.

By 1948 there were 600,000 Jews in Israel and kibbutzim held most of the land. The leadership understood that to fight for a Jewish state, they needed an army. Because of British control, this had to be done surreptitiously, outside of the cities. Kibbutzim became an important component of the military power in the War of Independence.

After the War of Independence, the kibbutzim guarded the borders of the new state. More kibbutzim were established along the national borders leading to an on-going symbiosis between the kibbutzim and the Israel government. Between the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 and the 1960’s, kibbutzim were Israel’s sweethearts. But in 1967, a crisis caused the beginning of the decline of the kibbutzim. The crisis was winning the Six Day War, for three reasons:

1- After the war, Israel acquired new territorial borders that needed patrolling. The army, not the kibbutzim, guarded these new borders.

2- The war caused very rapid changes to Israel’s economy. Overnight, Israel obtained a workforce of 2.5 million Palestinians in the west bank and in Gaza. Palestinians need work. Moreover, the US needed an ally in the Middle East against the Russians who supported Egypt and Syria, while Israel needed to build a modern army and air force. The US gave Israel $3 billion of development aid and the economy boomed. Within 10 years, Israel was no longer a socialist, communist society but rather a booming capitalist economic power. Everyone but the kibbutzim participated in this economic growth except the kibbutzim, which by 1978 were no longer leading the economy.

3- The Labor Party lost power, so the kibbutzim lost the preferential taxes, grants, etc. they had received from the government. At the same time, the kibbutzniks were aging. Kibbutzim were based on equality, sharing and mutual partnership. These qualities worked better when everyone was young, idealistic and poor. Over time, the best kibbutz leaders left. The kibbutzim became wasteful and less prosperous. Finally, the third-generation of kibbutz children didn’t return to the kibbutz. These children were ambitious and wanted a university education and higher-paying jobs.

Kibbutzim began working to privatize their operations to reduce expenses, and to link rewards to one’s contribution. They created an internal progressive tax system to support older members and to maintain an agreed upon standard of living. Today most kibbutzim are privatized. Members own their own homes, which they can bequeath to their children. Children can become members if they choose, but can be residents without becoming members.

The richest kibbutzim (70 of 270) are so rich they didn’t need to change things (they couldn’t afford the waste) but Dubi expects that over the next 5-10 years, they’ll privatize as well to keep their children involved in the system.

– Alan Statman

Shabbat in Jerusalem

 

The main market before Shabbat.

Shabbat in Jerusalem is very special. Our daily schedule all week had been a wake up call about 6:30 Am followed by all day travel and frequently something in the evening as well. By the time Friday morning arrived, most of us were tired and looking forward to slowing down.

 

Meir - our wonderful driver outmanoevers the traffic

Preparing for Shabbat starts at mid-day on Friday as the markets are busy with people doing their shopping. Our driver Meir, who had taken good care of us all week, was extraordinary today. He maneuvered the bus into on-coming traffic and backed up into a side street to drop us off right next to the market.

 

Harvey & Linda shopping for hamantashen at the Friday market.

The market was filled with baked goods including hamantashen for Purim, great looking spices and the always present falafel. Zvi claimed the best ruggelach were in a certain shop and took our tribe on a tasting tour. 

 

We attended Shabbat services at Kehilat Kol HaNeshama, one of only a few reform congregations in Israel. We were one of four groups visiting from the U.S. that night. Services were almost entirely chanted and were mostly familiar. 

 

The deliveries and shoppers share the same narrow alley

Saturday morning, a group of us walked through the arab section of the old town and wandered through the shops. The alley ways were extremely narrow and filled with people – some walking to services and many just enjoying the day off. Jerusalem is a very segregated city but it felt friendly where ever we were.

 

–Bob Epstein

 

Colorful and fragrant incense

 

Nuts and dried fruits

 

 

Display made from spices

 

Bread for Shabbat

 

More spices

Dragot and Silence

 

Panorama showing the Dead Sea and Jordan to the east to near Jerusalem in the west.

Returning from Masada and the Dead Sea, you can drive to a point called Dragot which overlooks a dry riverbed called the Wadi Darga. (Click here to see an enlarged image.) From there you can see the creation of this land.

Looking across the Dead Sea to Jordan

At sunset, you can look to the left and across the Dead Sea as lights in the cities in Jordan begin to twinkle. Looking to the right, you can see the sun setting and lights starting to appear in cities near Jerusalem. 

 

The Sinai and Arabian plates

Dragot is stunning in its raw beauty which was formed by the Sinai Plate and Arabian Plates rubbing against each other. This area was originally a sea bed connected to the Mediterranean.  Tectonic activities have both thrust the land upward to an elevation of 60 feet above sea level and downward to an elevation of 1385 below sea level at the surface of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is over 12o0 feet deep. Erosion from flash flooding has done the rest. The original sea bed is clearly visible in the land.

 

We sat for a few minutes in silence looking from Jordan to Jerusalem and watching the sunset. (To see where we are on a map, take a look at our location on Google Earth).

 

A Nubian ibex

Walking back to the car, a small herd of ibexes came near us. It was nearly dark but somehow my digital camera was able to still capture the animal.

 

–Bob Epstein

The Dead Sea

Katherine in the Dead Sea

Swimming in the Dead Sea was much more fun than anyone expected. In fact, except for the stinging that occurs if you have any cuts or get water near your eyes, it was more pleasant that the ocean. The Dead Sea has 33.7% salinity which means that it is 8 times saltier than the ocean.

The disappearing sea

The Dead Sea is also disappearing. The principle reason is that water flow into the sea from the Jordan River has been completely stopped due to the dam at Lake Kinneret and the water demands from agriculture.

From a depression of 1,296 ft below sea level in 1970, the sea fell 72 ft to 1,371 ft below sea level in 2006. It is currently dropping at a rate of 1.2 meters a year.

The Beth El precision dance team warms up.

One proposed solution is to supply ocean water from either the Mediterranean or the Red Sea. The idea would be to allow water to flow downhill and produce both electricity and also feed desalination facilities. No one knows what effect it would have to mix concentrated ocean water. Some believe it would form a new layer on top of the current one and cancel the benefits of the current lake. Other predictions include a fierce stench as organic material from the ocean reaches the Dead Sea and decays.

 

In the meantime, the drop in water level is producing sink holes in the nearby land which in turn threatens structures near the water.

While structures like the Temple Mount have survived thousands of years of changes from humankind, it seems unlikely that the Dead Sea will fare as well.

 

–Bob Epstein

 

P.S. See a video of our adventure, courtesy of Vivian Golden, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVW2u2X0wbk

 

Thoughts on Returning Home

Zvi in Sicarii dress arguing with Elazar ben Yair's (played by Joanne) exhortations of mass suicide. Zvi argued for a different ending at Masada. Late tonight I head for home, utterly exhausted.  I know more than I did ten days ago and have fewer answers.  A highlight last night – hearing Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center.  Wish I could tell you more now, but no time. I would like to tell you about Zvi, so here, in a shortened form goes:   Zvi and his bag of tricks   I didn’t give much thought to the importance of a tour guide before leaving.  I figured Yoel was leading the tour and the “guide” was superfilous.  There was something about tipping but I was unclear what I was tipping for.  My image of a tour guide was someone with limited education who gave rote information. Not so at all. Zvi went to Brandeis, was president of his reform congregation and is a Jewish educator in all senses of the word.  He seemed to have unlimited knowledge on archeologoy/ancient history, current politics and the bible.  His energy was also unlimited.  He was “on” from 7:00 am breakfast until we were dropped, exhausted, at our hotel at the end of the day (usually around 7:30 but sometimes there was dinner and an evening program).  In between providing information and entertaining us he was on the cell phone making arrangements for the next stop, or rearraging everything because we spent longer than anticipated somewhere or wanted more information on a topic.  I did not always agree with him, but he was invariably interesting and knowledgeable.  And I’m leaving with more questions than answers.   Zvi provided roman costume to Gary and Katherine as they argued the proper way for jews to behave in Beit She'an But what I have to tell you about Zvi is his “bag of tricks” (i.e. packback).  You never knew what would come out of there.  The CD of the Rastafarian singing about Isreal, Zvi in Rastafarian locks playing Shlomo in Tel Aviv who doesn’t see why anyone needs religion and entering into a discussion with the rest of us about that, endless maps showing endless (contested) boundaries, the various kippot that Katherine has already described, etc etc etc.   His energy and knowledge added depth to the trip and made me understand how important the role of tour guide is in Israel (maybe other places too, but especially Israel).   Hope to see you all soon! – Amy Oppenheimer

Beit Sahour, Palestine

 

George Rishmawi explaining the route of the wall around the West Bank

Israeli tour guides are not allowed to lead visits to Palestine so Amy and I arranged a visit through friends of our son. We took a taxi to the town of Beit Sahour in Palestine. Beit Sahour is adjacent to Bethlehem and immediately next to Jerusalem but separated by a concrete wall. Our brief tour was conducted by George Rishmawi of the Siraj Center (www.sirajcenter.org). George conducts tours throughout the West Bank and frequently lectures in the United States.

George was born in Beit Sahour, has children and built his own home. While his family is Greek Orthodox, he is not practicing. As he says, he thinks a day of rest is a great idea but doesn’t relate to much of the rest.

I will repeat here a summary of his own opinions – without comment. Israel annexes land but not people. They use the land to establish “facts on the ground” and to control the Palestinian population. They do this with both roads and fences. He believes terrorism in Jerusalem is reduced because Hamas chose to stop suicide bombings – not because of the wall (Note: the security boarder, as it is called by Israel, is sometimes a fence and sometimes a concrete wall.) He believes the Israeli government has built a policy based on discrimination and uses Hamas to justify building the wall which in turn makes life increasingly difficult for Palestinians. 

George cited the example of his father’s hospitalization in East Jerusalem. He tried to bring his father his razor but was refused at the checkpoint. His mother brought the razor the next day. George spent his time getting permits to care for his father. 

The fence cuts this orchard in half. There are two "agricultural gates" but it is unclear when they are opened.

George believes the continuing construction of the wall will make peace less likely and will further alienate the Palestinians. His solution would be to eliminate the wall, provide equal rights to all citizens and that both peoples can live in peace. It was unclear to me what political solution George was proposing. We visited three the locations. In the first , a Palestinian’s orchard was divided by the fence. The Israelis provided two “agricultural gates” to pass between the divided sites but it was very unclear when and how they are opened – if ever. The result is the orchard has fallen into disuse.

A new Israeli settlement is planned for the hilltop and will cut into the park being built by Beit Sahour

The second location was originally land taken over by the Jordanians for a military base. After the 1967 war, they left and it was used by the Israel Defense Force until it was given to Beit Sahour for use as a park. The park has been partially constructed and workers were in fact there during our visit. Israel decided to place a future settlement (George would call it a “colony”) at the top of the hill and have instructed the town to stop construction of the park and some portion of the land will be reclaimed by Israel. George speculated that the reason for the settlement is to provide protection for the road that runs nearby connecting other settlements to Jerusalem.

Entrance to the Aida refuge camp

Our third site was the refuge camp of Aida. The camp was established in the early 1950’s – originally as a tent camp but now is all cheaply constructed one to three story buildings made from cinder blocks and concrete. The entrance to Aida (at left) has a large key. The original refuges brought the keys to their homes with them as they expected to return. The third generation is now living among the 10,000, mostly Christian citizens of Aida. The U.N. owns the camp through a separate department that is decreasingly funded. The streets are narrow, there is no open space and shops are hidden inside the buildings. The people have above average education as they view education as the only way to a better life.

Graffiti is common on the wall and on buildings nearby

Graffiti is everywhere. Most of the wall has graffiti which is frequently in English. Many of the illustrations are extremely well done. Elsewhere there is graffiti on the buildings which expresses many of the feelings that George expressed. To see examples, visit “Graffiti and the fence”.

Returning to Jerusalem was as simple (at least for us) as entering Beit Sahour. The boarder is physically intimidating but was empty at the time we crossed on Shabbat.

Entering the checkpoint

After walking through a narrow steel enclosure, you enter a controlled gate and then walk over a stack of wooden pallets and a small obstacle course designed to prevent people from being able to run through. The Israeli agent saw our American passports and waived us through. The boarder crossing sees a large number of Palestinians with work permits passing through each day but no Israelis.

The Israelis believe the wall around Jerusalem protects them from terrorism. The path the wall takes appears to be political and not designed with regard to minimizing its impact on the Palestinians. Many would argue that is it designed to increase the Jewish population of Jerusalem. One is left wondering whether the actions are appropriate. It is hard to see how justice is being served. But as we have learned on this trip, everything is complicated. We are grateful to George for giving us another view.

–Bob Epstein

Yad Vashem

The Yad Vashem Memorial

According to the Yad Vashem web site (www.yadvashem.org.il), “Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, is the Jewish people’s memorial to the murdered Six Million and symbolizes the ongoing confrontation with the rupture engendered by the Holocaust.” The building is a long triangle shaped structure. At one end is an animation which shows jewish life in Europe in the early part of the 20th century. People gradually fad away as the Holocaust begins. At the other end, the building opens onto a beautiful view of the land of Israel. In between is growing anti-semitism and the holocaust. To walk from one end to the other, there are a series of barriers (i.e. the burning of jewish books) which direct you to walk through different rooms. The rooms provide specific evidence of the holocaust but they do something much more important.

The rooms hold the stories of individuals and help you to understand what happened from an individual perspective. It tells the stories of individual heroism – not always physical. Many times it is spiritual. What was it like to celebrate passover in a concentration camp? Why is it important to do so?

Looking out at the land of Israel at the end of the visit to Yad Vashem

Near the end of the building is a round room with a collection of books which hold the names, photos and information 3 million of the 6 million killed in the holocaust. (Their information is all on-line. ) After a painful experience of walking through the memorial, you come to the glorious view of Israel and I was left with both the sense of wanting to honor and remember those who died but also being grateful for what we have. 

We finished our visit with a short memorial service.

–Bob Epstein

 
“The Butterfly”

The last, the very last,
So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.
Perhaps if the sun’s tears would sing
against a white stone. . . .

Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly ‘way up high.
It went away I’m sure because it wished to
kiss the world good-bye.

For seven weeks I’ve lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto.
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.

That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don’t live in here,
in the ghetto.

Pavel Friedman, June 4, 1942

Born in Prague on January 7, 1921. Deported to the Terezin Concentration Camp on April 26, 1942.  Died in Aushchwitz on September 29, 1944.

What’s On Your Head May Show What’s In It

Kippot on sale in the Jerusalem market

We are, without a doubt, grappling with identity – religious and political and, of course ethnic. Yesterday, we thought about religious identity — Ultra Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, Chassidic, Conservative, Reform, secular Zionist, religious Zionist, Heradi …. Thank goodness there is a typology of kippot [men’s head coverings] to help us get oriented. Our guide, Zvi Levran, gave us a short course in hats and kippot. Here is what we learned.

 The silver dollar sized kippot of the former b’nai Akiva boys who’ve grown into men in military service pay homage to a lifetime of observance, show respect to family, but suggest re-examination of the wholehearted, unquestioning belief of youth.

Zvi modeling the latest fashions

A knit kippah suggests that the wearer is the Modern Orthodox. The large, black knit kippot are likely to be those of Yeshiva students. The larger the kippah, the more right of center on the religious spectrum. Average size knit kippot, worn slightly on the side, may be those of the B’nai Akiva youth – religious Zionist.

Then there are also the loosely knit, large kippot of the Nah Nah Nachman youth who are adherents of Rebbe Nachman of Braslav. Worn with side curls, these kippot may have a little tiny fringe at the top.

Those wonderful deep, embroidered kippot that come in vivid colors and are loved at home because they stay on your head, it turns out come from Southern Russia. Who knew?

You see every kind of kippot in Israel

And for young men, angle and clipping technique matter. It may be an act of moderate youthful defiance to clip the kippah on, but let it fall off the side of the head. There are those who wear their kippah at a rakish angle or high up and forward, exercising creativity, showing affinity, suggesting a political stance and, most importantly, proclaiming oneself a religious Jew.

Then, there are the hats of the Heradi: The black fedora – creased not round – belonging to the Litvak or observant Jews of Lithuanian influence and the round-crowned, flat-brimmed, black hats of the Chassidim. Both are Ultra Orthodox, both might be said to be anti-Zionist, but the Litvak are NOT Chassidic and, some would say, oppose the Chassidic way. The most spectacular head covering of all is certainly the Steimel, the shiny black, cylindrical hat of the Chassid, worn on special occasions. Two young men who wore them like crowns yesterday at the Western Wall were getting married.

From the passionately religious to the questioning; from the Zionist to the non-Zionist; from youth to grown men, what is on a Jew’s head just may tell you a little bit about what is in it.

– Katherine Haynes Sanstad

Kinneret Cemetery

The Kinneret Cemetery The Kinneret is what has been called the Sea of Galilee.  It isn’t a sea, it’s a lake, and is the area that the first settlers started farms and kibbutz.  One of the novels I read before the trip, The Blue Mountain (by Shalev) is set there and tells the story of the pioneers of the second Aliyah.  In fact the narrator, the grandson of those pioneers, has started a cemetery on his family’s portion of the farm, made scads of money and moved to Tel Aviv.  He tells of people who pay top dollar to be buried there.  This is, in fact, the cemetery from the book, without all the dead rich Americans (apparently there are some there, but not many.  Most are on Mt. Olive).    Our guide Zvi reading a poem by Rachel The cemetery is in a lovely setting with the water and trees.  This whole region is quite beautiful.  Many of the first pioneers from the second Aliyah are buried there along with a famous poet Rachel  (a book of her poetry is kept in a metal box by her grave so that people can read her poetry by her grave), and other well known figures.  Many of the graves are like planter boxes, so that instead of grass or stone there are flowering plants or ferns that have been planted.  And the cemetery is full of trees providing shade.  Our guide, Zvi, brought his future wife there on their first date.  He played us music – the poetry set to song (it’s amazing how he whips out props at the right time – more on this later).  It was a lovely moment.   – Amy Oppenheimer The view towards Lake Kinneret Our guide, Zvi, confirmed that the cemetery holds the remains of early Zionist settlers who braved malaria and other hardships to farm the swampy land around the Kinneret.  Their graves are marked in Hebrew, of course, but we could all read the numbers….many died very young.  And many others who did live to old age are buried next to children and grandchildren who served in the army and died in their teens.  The solemnity of the graves is softened by the beauty of the surroundings…the blue lake, flocks of birds, and lush greenery. What struck many of us was the way the graves are structured. Rather than being flat and flush with the ground, as graves are in the U.S., they are shaped like raised boxes.  The tops of the boxes are commonly planters, filled with living green shrubs.  I loved that.  Instead of leaving cut flowers to shrivel and wilt, the mourners tend the living bushes.  The longer commitment that action implies was very touching to me. – Julie Matlof Kennedy

Touching the Past

The Western Wall of the Temple Mount

On our first day in Jerusalem we visited the old city and the temple mount. What made it particularly meaningful and jewish were two activities that brought us close to jewish life in the time of the second temple.

A small portion of the western wall is what most people see in photographs and attracts the largest number of people for visits and prayer. This portion used to be the only section that was visible – the rest was buried or inaccessible. 

Beth El members ascending the Southern Steps

Today, almost the entire length of the western wall is accessible either above ground or through a tunnel that runs under the city to the northern end where the wall meets bedrock. But why pick the western wall of the temple mount? The southern end of the temple mount has the original stairs that were used in the time of the second temple. While singing Shir Ha Ma’Alot, we ascending the same stairs that jews used in the time of the second temple.

Touching ash from the burning of the second temple

We then followed the western tunnel underground past many arches and rooms used as cisterns to a place that is being excavated and is not available to the public. Svi tried to persuade the guards to let us all in but they refused. They let Svi and I enter. The room had a Mikvah and dark bands on the walls which were actual ash from the burning of the second temple by the Romans.

 

Layers of ash from the burning of the second temple

While I distracted the guard taking photos of the Mikvah, Svi rubbed the ash of the destruction of the temple on his hands. 

The excavation along the western wall under the old city

We returned to our group and all touched the past on his hands. It was very moving to think about what we were touching and to know we were carrying the connection to Judaism from those who were entering the Diaspora.

Outside on the western wall, there is an inscription about 70 feet above the original street level that starts “… and you shall see and your heart shall rejoice …” When and how it was put on the wall is unknown. The meaning to us was clear. If you can read this, we are still here. We have survived and overcome obstacles and keep our faith. You can feel this everywhere in Israel. Today we literally touched our past.

–Bob Epstein

Beth El members on the souther steps of the temple mount