The Wealthy Kids of Kibbutz Bet Yisrael
The Wealthy Kids of Kibbutz Bet Yisrael

Like every kid in the world, Mendy Applebaum, age 10, desperately wanted to see the new Harry Potter movie the day it opened, but there was no guarantee he'd be able to go. The Applebaums are members of Kibbutz Bet Yisrael, an urban kibbutz which shares everything, including cars. If someone else needed a car for something more important, Mendy and his friends would be forced to see the film another day.

"Sometimes we plan to do something, or go somewhere, but when it's time to leave, we can't go, because all the cars are gone," says Shulamit Gardi, a 10-year-old blonde. "Sometimes we can take a bus, but not always. Mostly we just plan to go another day."

Even at their young age, both Mandy and Shulamit recognize that living in a community such as theirs sometimes demands giving up certain luxuries--but they also know that it's worth it. "It's not so bad," Shulamit smiles. "It teaches us we can't always have whatever we want. Being disappointed once in a while isn't so terrible. Besides, there are so many good things about living in a kibbutz."

Historically, Israel's kibbutzim were rural, communal organizations. Men and women worked together in the fields, dairy barns, and equipment sheds, and ate together in large halls. Although the adults lived in small private apartments, all the children slept together in dormitories, separate from their parents. Each kibbutz pooled its income and paid for everyone's basic expenses--housing, food, clothing, and education. Families received small amounts of money for personal needs, but everything--all equipment, furniture, cars, or trucks--was owned by the community, not by any individual.

The urban kibbutz reflects a new trend: a kibbutz located in city or town. Bet Yisrael--which literally means "House of Israel"--is located in Gilo Alef, a low income area in southern Jerusalem, where the air is clean and fresh, the views magnificent, and there's not a cow or chicken shed anywhere close.

"We're social pioneers," explains Amy Simon, one of the founders. "We believe that the frontier of Israel lies in our inner cities and development towns. We decided to put our kibbutz right in the middle of a disadvantaged community. By living here, and being a real part of the local population, we serve as a living example of a caring society."

The kibbutz includes 30 member families, 20 singles, plus a yearly class of 18-year-olds enrolled in the kibbutz's mekhinah, a pre-army educational program. The families live in individual apartments, dispersed among non-members. They maintain a modified communal lifestyle: some members work for the kibbutz itself, teaching or performing other communal tasks, but others work outside the kibbutz and pool their salaries with the community. The kibbutz pays members' rent, health care, and education. Each family receives an allotment for food, clothing, and personal expenses.

In contrast to those who concentrate on accumulating wealth, Bet Yisrael focuses its energy on creating a diverse community. Although the vast majority of Kibbutzim adhere to one ethnic or religious stream, the founders of Kibbutz Bet Yisrael challenged that idea head-on. Their kibbutz, they decided, would live out the notion that a totally mixed community of Jews could live in peace and harmony, sharing everything and respecting each other's beliefs.

"Most of us grew up in a kibbutz ourselves," says Amy. "There were things we liked about kibbutz life, and other things we wanted to change. When we formed Bet Yisrael about 14 years ago, our goal was to build bridges among Jews. So we actively work to keep our membership as mixed as possible."

While sharing salaries and cars among people with vastly different backgrounds might sound difficult, the children of Bet Yisrael happily insist they have the ideal life, functioning as individuals within a very tight-knit community. "We're all best friends," says Malki Simon, who, at 10, couldn't imagine living without her friends around her all the time. "It's like we're all brothers and sisters. That's why other things like cars don't matter so much. We're all connected."

"The best part is you never feel alone," says Yochanan Gardi, a big-eyed 7-year-old. "No matter what, you always have friends around." This, he understands, is far more valuable than material goods.

Kids run in and out of everyone's home, knowing they're welcome everywhere. "One day I came home and found three kids in my living room watching TV," Amy says. "None of them were my kids, but we're all family here. That's the way it is."

What's the downside to life on an urban kibbutz?

"Never being alone is a problem," says Yochanan.

"Sometimes I'm tired, and just want to be by myself, but there are always people around. So I try to tell them nicely. I try not to hurt their feelings, but sometimes that happens anyway.

"We're like brothers and sisters, and just like families, we fight sometimes. But that's what we're all about," notes Yochanan, "learning how to get along." This, in fact, is the essence of Bet Yisrael: getting along with each other, and getting along with less.

 

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