the.com/kibbutz
communism that actually worked, for about sixty years, in the desert.
means an israeli collective community where property, labor, and childcare were traditionally shared and profits split equally among members.
from from hebrew kvutza, meaning group; the first, degania, was founded in 1910 by young zionist pioneers draining swamps and reinventing agriculture as ideology.
peak populationkibbutzim held about 7 percent of israelis in 1950s
children's houseskids often slept apart from parents, communally raised
privatization wavemost kibbutzim adopted salaries and private property since 1990s
military roleearly kibbutzim doubled as armed border settlements
for instance
degania alef — founded 1910 by the sea of galilee, the first kibbutz
kibbutz be'eri — attacked october 7 2023, over 100 residents killed or taken
ein gedi — desert oasis kibbutz near the dead sea, runs a botanical garden
kibbutz ketura — founded 1973, now home to the arava institute for environmental studies