Thrilling Experience: Visiting a Kibutz
There is one experience that
Israel offers its visitors that cannot
be offered elsewhere and that is a
stay at a kibutz, or as it is popu-
larly known, a communal settle-
ment
Kibutzim are indigenous to Israel
having been organized by Israeli
pioneers around the turn of the
century. Based on an agricultural
economy, a kibutz is a collective
settlement where the theme is
"from each according to his ability,
to each according to his need."
The kibutz member draws no
salary, but for his share in the
operation of the kibutz he is pro-
vided with his needs; food, clothing,
shelter, education, health care and
other essentials which are deemed
necessary by the community's rep-
resentatives, who are themselves
elected by the members.
Thus kibutzim and their mem-
bers became the backbone of
Israel's young society. Some, such
as Degania, near the shores of the
Sea of Galilee in the North are
nearly 60 years old and have pro-
greased from strictly agricultural
settlements to diversified econo-
mies with operations such as lum-
bering, fish-canning, and in recent
years, tourism.
Hibutdm still play a vital role
in Israel's life and more and
more visitors to the country are
being attracted to this social-
economic development to witness
a unique experiment as well as
indulge in the amenities many
offer.
Today Israel's kibutzim offer
more than 800 simple but comfort-
able guest rooms and such diver-
sions as pool, sea or lake swim-
ming, tours into the Galilee Hills
or the Negev desert; nightly sym-
posiums on a variety of subjects,
drama or music offerings, fresh
wholesome food, and the oppor-
tunity to experience kibutz life.
The prices for this first-class
experience are modest, ranging
from about $6 to $7 a person for
a double occupancy room and in-
cluding full board.
The kibutz guest facilities are
After staying at a kibutz, the
guest will most likely realize why as varied as the surrounding Israel
this form of living has produced so countryside. Some have chalet-type
many of Israel's leaders including housing while others are designed
David Ben-Gurion and Moshe along the lines of an American
motel.
Dayan.
Kibutz life, it has been said,
gives its members the security
needed so they can devote their
spare time to worthwhile activities
such as learning, craftsmanship
and other skills. At the same time
the physical labors involved de-
velop the kibutz member's body
making him an outstanding soldier
when necessity calls him to na-
tional defense.
A kibutznik shares in the
democratic process for he
selects those who administer his
settlement. Weekly meetings are
held by the members in which
they voice their feelings, opin-
ions, and recommendations for a
better community and some of
these debates have provided the
background for future political
struggles on a national level.
Places to Visit in the New Israel
ETZION BLOC, between Bethle-
hem and Hebron. In the 1940's,
four Jewish settlements were es-
tablished in this area. In 1947-48,
they succeeded in stemming the
advance of the Egyptian and Jor-
danian armies on Jerusalem, but
were wiped out in battle. Many of
the settlers were killed, while the
others were taken prisoner.
• * •
QUMRAN. The famous Dead Sea
Scrolls were discovered in moun-
tain caves here. Between the moun-
tains and the Dead Sea are the
excavations by Kathleen Kenyon of Herod, who rebuilt it on a
for the past 15 years. Among the grandiose scale and renamed it
finds are a city wall and a cir- Sebastia in honor of the Emperor
cular tower dating back to 7,000 Augusta, using the Greek equi-
BCE.
valent of his name. The remains
• * s
of the town, ranging from the Is-
OMAYYAD PALACE. The Pal- raelite period through Herodian,
ace of Caliph Hisham Ibn Abdul Byzantine, and up to the Crusaders'
Malik of the Omayyad Dynasty eras, cover an extensive area, and
liras destroyed by an earthquake have been excavated in part. The
in 747 CE, when in the final more spectacular structures to be
stages of construction. It was a seen are an enormous temple, a
grandiose complex of columned theatre, and a dilonaded street, are
courtyards, mosaic floors, foun- those built by Herod.
tains and baths. The most inter-
The Crusader church houses a
esting remnant is a beautiful mo- tomb reputed to be that of John
saic floor depicting a fruit tree the Baptist.
and a lion attacking gazelles. De-
• • •
corative elements found in the
JACOB'S WELL, on the out-
palace are on display in the Rocke- skirts of Nablus (Shechem)
feller Museum in Jerusalem.
named after the Patriarch who
• • •
tended his herds there. Here Jesus
ELISHA'S SPRING. Principal met the Samaritan woman and
remains of the settlement where
the scrolls were written.
• • s
JERICHO. One of the oldest, if
not the oldest, cities in the world
Excavations have laid bare 23 dif-
ferent strata, the oldest of which
is 10.000 years old i.e.. about 6,000 water source of Jericho. The name
years before Joshua brought its 1 refers to Elisha, diciple of the
walls tumbling, down. It is also I Prophet Elija, who purified the
the lowest city in the world at I water.
1,200 feet below sea level. The
s s •
town is noted for the red flower-
SYNAGOGUE MOSAIC FLOOR.
ing poinciana times lining the Discovered
the 1930's, this floor
streets. and is surrounded by lush from a 5th in
Century synagogue
plantations. The more important
shows
a
memora,
lulav and shofar
places to visit are
with the inscription "Shalom al
• • • •
Yisrael."
EXCAVATIONS — The tel,
•
.
(mound) has been:, the object of
Name 4 Winners
of Weil ,Awards
JORDAN -RIVER., East of Jericho
two miles) is the location of the
Jordan River, mentioned first in
Genesis XIII, where Christian tra-
dition places the baptism of Jesus
by John the Baptist. The site is
marked by Greek, Abyssinian,
Armenian and Coptic monasteries
and chapels.
• •
GAZA, a large town on the coast
of the Mediterranean. Associated
with the heroic death of Samson
at the hands of the Philistines,
Gaza was one of the main Phili-
stine cities. Today the city is one
of the most densely populated
Francisco.
The award winners are Solomon places in the • world.
• •
Four New -York communal and
cultural leaders have been named
winners of the 1966 Frank L. Well
Awards of the National Jewish
Welfare Board. The 'bronze medal-
lions and scrolls emblematic of
the awards will be presented at
the Saturday night banquet session
of JWB's national biennial conven-
tion at the Fairmont Hotel, San
Litt, president of the World Feder-
atioin of YMHAs and Jewish Com- ,
munity Centers and a past presi-
dent of JWB; Lazar Weiner, con-
ductor and music director of Work-
men's Circle Chorus, music direc-
tor of the Central Synagogue of
New York and a member of the ,
executive board of the JWB-Spon-
sored National Jewish Music Coun- 1
cil; Daniel L. Stone, a member of
JWB's armed forces and veteran
services committee and of JWB's
board of directors, and Mrs. Dan-
iel L. Stone, a vice chairman of
the JWB women's organizations'
services and chairman of the JWB
Long Island Armed Forces and
Veteran Services Council. Mr. and
Mrs. Stone are the first husband-
wife team to win a Frank L. Weil
Award since it was established in
1951.
Each day, UNICEF vehicles
travel roughly the distance of 35
EL ARISH, Sinai. An oasis near
the Mediterranean shore in the
sandy desert of Northern Sinai.
Through the ages it has been a
pivotal point for armies marching
between the fertile Sharon Plain
and the Nile Delta. The beaches
at El Arish are among the most
beautiful in the world.
s * •
SAMARIA - SEBASTIA. Arch-
aeological site, 8 miles north of
Nablus (Shechem). The City of
Samaria (Shomron in Hebrew) was
found by King Omri in the 9th
Century BCE as Capital of the
Israelite (Northern) Kingdom. His
son, Ahab, continued the building
program on such a luxurious scale
that he brought down the ire of
the prophets upon himself. The
city was conquered by the Assyr-
ians in 721 BCE, and its inhabi-
tants taken into exile. It rose to
greatness once more in the 1st
times around the world. --- Century . BCE. under' the. sceptre
asked her for water. Various
churches have been built over the
well during the ages. The present
one, Greek Orthodox, is still under
construction.
• • •
GOLAN HEIGHTS. The high
cliffs overlooking the Upper Gali-
lee Valley were heavily fortified
during the Syrian occupation of
the area. The fiat lands are well
watered and are potentially excel-
lent for agriculture. The area near
the headwaters of the Banias Riv-
er in the north are lushly green
and are being developed as a tour-
ist area as is the area near the
springs of El Hamma at the south-
ern end of the Golan Heights.
You select what you want in a
kibutz and the odds are you'll be
able to find it in one of the many
that welcome the *nests of Israel.
Hibutz Guest Houses
Ayelet Hashahar—Upper Galilee
Nof Ginosar—Tiberlas Area
Shefayim—Coast near Natanya
Beth Oren—Mount Cannel
Beth Yesha—Near Rehovot
Hanita—Western Galilee
Hafetz Haim—Near Rehovot
Gesher Haziv—Western Galilee
Hagoshrim—Upper Galilee
Kfar Blum—Upper Galilee
Kfar Giladi—Upper Galilee
Kirvat Anayim — Judean Hills
(near Jerusalem)
Maale Hahamisha—Judean Hills
(near Jerusalem)
Nir Etzion—just south of Haifa
Hof Dor—just south of Haifa
Neve Yam—just south of Haifa
Yours for
the asking
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS tO24 Foster Am, Wyk N.Y.1123S Plow 0121272111
14—Friday, February 23, 1968
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