Kibbutz - 1973

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:05][music] [music] >> Grassy plains, mountains, cowboys, and cattle. Sites familiar to all of us.

[00:00:23]Yet, these people live and work on a kibbutz at Hazorea in Israel.

[00:00:29]Tailors, merchants, scholars. Most of the Jews from Europe knew little about farming when they arrived. Yet, in Israel, they built prosperous farming communities by sheer hard work and determination. [music] >> [singing] >> When the first kibbutzniks [music] came to Palestine over 50 years ago, land like this was desert or swamp. Land that no one else wanted.

[00:00:57]A far cry from the ghetto homes of Europe. A far cry, too, from the tent communities of the first kibbutzniks.

[00:01:03][music] They drained the swamps, irrigated the deserts, coaxed the dry earth back by They still come. Israel maintains an open door policy, inviting all Jews who care to to settle here.

[00:01:27]Still, the kibbutz forms only a small part of Israel, an increasingly urban nation.

[00:01:33]Today, there are close to 300 kibbutzim where people pool their labor and share the profits.

[00:01:47]>> [music] [music] [music] >> At Hazorea, the chief crop is cotton.

[00:02:04]>> [music] >> Because there is little rain, the fields of cotton, millet, and sunflowers must be irrigated. Nowadays, kibbutz farmers are experts. Hard work and experience >> [music] >> have taught them how to get the most from their land.

[00:02:21]>> [music] >> Working at a distance from the main buildings, they eat the midday [music] meal in the fields.

[00:02:35]>> [music] [music] >> Early kibbutzim grew everything their people needed.

[00:02:48]Today, much of the produce grown at Hazorea finds its way to the growing city markets, and kibbutzniks buy what they cannot grow. [music] >> [music] >> Productive farmland is used as much as possible for cash crops, so Hazorea grows only as much hay as it needs to feed the cattle.

[00:03:16]Hazorea has 600 cows, 300 of which provide milk for the members.

[00:03:28]The cows are milked three times a day.

[00:03:31]What isn't needed on the kibbutz is sold in town.

[00:03:36]All of Hazorea's 700 members take their meals in the community dining hall. Most people have fairly regular jobs, and some members are assigned as cooks and helpers, but no matter what their other jobs, everyone takes a turn cleaning up after meals.

[00:03:51]>> [music] >> Many hands are needed to harvest the pears.

[00:03:56]In the kibbutz, >> [music] >> everyone does what he is best equipped to do, and all work is felt to be equally important.

[00:04:03]>> [music] [music] [music] >> At 1:00 a.m., two kibbutz members are still hard at work. Fruit trees can only be sprayed during the windless night hours.

[00:04:36]All kibbutzim are primarily agricultural cooperatives, but many of them, like Hatzorim, have some industry as well.

[00:04:43]They are less dependent on agriculture for survival. Also, many of the older people can be employed in less strenuous work.

[00:04:54]Hatzorim has a plant that produces artificial fibers. 40 people work here in two shifts. There is also a furniture factory.

[00:05:17]The hot house, growing flowers for sale in town, is another place where older people work.

[00:05:24]>> [music] [music] >> Nowadays, there is time at Hazorea for members to relax a little, not like the old days when people toiled long hours just to survive.

[00:06:02]>> [music] >> Hazorea, older and more prosperous than many kibbutzim, now has a cultural center where members get together for games and discussions.

[00:06:33]The manager of the furniture factory reports on a new production plan.

[00:06:37]Here, all the members have a chance to voice their opinion.

[00:06:54]It used to be that the kibbutz owned everything and that individual members really owned nothing. When there was money for luxuries, all shared alike.

[00:07:03]Now, the camera belongs to the photographer and everyone benefits [music] from his skills.

[00:07:12]>> [music] >> A quartet at [music] Hazorea.

[00:07:19]Members of the kibbutz believe that artistic activities are as important as so-called productive labor. So, those who are artists practice their skills during regular work hours.

[00:07:30]>> [music] >> The sculptor, too, finds freedom and satisfaction [music] in the kibbutz and shares equally in the benefits. He will give his earnings to the central treasury.

[00:07:47]Further diversification, fish breeding ponds at Hazarea.

[00:07:52]At Hazarea, life now runs [music] pretty smoothly.

[00:08:00]>> [music] >> But Eilot in the desert is a young kibbutz still struggling for survival.

[00:08:24]>> [music] [music] >> At Eilot, the members are all sabras, young people who have grown up on a kibbutz.

[00:08:55]Many didn't agree with some of their parents' ways, so they started their own commune. But like their parents, they run the kibbutz cooperatively, sharing the work and electing new officers every year or two.

[00:09:08]>> [music] >> Work starts at sunrise, so most jobs can be finished before the sun is too hot.

[00:09:18]>> [music] [music] [music] >> The climate is ideal for dates, but there is little rain and lack of water is a constant problem.

[00:09:44]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Work assignments are posted every day in the dining hall.

[00:10:07]Some kibbutzniks hold fairly permanent jobs, but much of the work is rotated.

[00:10:16]As at Hazorea, all kibbutzniks eat together in the dining hall, but at Eilat, it is also the center for all meetings and social activities.

[00:10:30]Israel's kibbutzniks represent only 4% of the population, yet their influence is widely felt, particularly in politics.

[00:10:39]Most of the nation's leaders have sprung from the kibbutzim, which seem to embody the pioneering spirit of Israel.

[00:10:49]Experts said no one could grow grapes at Eilat considering the dry climate and soil conditions. Yet these kibbutzniks have achieved the impossible.

[00:11:02]Kibbutz life attracts many young people from the cities and from other countries. Some stay only for a few months or a year. Others remain to become permanent members of the community.

[00:11:19]All members receive candy, cigarettes, and cosmetics as they need them. Each person also receives a yearly allowance to be spent as he or she wishes. The amount, decided by the group, depends on the wealth of the kibbutz.

[00:11:48]After regular work hours, the heads of various sections meet to discuss setting up a new plant.

[00:11:54]At the same time, some of the women meet for exercises.

[00:11:58]In Israel, women do share in decision-making, yet not right now.

[00:12:18]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Sabbath celebration at Ilut.

[00:12:35]Many young Sabras are not religious, yet they return to the Sabbath songs and customs of their grandparents. It's their way of reaffirming their Jewish identity.

[00:12:57]>> [singing] [singing and chanting] [singing] [music] [singing] >> Kibbutz children live in the children's house from the day of their birth.

[00:13:45]Originally, the practice started in order to free mothers for work, but now many believe children gain much from being with nurses who devote all their time and attention to their care.

[00:13:59]Children sleep, live, eat, play, and study in their own quarters while their parents work elsewhere in the kibbutz.

[00:14:17]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Helped by teachers and group leaders, children learn to conduct their own affairs. Some even operate small farms as part of their school work.

[00:15:32]>> After the day's work, parents and children have time together. [music] Kibbutz families are close, but their short time together is precious.

[00:15:42]>> [music] [music] >> No one owns property in the kibbutz, but each family is assigned its own home and has its own possessions.

[00:16:04]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Not all members agree with the separation of parents and children, and there are some kibbutzim where children live with their parents.

[00:16:36]In the main though, >> [music] >> it is felt that separating the children teaches them to be independent and to get along better with other people.

[00:16:44]>> [music] [music] >> What of the future of the kibbutz? This unique [music] movement has been and still is one of Israel's great strengths, opening up new areas, protecting the frontier, providing homes and food for a growing nation.

[00:17:06]Will the new generation continue to find challenge and satisfaction in the kibbutz way of life?

[00:17:12]Or will they leave for the cities where a new way of life awaits them?

[00:17:17]>> [music]