By Dov Hartuv
KIBBUTZ NAHAL OZ, Israel — At the beginning of the twentieth century the whole of Europe was in a state of flux. New ideas and new ideals were making themselves felt and the youth were bent on changing the old and ringing in the new. All doctrines and philosophies were the rage from far out anarchy to right wing fascism. Naturally the young Jewish intellectuals in Russia, Poland and the Austro –Hungarian Empire were in the thick of this whirlpool. In the midst of all this, a microscopic number of idealists dreamt of creating a new Jew free of the
trappings of thousands of years of oppression and not bound by any traditions and beliefs from the past.
These Zionist teenagers wanted to create a new society where all were equal and everyone contributed the maximum for the good of the whole. When they came to Palestine they were faced by innumerable difficulties and many decided that the task was too great for them.
The few that started these communes later to be called kibbutzim didn’t have fully blown plans to follow but rather made solutions as problems arose and later ideals and theories were tacked on to these ad hoc solutions. A case in point was looking after the children in such adverse conditions. As the young communers were almost penniless and lived in tents with mud floors, they decided that the children deserved better conditions so the first building to be built was a
house for the children. Later on this solution was the basis of the kibbutz educational programme .
Today it seems difficult to believe that the young idealists felt so vehemently about their ideals and were prepared to make any sacrifice in order to fulfill them.
This is not just an abstract story but it happened in reality. My wife Ofra’s parents as teenagers left their families in central Europe never to see them again. They came to Palestine to “build and be built” Against all odds they were among the founding members of kibbutz Yad Mordehai. When Ofra was born it was natural that instead of being in her parents tent she would sleep in the brick building that was the children’s home. Until she finished high school that was the norm and Ofra suffered no traumas from that situation as both she and her parents felt at
ease and accepted this. In later years when we were newly married and the question arose on Nahal Oz of changing the sleeping arrangements of the children and have all children live and sleep in their parents’ home, I had to persuade Ofra to vote for the change.
Although over ahundred years have past since those first “hippies” established kibbutz Degania, those on the outside have always been quick to declare the demise of the kibbutz. It’s a far cry today from those beginnings and even Ofra’s parents would find the kibbutz they knew something far away from what they dreamed of. Yet the kibbutz is still viable and not only that, it is experiencing a renaissance. Young families are joining old kibbutzim and the population is growing The kibbutz society is not an elitist group but it does take a certain kind of person to accept and adjust to the demands of a society that does not place the individual at its core.
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Hartuv is bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World in Sha’ar Hanegev, the partnership region in Israel with the Jewish Federation of San Diego County. He may be contacted at dov.hartuv@sdjewishworld.com