Page 13 - C.A.L.L. #22 - Fall 2003

KALEIDOSCOPE
The Communitarian Scene from all Over and Under
Compiled (and partly translated) by Joel Dorkam

During a very intriguing and successful (as I thought at the time) visit to an
American commune in San Francisco, based on polifidelity, whose members claimed to

have overcome aggression, competition and jealousy - I once asked one of their very
smart women: "In which house are you living?" In response she smiled indulgently and
said: "You mean, where is my toothbrush residing today?" Not surprisingly, that commune disintegrated after
a few more years. It could be compared to a very gorgeous plant without roots....

Question is, can a community survive in the
long run without achieving a certain measure of
stability, without creating kind of a "home From "Kommuja" No. 52 of 8+9/2002, edited this time
ambience"? Thousands of people have passed by the Berlin Zorrow commune (they take turns, very
through our own kibbutz, Tsuba near Jerusalem, refreshing) we take this little announcement from E.V.:
which presently counts nearly 300 adult members

and candidates, plus about 200 children (another "This year I won't be coming to the commune meeting. I have the fee-
one might be born any moment) - and many have ling that it just won't fit into my everyday routine, which moves between
come, stayed a few months or a few years, and my family and several projects. At present I'm busy trying to set up in
gone on, leaving behind some vague memories and Berlin a countrywide association, the "Network of Self-Administration

the slowly healing (or not) wounds of ruptured and Self-Organization" - which mainly signifies using the present
relations... opportunity and political climate to establish production cooperatives.
I remember many years ago, during a This could perhaps revitalize the collective scene..."
preparing session for moderators to lead an
intergenerational workshop: we were asked to

regroup according to one of three possible Now
make OK
definitions of Kibbutz: Idea, Way or Home? To
yourself
my utmost amazement, the great majority of the
heavy
twenty participants of various ages flowed towards

the "Home" poster rather than the two other
alternatives - and stayed there in spite of a round
of persuasive debate.
Of course we didn't get the real life possibility
of opting for 2 or even all three definitions: we had

to make a choice of priorities. Now if you don't
mind, try this out on yourself? And please be sure
to be entirely honest: What shall it be for you?

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