The existing living conditions in a kibbutz, which cannot be found in a modern city, a town or a village, can prove more than ideal for a sequence of new activities, besides the “old traditional” ones – farming and agricultural production, stock-breeding or even real estate business. The kibbutz movement must turn to a new generation of smart business and develope genuinely seminal ideas, in order to bear the pioneer’s palm of an alternative lifestyle, in the eve of the 21st century.
Whatsoever, the upcoming law of the israeli government which allows the privatization of the kibbutzim, makes the need for transformation more important, in this timing. Without being an expert, or knowing exactly what kind of avctivities all the 265 kibbutzim are implementing, a few ideas, in order to open a dialogue, could be the following:
- Education: The environment of a kibbutz can be the ideal place for short or long term workshops or seminars on several educational fields, focusing on specialization. From a two – weeks workshop on a special artistery (eg. Ceramics and pottery / fire place bulding / furniture design / wood curving / metal instalations / gardening etc.), to a six – months crash course on a special topic (eg. a foreign language / health care / therapeutic massage / small business administration / music instruments / use of new technology and multimedia etc.), the kibbutz can gain serious assets from the participants’ fees, while at the same time offering young people the opportunity for work training and/or previous employment experience and/or a motive for starting a new business. The choice of the fields may be done according to a survey about the market’s needs and surely, this could be the first step towars a wider educational turn of the kibbutz movement, even speaking for kibbutz universities or high level educational institutions.
- Sports: The global huge sports business can be another field for development. Summer long sport academies for children, advanced sport facilities for team training, infrastructure for sole athletes’ training and education, all combined with a healthy lifestyle near the nature, can lead a kibbutz to get the best of its natural privilleges. Specialization in one sport could assure standard demand from within the country or even from abroad. Colaboration with the local sport clubs and teams, as well as with the state’s structures for sports and gymnastics, to get extra support.
- NGOs: The kibbutz movement, distinctively genuine in its humanitarian principles must collaborate with the local and the international Non Governmental Organizations on several issues of mutual interest. From educating children in a “green” way of thinking, to supporting handicaped citizens and from co-organizing events for the sensitive social groups to developing new units for the detoxication of drug addicts.
- Conventional Tourism: The Kibbutz can attract conventions of any kind of profession or social group in its facilities, providing the interested parts with an alternative style in their corporate gathering.
- Eco-Tourism: The genuine natural environment and the fresh home grown products on the dining table, can make the kibbutzim an atractive venue for eco-tourism. The novelties in developing farming and the specialization in certain products, eg. fruits, vegetables and dairies can be an interesting experience for “green” tourists, as well as stgudents of agricultaralism and professionals of the business. The kibbutzim have all the accomodation needed to host such groups of visitors, when at the same time the kibbutzniks can be proved to experts in sharing “know how” and technology. Hosting relevant conventions and meetings can be another alternative option.
- Social Work: Blood banks, anti-narcotic policy seminars for students, training of local volunteering groups, hosting of NGO’s meetings and other suchlike activities can bring the kibbutzim in a different level of existence and participation in the society’s big issues.
I would be more than happy to read more on that. Always in the basis that the kind of society that the kibbutzim struggled to create througout almost one hundred years, does not deserve to fade out to just a middle- class suburbian way of living or some farming or dairy business.
Looking forward for more interestiong aspects on the issue...
achilles p
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