So…why kibbutz? Why not, I say!

Some may think volunteering 6 days a week in a communal setting for minimal pay may not be the best way to spend 2 months or more of their lives.  Well, read this before you decide.

When I first arrived on the kibbutz, the first thing that came to mind was “I’m outta here”.  There was no way I thought that I’d end up staying for just under 3 whole months.  It was so different than any other world I ever knew but, now looking back, I am so happy I didn’t do a runner in the middle of the night and gave it a chance.

Kibbutz Ketura

A kibbutz offers a visitor to Israel an option to see and experience the country in an economical fashion.  All your necessities are covered – food, shelter, laundry – in exchange for work.  Most work is helping out with day-to-day tasks like working in the kitchen, dining room and laundry.  Based on the kibbutz you end up on, there are other jobs you could find yourself doing depending on the businesses they run – dairy farming, agriculture and cleaning hotel rooms.  Nothing too glamorous but all fairly mind-numbing and straightforward.

Outside of the work, you will meet people from all over the world.  I personally think it also gives you a different perspective of Israeli life.  Cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem show you a lot of the commercial and historical side of the country.  Kibbutz flips most of this on its head and shows you what life would be like if you shared everything – from your kids toys to sheets and even cars.

The details: You are supposed to apply to volunteer on a kibbutz before you get to Israel – through the Kibbutz Program Center or AKA KPC (see links below).  Once you get to the holyland, you are asked to check in at the KPC office in Tel Aviv so they can assign you a place.  I actually found out about where I was going before I even arrived in Israel but typically you can wait for an opening around a week, after you check in at the Tel Aviv office.  So, be prepared for the possibility of staying in Tel Aviv while you wait.

Once you get placed, you hop on the bus & go.

Once you arrive at your new home, you’ll be put to work typically the day after – no rest for the wicked.  Most volunteers are really friendly as they’ve been the “new guy” themselves before.  After you are done work, you’re free to do whatever you want.  Most spend this free time getting to know other volunteers and you’re able to live a fairly laid back life…sitting out in the sun, catching up on some reading and taking in some of the local sites around you (hiking was a favourite of many in my kibbutz).

I must say that kibbutz life does attract certain types of people – especially those that volunteer.  I found that there were 2 main types of volunteer – 1) the ones like me who were in transition and needed an inexpensive way to kill a couple of months and 2) those that are trying to “find themselves”.  Again, I’m generalizing here but this was the typical profile of a kibbutz volunteer.  For either group, kibbutz offers a fairly stress-free existence taking the worries of money and materialism out of the equation.  I can’t emphasize enough how much being on kibbutz helped me to clear my mind and focus on what was important in my life.

Kibbutz Ketura

Since I left a few months ago, I’ve caught myself telling people what a good experience it was for me.  However, I’ve also reinforced how I could never see myself living as a kibbutnik full-time.  I say that not because its a bad way of life – I actually think its quite the opposite – but, for me, I look at it as an oasis from my version of reality.  If I was to stay too long maybe it would change how I feel about this laid back lifestyle and take the mysticism away.  Everything in moderation as they say.

I highly encourage people, especially those in their 20s and 30s, to give it a go.  Worst case you’ll get free food, someone else to do your laundry, a new experience and meet some interesting people along the way (I will guarantee that).

For more information on how you can sign up for a kibbutz, check out the links below:

Kibbutz Program Center: http://www.kibbutzprogramcenter.org

Information about hte kibbutz movement: http://www.kibbutz.org.il/eng/ and http://www.kibbutzvolunteer.com/

Kibbutz Ketura (the kibbutz I volunteered): http://ketura.org.il/

Now back to my visit at Ketura…stay tuned…