Paradise Regained —Israel

The kibbutz revival 01 Cattle farm at Maabarot kibbutz, which is located in the Sharon Plain 02 Poultry farm at Mishmar Hasharon kibbutz 03 Main building of Maabarot 01 pARAdISe RegAINed —Israel Preface After 29 years as a city dweller, Boaz The kibbutzim may have been born out of socialist Alon came back last September to his ideals but for years their native land in kibbutz Mishmar appeal has been fading. Hasharon, between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Now, to survive, they’ve It’s not that he didn’t make it in the city, formed into profit-making or that he had nowhere else to go. On the cooperatives and Israelis are returning because of their contrary, he says, “Now, for the first time, high living standards. I live in the kibbutz out of choice. In 1979, after serving in the army, I was writEr offered to work in the banana fields and Adi Schwartz that was my only option. Now I can con - phOtOgraphEr tinue my work as a computer engineer in Jason Larkin Tel Aviv, and still enjoy this wonderful 02 piece of land.” Alon, 51, now lives in the kibbutz and commutes to his job in Tel Aviv every day. He is one of 42 early kibbutzniks (members) who recently rejoined Mish - mar Hasharon, which has a population of 222. “That’s 25 per cent up since 2004,” says Ronen Simcha, manager for the new members, “and there are constantly a few dozen more knocking on our doors.” Ofir Shtemerman, CEO of Tkuma, a private company that helps people relocate to kibbutzim from all over Israel, says that there’s an influx of young — 03 The kibbutz revival Lebanon Haifa Sasa Ma’agan Michael Mishmar Degania Hasharon Ma’abarot Tel-Aviv Mediterranean Syria Sea Jerusalem Israel Jordan Egypt 01 04 05 06 people wanting to return: “There’s a Rich pickings 05 Iftach Navot, an 18-year-old member of 01 A girl works in the stables at Ma’agan the Ma’agan Michael kibbutz, with an good vibe going on.” Michael, Israel’s largest kibbutz on the Kibbutz Sasa, located a injured crow he’d rescued foothills of the town Zichron Ya’akov The social and economic model of kilometre from the Israeli- 06 Dinning room of the Maabarot kibbutz 02 Ruti Lahav and her daughter in-law the kibbutz (the word means “gathering”) Lebanese border, is 07 Child stands on his school roof to pick Yael Lahav, both residents of the was celebrated as one of the boldest social considered to be the richest berries from a tree at Ma’agan Michael Maabarot kibbutz kibbutz in Israel, mainly 08 Children of the Ma’agan Michael experiments of the 20th century. And it 03 Boaz Alon and his son outside their because of its extremely kibbutz play on a pile of cotton was a central part of Israel’s identity. A house in Mishmar Hasharon successful armoured 04 Plantation of dragon fruit in the disproportionate number of kibbutz-born vehicles manufacturer, Maabarot farm individuals emerged as Israeli political Plasan. and intellectual leaders and being a kib - With 350 residents, butz member was perceived as the high - Sasa is a classic old-style 1992, because it was a difficult and a est form of self-fulfilment. kibbutz. It has kept its suffocating place to live in, but now I’m communal character, and The central idea was that everyone members work for no salary. here because the quality of life offered to would contribute to the society according Sales, mainly to the US me is higher than in any other place.” to his capabilities, and would draw from healthcare, education and services. Since Armed Forces, from the Changes in the kibbutz movement it according to his needs. All assets were the first of these was created in 1996, factory were 1.3bn shekels affect the whole of Israel. Some 66 per jointly owned by the members, and there three quarters of the 262 kibbutz in Israel (€231m) in 2007. cent of the kibbutz annual revenues now was no private ownership. Accommoda - have converted to the model. Kibbutzniks comes from the 280 factories that the tion and three daily meals were provided who want a more authentic community kibbutz movement runs, most of them in and the size of living quarters was experience choose the more classic kib - the plastic, metal and food industries. decided by the kibbutz according to each butzim such as Maabarot or Ma’agan 02 07 And the kibbutz still own 43 per cent of individual’s needs, not their status. Michael, the largest with 1,500 residents. the arable land in Israel, accounting for a The renewed kibbutzim think of third of Israel’s agricultural output. But this model has since changed almost themselves now as centres that will only Itamar Shweike, head of the Agriculture beyond recognition. Inefficiency, mis - survive if they make money. Many kib - department in the kibbutz movement, management and above all, the fall from butzim are run by private management says that the attitude towards agriculture grace of socialist and communal living companies, and words such as “entre - was always two-fold: it was about eco - ideas from the 1980s onwards, meant that preneurship” and “board of directors” nomics but it was also about the impor - the kibbutz movement ended up crippled have found their way into the vocabulary tance of living off the land. by debts. The young, in particular, of the movement. The annual net profit “We are now facing the challenge of jumped ship and moved to the towns. It in all 262 kibbutzim rose from 700m fitting together the old and new kibbutz,” became clear that in order to survive, the shekels (€124m) in 2002 to 2.8bn shekels says architect Roni palmoni from kibbutz kibbutz would have to reinvent itself. (€498m) in 2006.The number of kibbut - degania, who is involved in many re - The result has been a switch to what zim making a loss has halved. designing projects. is called the “renewed” kibbutz, where “The kibbutz has changed,” says Some might say the kibbutz has sold members receive a salary for their work Sigal Forman, 44, standing outside her out and become little more than an Israeli and can buy apartments or villas and own temporary house in the renewed kibbutz version of a gated community. But, cars. Many, like Alon, live on the kibbutz of Mishmar Hasharon. Waiting for her palmoni explains, it still allows people to but work in a nearby town. They pay a new villa to be built, she feels not only connect with the land and think like a community tax to the kibbutz, which in less obliged by ideology, but also much community. These days, it seems, that’s return provides them with subsidised more independent. “I left the kibbutz in what more and more Israelis want. — (M) 03 08 — — .

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