Kibbutz Geva

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of going with Miriam to the Kibbutz that her mother lived on for the time that she was in Israel, located in the Gilboa region of the north. Kibbutzim are communities of families which live and work together, and share all possessions. Kibbutzim were first developed in the early 1900s when Zionist Jews came to Israel to begin their lives, and learned that living together was a good means of survival. Kibbutz Geva used to be one of the major providers of chocolate in Israel, but now produces metal pistons. The Kibbutz employs all of the people who live there, either in the factory, school, kitchen and dining room, or with other work, such as laundry and gardening. Geva is also home to hundreds of cows and sheep, which are milked for drinking and making cheese.
The members of Geva also share a very large bank account - there are no salaries, and no doctor's bills or rent to be paid. Each year, a family receives a budget, which is supposed to be enough to include all expenses. In order to become a member of Geva, people must live and work on the Kibbutz for six months, and are then placed before the other residents (Geva has about 600) in a vote. Since the community is so tightly knit, it is very important for all the residents to get along with one another.
Miriam and I stayed with a wonderful couple, Asnat and Richard, who both knew Miriam's mother when she lived on Geva. They took us to the dining hall for our meals, and showed us around the Kibbutz so we could get a better view of how the community lives. The area surrounding Geva is beautiful with lush green fields and forests; the view from Richard and Asnat's home is an unbelievable site! We spent the afternoon walking around the Kibbutz, and then went out for dinner in the nearby town of Afula, before watching the news in Hebrew and heading to bed. As we walked around Geva the next morning, I thought about how sweet and simple life was in the Kibbutz, and how much I would prefer it to the hassle of paper-writing and food shopping! Hopefully I will be able to go back to Geva during my next two months here!

Lots of love,
Elyse