In December 1997, the United Kibbutz Movement established its first new kibbutz in a decade. A social experiment in collective living which at one time captured the imagination of the world, the movement today suffers from a severe identity crisis; this kibbutz may be the centurys last.
by Dan Izenberg
The 50 young men and women who founded the settlement, named Kibbutz Eshbal, hope that their idealism, enthusiasm and the wisdom of hindsight will breathe new life into the kibbutz movement, which began in 1909 with the establishment of the first kibbutz.
Yoel Marshak, head of the Youth and Settlement Division of the United Kibbutz Movement (UKM) explains that it took an effort on the part of the army, the Noar Haoved Vehalomed youth movement and himself to convince the UKM leadership to agree to sponsor a new kibbutz. "They told us: what do you think youre doing?" says Marshak. "We have enough trouble dealing with the existing kibbutzim." In the final analysis, the caliber of the young men and women who volunteered to build Eshbal was the factor that convinced the decision-makers.
"We told them we had a fourth generation [of kibbutz members] who wanted to do what the first generation did," reveals Marshak. "The middle generations, those in their 40s, 50s and 60s, have become too materialistic. But the youth, with their naivity, believe what they were taught. Thats a wonderful thing, and we felt we should give them the opportunity to express it."
Coming to Eshbal "gives me the chance to build the kind of life I want to live, with the people I want to live with," declares one of the new members of the kibbutz, who is still in the army. "What gives us the strength to do this is our faith in mans essential worth, in the value of sharing, in true human relations and the realization of these beliefs in day-to-day life," asserts Gal Sela, 21, another founding member. "This is the opportunity we have been given."
Eshbal is located in the Western Galilee, close to the Arab village of Sakhnin and several kilometers south of the town of Carmiel. It was established as a paramilitary settlement in 1979. Today, Eshbal is a tiny community still officially run by the army, located on a deserted side road off the highway between Misgav and Carmiel. It contains a ramshackle complex of huts which housed the soldiers, a small dining room, and a few better-constructed classrooms and dormitories, the remnants of an aborted attempt to establish a school for Nahal soldiers (Fighting Pioneer Youth) here.
It is not much to start with. And there is nothing more in the offing for the immediate future. According to Marshak, Eshbal will be the first kibbutz in Israels history to start off without means of production other than the skills of its members. It also has virtually no land. Its economy will be based almost solely on teaching and educational counseling and every member of the kibbutz will be involved, either full-time or part-time, in this pursuit. The decision, in part, is a function of necessity, since there are no large tracts of land available for Eshbal. But it is also a matter of ideology. The members of Eshbal come from the Noar Haoved Vehalomed youth movement, which has inculcated them with the two basic values collective responsibility and social commitment. Living on a kibbutz and teaching children in the surrounding towns will enable the kibbutz members to achieve both.
But the decision to establish Eshbal was not a simple one. "Given the crisis in the kibbutz movement, we discussed at length whether or not it was possible to create a way of life which could implement these values," maintains Dany Coten, 25, the secretary of the kibbutz. "As far as we are concerned, the answer is yes."
The members of Eshbal come from five core groups of about 10 members each, from different parts of the country. These men and women joined the Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed youth movement as schoolchildren and became counselors when they grew older. After graduating from high school, the members of each group deferred their military service for a year and formed communes, serving as teachers or movement counselors and sharing their income. Last April, seven groups, serving out their last months of military service, were asked if they would be prepared to establish a new kibbutz. Five said yes.
The members of Eshbal realize that they are out of step with the materialistic and individualistic society that has developed in Israel over the years, but are not fazed by that fact. "The fact that many people yell the same thing doesnt make it true," said one of the men. "People may call us naive, but we havent chosen our way of life blindly." "We are always questioning ourselves," says 21-year-old Dana Pianik. "But with all the questioning, we remain here and feel that this is the correct way to live. I see my friends who are not in the movement living aimless and empty lives."
Meanwhile, Coten is busy planning the future. Eshbals membership made up of core groups from the youth movement is expected to eventually reach 300. The core groups will remain intact so that every member of the kibbutz will belong to a more intimate setting within the larger collective. The core groups will also be responsible for providing some of their own cultural and educational activities. Eventually, the income generated by the kibbutz members will be split in three and allocated to the individual, the core group he or she belongs to and the kibbutz collective.
In the meantime, Eshbal still belongs to the army, although the decision to turn it into a civilian settlement has already been made. In a few weeks, the army will leave, and the men and women of Eshbal will be free to test their youthful dreams against reality.