Rebirth of the kibbutz?

Interesting developments are afoot among Israel’s kibbutzim, where we are seeing what looks like a second flowering of the movement, even if in a quite new and unexpected form. The new wave of kibbutzim is primarily to be found in the peripheral corners of Israel’s urban landscape and is born, at least in part, out of a dissatisfaction with evolutionary trends within the original kibbutz movement. Clearly drawn from the same ideological root-stock as the first wave of kibbutzim, and with a continuing commitment to tikkun ollam (a Judaic concept meaning ‘repair the world’), their mission lies in serving marginalised, multi-ethnic urban communities, especially in the fields of education, welfare and community animation – activities that they often undertake in partnership with local municipalities. This paper will argue that the kind of solidarity and mutual aid that are being generated may well prove critical in the challenging times ahead, characterised by climate-related crisis.