Page 11 - C.A.L.L. #41 - Summer 2016

This Passover holiday, where the Jewish people celebrates our liberation from slavery, I too sought
st
liberation from the slavery of the American Dream of the 21 century.

My acquaintance with the Bruderhof goes back many years. As a keen enthusiast of the communal
movement, it always struck me that the similarities between two of the largest and oldest movements –
the Jewish kibbutzim and the Christian communities of the Bruderhof – both roughly 100 years old – far
exceeded their differences.

And so it was that I arrived with my family to Platte Clove Community, to be welcomed by Becky and
Ephraim Ben-Eliezer. Now I hadn’t actually met them before, but having hosted Ephraim’s brother, his
sister-in-law and his father at my urban kibbutz in Israel, I felt that I already knew them. They have visited
my kibbutz themselves, but it was when I was out of the country due to a family bereavement.

Upon arrival, we were immediately taken to a guest apartment which included everything we could
possibly need for our stay, including tasty home-baked cookies, a welcome note and our names on a
poster on the door.
Suffice it to say the next couple of days were spent listening, talking, meeting, seeing, experiencing,
tasting, working, singing and visiting.

Communal meal at the Platte Clove Community.

Listening and talking: A considerable portion of our visit involved conversations with Ephraim and Becky
– learning about their belief system and how it shapes their way of life. They were very open in
explaining not just what they do, but also why they do it. There was also precious little sugar-coating, in
that they were honest about the challenges they face. I sometimes found myself telling them how “we do
it,” and they listened intently and were never inclined to try and prove themselves “right.” I thoroughly
enjoyed these conversations, finding many similarities to my life choices, and yet it was also fascinating
to explore the very significant differences in terms of motivations for living in community.

Meeting: We met different generations of the Platte Clove Community, and each and every person who
we met was happy to stop what they were doing to introduce themselves and inquire about us. I felt a
genuine sense that people, and the connection between them, is a high priority for the Bruderhof. I

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