Page 17 - C.A.L.L. #28 - Spring 2007

Welcome to “Kibbutz Shorts”,
where we discover what’s new
on the Kibbutz in an update
KIBBUTZ SHORTS
from around Israel.

Compiled mainly from the
Kibbutz weeklies by Yoel Darom,

Kibbutz Kfar Menachem

Kibbutz Dialectics

During their first years the Kibbutzim were very ideologically minded and spent a great
deal of mental energy in building up plans for the "ideal society", not only for their own
framework and content of life, but the whole universe. Many of us were attracted by
Marxist (but never communist) thought and theory, and we were very clever at analyzing
history and explaining how "Dialectics" formed and wrought changes in the ruling regimes
of (mainly European) countries, how economic and social forces in every society brought
about fundamental, sometimes revolutionary changes.

But after having formulated and actually realized a viable Kibbutz society, we forgot all
about dialectics. We believed that this communal mode of life could only be improved,
would conquer Israel and then maybe the whole world, but never suffer from
comedowns, never fail! So nowadays, when many Kibbutzim have abandoned their
original principles and way of life, people stand there and wonder: how could this happen
to us,. the most perfect lifestyle in the world? There exist, of course, a multitude of
possible answers, but one of them is certainly this: the old and forceful truth of dialectics
has caught up with the Kibbutz, too!

The Meditating Monk

A center for meditation opened at Kibbutz En Dor,
lead by an Israeli Buddhist monk, equipped with all
the necessary gadgets for full operation. This
maybe an ordinary piece of news for many
communes, but for a Kibbutz this is a completely
new experience. Some of the Kibbutzniks (mainly
women) declare that it helps them a lot to regain
calm and quiet after a long strenuous workday.

Co-existence and Co-operation

Close to a hundred people, many of them Kibbutz members, are spending a lot of energy
and hard work, to activate and consolidate the Organization for Toleration and Jewish-
Arab Co-operation. Half of the activists are Arabs, half Jews, and their aim is encouraging
close relations between the two peoples, meetings of young groups and encouraging the
study of each others languages, culture and traditions.

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