Journal: “Swan Lake” at Purim
The Jewish holiday of Purim was more than a month ago. But I've been transcribing my old journal from my time as a volunteer and came across a brief description of the festivities on Shamir. It reminded me that, as I research the history and economics and sociology of...
The Kibbutz on Paths Apart
Dr. Eliezer Ben-Rafael is perhaps the most influential academic of kibbutz studies. Not only has he written extensively and edited several important books on the topic, he also chaired the national committee (which ended up taking his name as shorthand) charged with...
A Complaint
The director of the Centre where I'm a fellow fielded an email complaint about the content of my talk last month about my research into the kibbutz movement and the lessons that could be applied to Canada's co-operative economies. Or rather the complaint focused on...
The Taxman Cometh
Sigh, it's that time of year again: tax time. (Actually, because I claim self-employment income as a freelance writer, I get a couple months breathing room here in Canada.) Apparently, that could mean some unexpectedly high tax bills for the 75% of kibbutzim that have...
More News on the Kibbutz Centenary
A reader and fellow blogger passed along links to two more stories about the centenary celebrations at Degania A that use the occasion to look back at how the kibbutz movement has changed. The Irish Times ran a report that ended with an interview with Israeli...
Editorializing a Century of Communal Life
The Israeli newspaper Ha'Aretz ran an unsigned editorial to mark a hundred years since the founding of the original kibbutz. I'm not sure if it's damning or not, but it does feel like faint praise. Still, the editorial does acknowledge the important role the kibbutz...
Some of my best friends are kibbutzniks
In the oddest piece of kibbutz life meets celebrity gossip, Jesse James—the serial-philandering husband of actress Sandra Bullock—found himself in even deeper trouble when photos of him Sieg-Heiling in a Nazi uniform emerged. Apparently, he claims the paraphernalia...
The President visits Degania
Shimon Peres, president of Israel and longest serving Member of Parliament (48 years), visited Kibbutz Degania Alef, to help the original kibbutz kick off a year of centennial celebrations."In my heart I know: The State of Israel wouldn't be what it is today without...
Emerald Isle Kibbutz
The idea of the kibbutz continues to inspire, often in surprising places. On this website, an author makes his case for a system of kibbutzim in Ireland, as part of a country-wide contest called Your Country Your Call to brainstorm new ideas for social...
Closing the Children’s House
One thing I’ve learned from my research is that the “end of the kibbutz” has been predicted from practically Day 2 of its founding. Every decade—almost every year—a new threat appeared to pose a crisis for this utopia. In fact, it’s hard to read a book or an article...