Page 4 - C.A.L.L. #36 - Summer 2013

Sharing in Israel by Ephraim Ben-Eliezer

November 27, 2012

“Is this your first time in Israel? Really? How do you like it?” Then they wait
breathlessly for an answer.

I am 39 years old, the son of a Polish Jew who fought in 1948 for the Jewish State. I
learned that in Israel you don’t take the above question lightly. They are asking for my
endorsement of their life, country and policies. After some consideration, I usually said
“It’s a beautiful country”, which it is.

But Israel is more
than beaches,
mountains and banana
groves. It is also
more than rocket
attacks and bombing
raids. When the
state of Israel was
refounded, there was
a clear sense that
this wasn’t just going
to be another
country like the
other 195 already in
existence. There was

Joseph Ben-Eliezer, second from right, and his son Ephraim, sitting a great amount of
next to him, enjoy a meal at the urban kibbutz, Mishol. idealism and a longing
for justice and
brotherhood.
Bankers, lawyers and musicians left highly-paid jobs and joined ‘ghetto rats’ to work
the same beautiful soil that their ancestors worked on years ago. The drive for
personal gain at the expense of others was frowned upon – surely not by everybody –
but it was enough to flavor the entire nation. Together, men and women drained the
swamps, made the deserts bloom, and still had enough energy left to dance all night. All
this I learned from my father, and together we went to Israel to seek among the ruins
for traces of this spirit.

The kibbutz movement, which since 1910 has braved its way through many wars and
uncounted hardships, was the obvious place to start. This movement has held aloft the
flag of equality and sharing among men and women for over 100 years. Martin Buber
famously said, “The Kibbutz is the only Utopia that has not failed”. Although the
majority of kibbutzim have recently privatized, the leaders of the remaining sharing
movement are bravely soldiering on. We were told by some that we should not be so
naïve as to think that there is still anything alive here. Let me put it this way: To the

4