Welcome to the Kibbutz!!

What is a kibbutz? In 1880, 25,000 Jews from the First Aliyah lived in farming villages. In 1900, 50,000 Jews lived in the Yishuv and in the four holy cities. Zionist who dreamed of restoring the state of Israel, wanted more Olim and a new type of settlement which they called Kibbutz. A kibbutz was a large farm community were Jews came together as a big family. Members worked together, helped each other, and shared the benefits together. They were all equal. The first kibbutz was established in It was called Degania. Today there are about 300 large Kibbutzim. They raise a variety of agricultural crops, have factories, food processing plants, and interesting industries.

What does kibbutz mean? The word “kibbutz” means to gather together. Again, like a big family. The members took turns raising and selling crops, caring for children, cooking, washing, and other tasks. They all ate the same food in a large dining room and the children slept in dormitories. All members worked in the fields, drove tractors, washed dishes, and stood guard at night.

What is inside a kibbutz? Inside a kibbutz there are houses and a cafeteria. Sometimes there can even be an educational center, a swimming pool, a museum, a guest house, and even a small zoo!!

Good things about a kibbutz: 1. Kibutzniks don’t have to iron their shirts. 2. They don’t have to make dinner. 3. They don’t have to pay the phone bill. 4. They don’t have to pay mortgage. 5. They don’t have to pay for winter coats. 6. They don’t have to pay for orthodontia. 7. They don’t have to pay for music lessons. 8. They don’t have to pay for when they are sick. They feel secure. 9. And they get free education Because they all help with all the work, share the benefits, and have one fund that pays for all of that. (It sounds nice to live in a kibbutz )

Not so good things about the kibbutz: 1. They must learn to like the food. 2. They must do the job they are assigned. 3. They must remember that they will only have a little money if they want to leave.

Interesting facts about the early kibbutz: 1. They made things called Molotov Cocktails during the War of Independence in 1948 to defend themselves. (It isn’t really a cocktail it’s actually a type of bomb inside a bottle.) 2. In front of the Degania kibbutz there is a Syrian tank from the War of Independence, to remind them of when they won, defending themselves with only a few men, women and children.

NOW IT’S TIME FOR…

THE ALIYOT!!!

In the Second Aliyah, the people decided to establish a kibbutz so they could live and work together, and help each other. They wanted to farm together because it would be easier to work as one.

During the Second Aliyah, ( ) 30,000 Jews came to settle in Israel. They came from Eastern Europe. These Olim, called Halutzim, had many new ideas and founded the Kibbutzim. They worked very hard and didn’t like to hire Arab workers to do their field work.

In the Third Aliyah, 40,000 more Jews came to settle in Israel. These were young members from The Hechalutz movement in Russia and Poland. They believed in working and sharing, social justice, self defense, and speaking Hebrew Many kibbutzim were built during this time. Hebrew literature, journalism and theater came into being. The Haganah began in 1920 and was the first military defense organization. They protected cities, as well as Moshavim and Kibbutzim.

During the Fourth Aliyah 90,000 more Jews came to Israel. They brought shopkeepers and artisans. They came mostly from Poland because of anti Semitic restrictions that were being applied to Jewish people there. Most of the immigrants settled in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem.

A man named Pincus Rutenberg, who was an engineer and a Zionist, harnessed the Jordan River and built a power station which provided electricity for farms and factories. An educational system was organized with schools, and the Hebrew university in Jerusalem was officially opened. At the end of the fourth Aliyah, the Jewish population of Palestine reached 170,000 Jews.

1929 – 1939

During the Fifth Aliyah, more than 165,000 Jews came to the land legally. Thousands more from Nazi Germany entered illegally, smuggled into Israel in small boats. By 1936, the Yishuv numbered more than 400,000 Jews in Israel. Settlers found thriving, developing land, so more people stayed. During this time, the Haifa Technion opened. The Haganah was organized and was now nation wide. Unfortunately, Arabs were inflicting terror and destruction, and the British didn’t stop the attacks.

More Jews were escaping now from Jewish persecution in Europe and coming to Israel. In 1939 the British issued the “White Paper”, limiting Jewish immigration into Palestine. In 1939, sadly Hitler was also rising to power. Not able to enter Palestine, many Jews were forced to stay and die in Nazi death camps. This is a picture of the entrance to a Nazi death camp.

RESOURCES 1. UNDERSTANDING ISRAEL BY: SOL SHARFSTEIN 2. A FOLDER MORAH SHOSHANA GAVE US WITH INFORMATION IN IT. 3. POSTERS BY OTHER FOURTH GRADE CLASSES FROM YEARS BEFORE.

SOPHIA MILLER, LEANNE SASS AND CECILY ROSENHAN!!!