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The next morning we set off, by bus, on a post-conference tour organised by James
Grant-Rosenhead, of Kibbutz Mish’ol. We started at Kinneret Courtyard, a crucial site in
the development of the kibbutz, then to Degania, the first kibbutz and now 100 years
old. Our final stop for the day was at Kibbutz Lavi, an Orthodox Jewish group who adhere
to traditional kibbutz ways and appear to be prospering. We were shown around by
members, then dined with them in their luxurious Hotel Lavi. This huge hotel is one of
their main businesses.

On the second day we started off at Kibbutz Beit Ha’emek where long-time ICSA
member Professor Henry Near welcomed us. A panel of kibbutz members told us about
their privatisation process, with some being enthusiastic, others with reservations and
some seeing it as disastrous. We were deeply affected by the strong emotions which
privatisation evoked at Kibbutz Beit Ha’emek. Enthusiastic proponents of ‘privatisation’
do not like that term, preferring instead the Orwellian newspeak term of “renewal
kibbutz”.

We dined in an Arab café in Sachnin, then visited nearby Kibbutz Eshbal, a recently
formed group of young people engaged in education and support for ‘at-risk’ young people.
Far from the comfortable, almost luxurious ambience of the kibbutzim Degania, Beit
Ha’emek and Lavi, Eshbal showed us the hard-edged reality of being a rural kibbutz
st
pioneer in the 21 century.
Our tour ended at Kibbutz Mish’ol where we were addressed by several members, then
joined kibbutzniks in their Shabbat ceremony and meal. Kibbutz Mish’ol was a very
welcoming and appropriate conclusion to our post-conference tour.

As always, the ICSA Board met during the conference under the convenorship of
President Michal Palgi. We decided to hold our next conference in June 2013 at Findhorn
Foundation, Scotland, with Dr Graham Meltzer responsible for conference organisation.
ICSA’s new President is Jan Bang, of Norway. The ICSA Board welcomed new members
Olive Jones (from New Zealand), Professor Marisa Gonzales de Oleaga (from Spain),
Professor Maria Foelling-Albers (from Germany) and Shlomo Getz and Yona Prital (from
Israel).

For me, our conference and post-conference tour were successful not because I learned
new information about intentional communities but because I reconnected with old
colleagues and friends, and made new connections. My good memories are not based on
seeing yet more examples of communal living but because I once again shared the passion
of communards.

I thank Michal Palgi and Shlomo Getz and their team at Emek Yezreel College, as well as
the four Kibbutz research Institutes: The Institute for Research of the Kibbutz and the
Cooperative Idea, University of Haifa, Yad Tabenkin, Yad Yaari and Oranim, for
organising the conference so efficiently. I also want to thank James Grant-Rosenhead
for organising the excellent post-conference tour.
I look forward to being at ICSA2013 at Findhorn Foundation and hope that you will join
me.

Bill is one of the foremost researchers in the intentional communities field. A former president of
ICSA, Bill has written several books on the subject, based on his own experiences of living communally,
and his visits to over 100 communities.

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