Page 4 - C.A.L.L. #41 - Summer 2016

years, having been started by a group of Anglo
and Israeli young people dedicated to
communal life, education and service. For many
years they lived in “kvutzot” small groups in
various apartments scattered throughout the
city, which functioned jointly as a kibbutz. For
years they tried to find a way to live together, but
they met many obstacles. A few years ago they
were able to rent a defunct absorption center
(formerly used to temporarily house new
immigrants). They renovated the facility to meet
their unique needs as a community and finally
fulfilled their dream of moving in together! Each Cars are shared, but carseats aren’t, to prevent tantrums
nuclear group has their own apartment, whose
size is determined by the number of people.
These apartments are not very fancy, but exceedingly functional. On every floor there is a shared kitchen
and common room for the kvutzah who lives there. Each kvutzah makes decisions about how to handle
meals, grocery shopping, activities, etc. Some do everything together, and some spend time and meals
together once a week. Their members all work in
projects that meet the kibbutz’s mission. Most
work in schools, youth centers, community
programs and the like. The kibbutz also operates
a small database company and a small baking
company. All members pool their income, and
major resources such as cars are shared.
Decision-making is non-hierarchical and
bureaucracy is almost non-existent. They have all
committed to sending their children to the local
public schools, which they invest in heavily as
teachers, members of the PTA and volunteers.
The kibbutz identifies as secular, but a rich
cultural Jewish life flows throughout the
The group talking in one of Mishol's common rooms. community.

Communal, ethnic and religious diversity
We met with several organizations that were dedicated to communal service and youth development. In
Beit Jean we met with a group of Druze leaders working to improve resources and opportunities within
their community. The group is a nonprofit that engages in a number of different educational and service
related projects and is helping to improve matriculation rates, social lives and economic success among
Druze families living in the north of Israel. This group is not focused on sharing economic resources or
living together, but working deliberately to improve the lives and futures of all individuals in their
villages. Another wonderful community service organization we visited was Achlit, an organization
created by Ethiopian immigrants who have flourished in Israeli society and wanted to give back to their
community. The have built a working farm, mostly utilized by older Ethiopian immigrants, who had been
missing the strong agricultural ties they had back in Ethiopia. The farm also serves as a place to provide
education about Jewish Ethiopian culture.

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