OCR Text |
Show Sunday, Cecember 12, 1971 THE HERALD,Provo, Utah—Pagé 49 Many Young AmericansDiscovering Israel Kibbutz Doesn't Suit Them EDITOR'S NOTE: When David Einstein, a sportswriter, anJ his wife, Diane, both 23, left their California home last summer for Israel they thought it might be forever. Now they know that America is, after all, the place they want to be. In this dispatch David telis why. By DAVID CINSTEIN Written For UP{ their idealistic ambitions, American youth may not be cut out for as socialistic an environment as the kibbutz. My wife and I have found evidence to support both viewpoints during our three months on a kubbutz, Diane and I came in August to Ramat Yochanan, 10 miles northeast of Haifa, to take part in a six month Ulpan program HAIFA, Israel (UPI)—Con- here. Ulpan is a Hebrew word sidering the reputation of the for school, which is what the Israeli kibbutz as a successful program is. We work half a and unique way of communal day, six days a week, and in living, ‘t is little wonder that return the kubbutz gives us many young Americans in room, board and four hours of search of a different life style Hebrewlessons a day. give kibbutz life a try. That Some 60 kibbutzim have most of them do not stay long Ulpans continually, with up to reflects the feeling that it, for 50 students enrolled in each them at least, reality does not program. Most are from the match. its reputation. United States, with small It alS0 shows that, for all numbers from Canada, South America, Europe and Russia. sang in the fields and eeryone The latter are always new danced muchofthe time. immigrants, but the rest come Of course, we also brought either with definite intentions of our American standard of returning to their own coun- living with us, and that proved tries, or with open yet one of our biggest handicaps. It uncommitted minds toward the was difficult, for instance, for us to appreciate that kubbutzpossibility of staying. ‘The only other waya visitor nis are satisfied if there is can stay .n a kibbutz is as a enough food. It doesn't matter volunteer. In that case the work that the same vegetable dinner is for eight hours a day, again is served every night of the cweek, except Sabbath eves. Now we have gotten used to the food, although we still don't appreciate it. But there are other aspects of life here that ceptions with us, but they were sill bother us. For one thing, we magnified by our exuberance don’t like the kibbutz’ attitude and idealism. Whai we expect- to the effect that Ulpanists and ed to find was a community tourists are just so much hired in return for room and board. But almost all volunteers, or tourists as they are called, leave after a brief time. We brought normal precon- wherein every member did his help. This seems to be the share, where everyone was prevalent feeling on ali kubbutreally equal, and, to a much zim, and it goes far toward lesser degree, where workers discouraging newcomers before they have the chance to really getinto kibbutz life. Actually, theworkis not so hard asit is boring. Since we 4 are indeed unskilled labor, we end up washing dishes, picking fruit, and generally doing what kubbutzn:ks wouldn’t be caught dead doing. Nobody complains more about the work than Ameri-_ cans, and this doesn’t help suchspecialists tend to turn the endear them to the kibbutz community into a miniature of community. But most people the outside world, out even in settle down after a couple of their training equality is lost. menths and discover that the The kibbutz obviously cannot afford te send allits children to workis not that badat ali. Within the kibbutz society college, and how can it decide itself, all work is considered who can go and who can't? equal, and here the kibbutz Things were much easier in the lives up to its billing. Of course, early days when every kibbutzkibbutzniks don't have to wash nik was a farmer. There are other, dishes or pick fruit too often. But the carpenter carries as problems the kibbutz faces in much weight as the manager of the area of equality, problems the kibbutz plastic factory, and which are all to familiar to the man in the cowshed is as Americans. One is Women's important as the school tea- Lib. For as little room as there cher. is for individual career growth For Americans, it is this for men, there is less, almost aspect of life that is most none, for women, It wasn't impressive. It seems to be always so—ir the beginning sadly lacking in the United women worked alongside-men For various States these days, this classless in the fields. dignity reasons that didn't work out, Unfortunately, the kibbutz and today women on the today is in danger of losing its kibbutz are confined to domesbasic social sense of equality. tic duties. The biggest pctential villain is The other problem, although industry, to wnich more and most kibbutzniks dor't consider more kibbutzim are turning to it one, is that the kibbutz is supplement, or even supplant, increasingly taking on charactheir farming incomes. And teristics of the outside world. with industry come engineers, Kibbutzniks today want the scientists and executives, most products and advantages that whom are xibbutzniks the country’s growing economy can offer. So it's rot uncommon themsel Ives, Not only does the presence of to find kibbutz housec with steroes, televisions and other take to kibbutz life, which is trappi of the affluent life. West oriented, so that leaves Some kibbutzim even have Americans. supermarkets, albeit rather As one official of the largest small ones. of the thee kibbutz movements This trend reward Westerni- zation is distasteful to those puts it, “ i Americans who !-ft the States save themselves, It is up to to get away from an emphasis them to try to get you to stay.” on materialism. At any rate, it Cannot help but undermine the _ So far they are doing a poor basic socialism of the kibhutz Because with material wealth comes the problem of distribut- jed of permanency. Less than 10 per cent of any group of new arrivals in an ing material wealth, and, once Ulpan can be counted on, to again equalityis in jeopardy stay on a kibbutz, and in fact two thirds of the Americans usually go home before the Because of all these prob- program is over, lems, and because the siandard Among the reasons for this of living in Israel outside the kibbutz is growing so fast, the high attrition rate, two stand out. One is that Americans, and kibbutz today finds itself in others as well, find it very mortai danger. For there now seems to be an irreversible difficult to survive the cultural trend of diminishing population, shock that comes with a new what with sons and daughters country, 2 new language. leaving after the army, and, of ‘Unlike previous waves of immigrants," one Jewish Agencourse, people dying. cy official told me, “You This is where Americans Americans can go back. And come in, In the past, kibbutzim it's part of the American way could count on new people from of life for people not to be the waves of European immi- attached to the land. When the gration. Today the mainstream cultural shock hits you, you of immigration is from Africa say, “I've had enoughof it, I'm and America. Africans don’t getting out.” Is there such a thing as perfect ATTRACTING A LOT ATTENTION, Ken Jordan is neither 2 bank robber vora security guard. He is a new customer of the Dallas International Bank. The bank is offering its customers a new automatic shotgun instead of moneyas interest on 30-month certificates of deposit. The customer buys an $1800 cer- tifieate of deposit and receives the new shotgun, a case, a cleaning kit and two boxes of shells, At the end of 30 months he gets his 00 back:Tas mess be asbeget had someluck in the flelds shooting his new shotgun. 2? Yes. It’s GAS! By acting promptly individuals, clubs, organizations, church groups,partnerships, companies and corporations can be certainof... SS vt Se SS aS Here’s why: No other way of homeheating can equal the dependability, comfort, cleanliness and economy ofa naturalgas circulating warm air furnace. DEPENDABI LITY: Gasis delivered underground where there’s no weather to interrupt yourservice. COMFORT: Gas heatingpullsstale, stuffy air out of your home andreplaces it with fresh, gently circulating warm air — in every room of your home. CLEANLINESS: ‘No heat can be cleanerthan gas heat. Asit burns, the gas flamereleases only water vapor and carbon dioxide (such as we exhale with every breath). And even these are vented up your chimney. The warm freshair of gas heatis filtered, removing dust, dirt and pollen. ECONOMY: Gas is the only practical heat for our kind of weather. No extra insulation is required, no expensive thermal windows. And gas heat costs about one-third as muchas the other kind. You cansend oneof your children to college with the money you save with Simply invest $500 or more in First Security Bank 60-month sub- gas heat during the 30-yearlife of a home mortgage. ordinated notes. Interest at 6%% per annum is paid twice a year from day of investment. The notes are obligations of the issuing bank and donot include FDIC insurance. These noteswill be issued only until December 31, 1971, or earlierif the offering is completed. Ask for offering circular. FIRST SECURITY BANK MemberFirst Security Corporation System of Banks RESOURCES OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS Ft Sacuity Bonk of Van, Matos! Assocation R S. Withgas heating you're better thanhalf-way toward “Total Comfort”. Gasair conditioning, using the same duct work and furnace blowers, takes you the rest of the way. |