A year ago I had the opportunity to stay on Kibbutz Meirav outside of Beit Shean. I experienced the daily lifestyle on a religious kibbutz and the welcoming feeling that comes along with a kibbutz community. Living there left a permanent impression with me about what it must be like to live on a kibbutz.
However, not all kibbutzim are the same nor built on the same principles. Today, we had the opportunity to learn and understand what life is like on two other kibbutzim, both very different from Meirav. The first, Kibbutz Sasa, located in Northern Israel, is a thriving kibbutz based off of the original kibbutz structure where income and possessions are equally distributed. In addition, this kibbutz has found its niche in industry with the production of protective materials in the Plasan Factory. The second kibbutz, Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov, is also a socialistic kibbutz, however it focuses on agriculture, specifically the growth of banana plants and sunflowers.
Each kibbutz is unique which has allowed every kibbutz in Israel to develop in its own way over the years. Even though they have their differences, the commonality between them is that they create a strong community amongst their residents. These strong connections within kibbutz communities provided the support needed to encourage early settlers of Israel to work hard in order to keep the Zionistic dream alive. These early kibbutznicks built the land of Israel and developed it into the beautiful, thriving country we know today.
As an advocate for Israel it is important for us to understand life on many kibbutzim because this lifestyle is a core of Israel society. The success of Israel started with the kibbutz and fueled the Zionism spirit. The devotion and determination of the early settlers is why Israel is here today. Therefore, going to Kibbutz Sasa, Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov, and my previous experience on Kibbutz Meirav, has shown me how the devotion and determination of early Kibbutz settlers has paved the way for a successful Israel today. The knowledge gained from visiting a variety of kibbutzim gives us a few more tools in our basket to make us better advocates for Israel.