Page 7 - C.A.L.L. #39 - Spring 2015
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“It just goes to prove how wrong those Indeed, the following casualties of the
were who wrote them off,” says Dr. past 10 days reflect that prominent
Alon Pauker, a historian of the kibbutz status at the front: Maj. (Res.) Amotz
movement from Beit Berl College and a Greenberg, 45, of Hod Hasharon and
member of Be’eri, a kibbutz situated a originally from Kibbutz Yotvata; Capt.
few kilometers away from the Gaza Zvika Kaplan, 28, of Kibbutz Merav;
border. Sergeant First Class Oded Ben Sira, 22,
of Nir Etzion, a religious kibbutz;
“There are those who might have had an Lieutenant Paz Elyahu, 22, from Kibbutz
interest in portraying things Evron; Shahar Dauber, 20, from Kibbutz
differently, but the truth is that Ginegar; Staff Sgt. Guy Boyland, 21, of
despite all the changes they’ve been Kibbutz Ginosar; and Captain Dmitri
through, the kibbutzim continue to Levitas, 26, of Kibbutz Geshur.
account for a high share of the combat
soldiers in the army, and they are still Another casualty, Max Steinberg, a
big champions of mutual aid.” “lone” soldier from Los Angeles –
meaning he had arrived here without his
Broad influence family and volunteered in the IDF – had
been “adopted” by a family on Kibbutz
Michal Palgi, head of the Institute for Urim. Plus, several days ago, the
Research of the Kibbutz and the grandson of Haim Oron, a kibbutz
Cooperative Idea at the University of movement leader and former MK from
Haifa, notes that even though kibbutzim the left-wing Meretz party, was injured
have reinvented themselves – for in battle on the Gaza border.
example, by privatizing their operations
and changing their ideological
orientation somewhat over the years –
they “have always been on the front
lines, with two-thirds of them located in
the periphery of the country.”
Despite the myth which Palgi says is
largely perpetuated by the religious
right, kibbutzniks also maintain a Soldiers walking on Kibbutz Nir Am
prominent place on the front lines when “I think that a great disservice has
it comes to Israel Defense Forces been done over the years to the
activity, and are no less inclined to kibbutzim, this attempt to delegitimize
sacrifice their lives for their country them,” says Canadian-born Vivian Silver,
than members of the religious who has spent 40 years living on
settlement movement.
kibbutzim, the past 26 on Be’eri in the
south.
“According to our figures, 90 percent of
children from the kibbutz serve the Many kibbutzniks, herself included,
army, many of them in combat units,” blame the beginning of their movement’s
Palgi explains.
fall from grace on derogatory remarks
made by Menachem Begin, the late
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