It has been a most eerie evening. The flight that we are on has been bumpy, as the captain warned— “Good evening everyone, we are going to be experiencing some turbulence, but if you just sit back, relax, and tighten your seat belts there should be no…” The words fade as I peak out the window. Flashes of white light up the evening sky revealing dark clouds everywhere. The plane shakes. I stare at bolts of lightning in the distance striking anything within reach. A man in his mid-fifties is sitting next to me. His eyes are staring forward, focused beyond the plastic partition separating us from first class. The plane shudders. I mention to him that we are currently flying through a major lightning storm. The man shakes his head from side to side, denying the evidence outside, and closes his eyes. Our plane must be getting bombarded by those lightning shocks outside. How could a 100 ton piece of metal flying through a lightning storm possibly avoid those electric bolts? I turn around and look behind me; a cargo of semi-nervous people sit, waiting. Among these people stand out a group of ultra-orthodox Jews, dressed in traditional garb.1 The men are mumbling words of prayer, rocking back and forth. I turn around and face forward and smile. I am not quite sure if it is those prayers emanating to God that save us, or just a feat of modern technology, but somehow we survive. The clouds clear and our Boeing 767 finally makes its descent towards the ground and lands. “On behalf of British Airways and the crew on board, we welcome you to Israel.” A full moon beams down upon me as I exit the plane. Then I feel it for the first time— I am in Israel. The early morning sun colors the eastern sky a most brilliant purple as I proceed towards customs.

     I came to Israel on field study with the goal to live on and learn about a farming community and social movement known internationally as the kibbutz.2  I became intrigued with the idea of studying a kibbutz prior to my coming to Israel when I was a student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. At the time, I had been studying under the Community Studies board with an interest in free trade economics, more famously known as global capitalism.

     While at the university, I had been analyzing the effects global capitalism had on small scale communities. After studying several case studies pertaining to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), I noticed a repeating and concerning trend. A correlation existed between the spread of capitalism and a weakening of the basic social human interaction known as community. As capitalism increased, harmonious community amongst people diminished, being replaced with increased crime, pollution, and apathy.

     Politicians have encouraged free trade and the capitalist agenda by promising financial success. Their theory seems simple: As a business increases profits by operating more productively, it becomes able to reinvest more money into the surrounding economy.3 As the economy grows, people earn more money. There becomes more money available that people are willing to spend on leisure and luxury items, and the quality of life increases. Small businesses prosper and people are happy. Employment rises, crime lessens, and the community flourishes.

     This theory makes sense, and is even believable; however, an analysis of the modern day capitalism shows that the system actually mostly benefits a small minority of big business owners, investors, and top executives. Much of the remaining population remains stagnant, believing in delusive promises of future financial success, yet barely earning enough money to survive.

     A region that becomes influxed by large corporate business, often experiences negative results that hinder communities. There are several reasons for this. When a corporation earns increased revenue, excess profit is awarded to those who own shares of that corporation. Production workers seldom enjoy a pay raise. CEO's and shareholders of large corporations usual live hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from the corporate production centers. Consequently, most newly generated money leaves the corporation's host region and is not reinvested in local community business and interests. This outflow of wealth does not improve community or increase the quality of life for people living near corporate production centers.

     Increased competition by large corporate companies cause the closure of smaller business performing similar services. As smaller businesses close, there exists less money for people to spend, and the economy suffers. In addition to an outflow of wealth and small business closure, communities can experience environmental degradation and job displacement resulting from corporate interests. Many of these factors lead to a recessed economy, increased unemployment and crime. All lead to a decrease in the quality of life and a breakdown of community.4

     My days of studying free trade economics brought me distrust for the current economic agenda. When the time came for me to search for an appropriate field study, several challenges arose. In this age of the galactic corporate empire, I wanted to work with and study an entity that promoted community instead of maximizing profits. Ideally, I wanted this organization to work as independently of the capitalist system as possible. For a while, I was uncertain what to do.

     With the suggestion of a friend, I remembered the kibbutz communities of Israel. The kibbutz ideologies boasted a communal lifestyle and maintained a socialist ethic towards money and the production and goods. All financial wealth earned by the kibbutz remained within the kibbutz economy, sustaining its members and providing for future projects. On kibbutz, equality between men, women, elders, and immigrants was high priority. The practice of job rotation attempted to eliminate the traditional roles of men working physically demanding jobs, women caring for the children, elders resting, and immigrants performing grunt tasks. On kibbutz, all people enjoyed a variety of tasks and responsibilities. The most underlying theme invoked by the kibbutz movement was "each person gave according to their abilities, and each person took according to their needs." The philosophies of shared living and equality amongst all people helped to create a strong community foundation for members of the kibbutz.

     Our current day sees the conquest of capitalism as the defining role in mainstream economics. Most any business or organization that exists today must operate as a capitalist entity in order to survive. Yet, the kibbutz of Israel remain. It fascinates me how a community based on the ideas of socialism and communism finds the balances necessary to survive in the increasingly capitalist world. Do the kibbutz of Israel really offer people an ideal lifestyle free of societal degradation, or have they too become tainted as a result of internal and external economic pressures?

     I decided to take a deeper look. I wanted to learn more of the kibbutz dynamic; what made it tick? I wondered how the kibbutz worked, who lived on them, and how these people ensured that their community would adhere to its ideologies. I wanted to understand the internal functions of the kibbutz. I decided to do some research.

Next Chapter: The kibbutz…

1. Jewish ultra-orthodox (Hassidic) style has changed little from what 17th century Jewish polish farmers wore. There are hundreds of sects of Hassidic Jews and each sect has slightly different variations, but the general clothing layout is as follows: Men wear black hats that cover a mostly shaved head. The exception allows for a bundle of hair coming down each side of their face. Huge beards grow from their chins. Black trench coats cover white button down shirts underneath. The women all seem to have the same hair style, straight and shoulder length. I later find out that these are all wigs. (Orthodox marital laws forbid a married woman to show her hair to the public.) In addition, each woman sports a full length dress that covers her arms and legs. The children wear similar clothes, just smaller. They look cute.

2. The plural of kibbutz is kibbutzim. In Hebrew, the “im” suffix is an indicator that the word is plural.

3. Increasing productivity equates to cutting costs. As business can't control the price of raw resources, it's main way of saving money is by cutting internal costs, such as wages and benefits for workers.

4. For a thorough study of effects global capitalism has on communities, I recommend the book: When Corporations Rule the World, by David C. Korten. Kumarian Press, CT. 1995.

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