THE KIBBUTZ: The Interplay of Ideological Concepts and Historical Circumstances

The kibbutz, a collective Jewish settlement in pre-state Palestine and then in Israel, is one of the most impressive accomplishments of Zionism, widely recognized as an extraordinary human, social and economic achievement. The imprint of the kibbutz has been felt and appreciated in Israel and worldwide, and the word “kibbutz” is one of the best-known Hebrew words in universal discourse and can be found in many dictionaries in other languages. The chapter examines the kibbutz and the many changes it has gone through since 1910 – in its way of life, its social status and the extent of its impact on Israeli society as a whole. It addresses the two inherent tensions marking the history of the kibbutz and the vast research that deals with it: (1) considering whether the origin of the kibbutz and its development are products of ideological concepts or rather the result of historical circumstances, concluding that all along, the kibbutz has evolved and developed more due to circumstances than in light of ideology; (2) viewing the kibbutz as a communal way of life by its own merit, whose very existence is a goal, as opposed to looking at the kibbutz as a means for achieving national and social aims. The chapter presents and analyzes the basic features of the kibbutz; the difference between the various kibbutz streams; the mutual dependence of the kibbutz and the Zionist Movement; the impact of the establishment of Israel on the kibbutz; the impact of the transformation from agrarian to industrial economy; and the inherent contradiction between the kibbutz’s utopian characteristics and Marxist socialism. It argues that while being an extraordinary human, social and economic achievement, the kibbutz did not become a crucial political factor.