"A Precious Hue and the Heart's Desire" The creation of the first elderly community in the kibbutzim 1925-1940

Several years after establishing the Kibbutzes in Palestine, the young pioneers were joined by their older parents. The current paper will examines this issue through the use of Life Course Theory, which emphasizes the synchronization between individual behavior and a family unit’s collective behavior. The parents’ arrival at the Kibbutz, required their children to deal with old age and with the issues which come along with it: old people’s residence, work and their inclusion in social life. The issue of older people was not confined to particular discussions about one individual old person or another, but rather were a main topic in common assemblies. Parents’ presence in the Kibbutz was a constant reminder to the younger members of time passing by; of the old age period awaiting each and every one, and society’s attitude towards them. Immigration at old age, disrupts expected trajectory of ageing, and older immigrants also face challenges in resettling and leaving behind their support circles: family, community, and the life they once knew. The older parents’ integration was not easy as they were labeled with a different status right from the start. They were not Kibbutz members, they were not allowed to attend Kibbutz meetings, and their work days were not counted by the Kibbutz’s bookkeeping. The insult was stinging. Nevertheless – and perhaps, because of this – these older parents tried to find their own place in the Kibbutz, through work in various occupations, through personal writing in the Kibbutz pamphlet and through contributing to the Kibbutz’s social life. By doing so, these older people created meaning in their new lives, and a reflection of the Kibbutz became present in their own aging.