Saturday, December 1, 2007
Mazel Tov!
As I mentioned earlier, apparently in Israel whenever one has good news to share, whether it directly affects the sharer or not, the listeners heartily rejoice in the good news with that person - so I want to share with all of you the good news of my brother's wedding that is going to take place in approx. 4 hours from the writing of this blog - I am so excited for him and his fiance. Proverbs says that he who finds a wife, finds good. So I rejoice with my beloved brother in his having found good and with my new sister-in-law in having been found. While distance separates me from physically being there my rejoicing is no less diminished in your shared good and desire for the richest of blessings on your new life together - let the adventure begin! Mazel Tov!!
About Kibbutz Tzuba
Kibbutz Tzuba was founded by young families just after the State of Israel was reestablished in 1948. One lady that I met recently is a child of one of the founders of the kibbutz. She has lived here most of her life and is now raising a son here. Dorit also has lived all but 4 years or so of her life on the kibbutz. Her parents arrived just after the kibbutz was started so aren’t considered founders but are definitely long-time members. The kibbutz has fruit orchards; vineyards; olive groves; a hotel; a glass factory that manufactures bulletproof glass (and I found out recently, they also produce dishware from the leftover glass products which are used in the hotel as well as sold to the public); dairy farm (this is located at another kibbutz as they share this endeavor with a few other kibbutzim); chicken barn; auto-mechanic shop; beauty shop; small clothing store; small grocery store; post office; pub; conference rooms; amusement park/game room for young children complete with a petting zoo; furniture store; gift shop; community dining hall; laundry room (where yours truly hangs out 3 days a week); and other ventures that I can’t think of at the moment. When Kibbutzim where first created it was with the idea of a socialist mentality - that everything would be shared on the kibbutz including cars, phones, etc. Nowadays, many are beginning to privatize which includes Kibbutz Tzuba so members are beginning to have to pay for certain services, albeit at a very minimal price.
To become a member of a kibbutz is a bit of a process. You must go through a medical examination of sorts to ensure your mental and physical health; have references; live on the kibbutz on a trial basis for two years in which you work at different jobs on the kibbutz in order for the members to get to know you and for you to familiarize yourself with the kibbutz and its members. After this trial period the kibbutz members will vote on your status to determine if you can become part. I guess if you don’t ‘pass’ you have to look elsewhere to live! I was informed that currently Tzuba is not accepting families due to lack of space. (I believe each kibbutz sets up its regulations independently so this information is specific to Tzuba.)
A kibbutz is its own small town community where everyone knows everyone else and everyone else's business! Being small town girl myself, I rather enjoy the camaraderie shared among the members. One of the reasons I like where I work in the folding department is that you get to see the people of the community come in and out and greet one another, ask about family, the latest news and share in each others' good. Talma, one of my co-workers, just celebrated the birth of a granddaughter and Mazel Tov's were heard all day! One other interesting and different factor, at least from what I've observed here, is how involved the father seems to be publicly with their children. Everywhere you see dads with kids on their shoulders, holding their hand, pushing the stroller, feeding the kids in the dining hall. I guess this is something notable to me coming from my work with children whose fathers were absent, imprisoned or just didn't want to be bothered. For me, it's a really powerful scene.
To become a member of a kibbutz is a bit of a process. You must go through a medical examination of sorts to ensure your mental and physical health; have references; live on the kibbutz on a trial basis for two years in which you work at different jobs on the kibbutz in order for the members to get to know you and for you to familiarize yourself with the kibbutz and its members. After this trial period the kibbutz members will vote on your status to determine if you can become part. I guess if you don’t ‘pass’ you have to look elsewhere to live! I was informed that currently Tzuba is not accepting families due to lack of space. (I believe each kibbutz sets up its regulations independently so this information is specific to Tzuba.)
A kibbutz is its own small town community where everyone knows everyone else and everyone else's business! Being small town girl myself, I rather enjoy the camaraderie shared among the members. One of the reasons I like where I work in the folding department is that you get to see the people of the community come in and out and greet one another, ask about family, the latest news and share in each others' good. Talma, one of my co-workers, just celebrated the birth of a granddaughter and Mazel Tov's were heard all day! One other interesting and different factor, at least from what I've observed here, is how involved the father seems to be publicly with their children. Everywhere you see dads with kids on their shoulders, holding their hand, pushing the stroller, feeding the kids in the dining hall. I guess this is something notable to me coming from my work with children whose fathers were absent, imprisoned or just didn't want to be bothered. For me, it's a really powerful scene.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Meeting the Locals
I haven't written in a while as I don't know what to type – we’ve settled into a routine more or less and I don't have many news breaking stories to share. I think part of my delay is that I try to write well which takes longer so I'm just going to wing it and post so y'all will at least have more frequent updates! Aunt Becky - please excuse any grammatical errors!
2 weeks ago Shabbat was very nice as I was introduced to a family on the kibbutz who “adopted” me – the woman is from England and is both an English teacher and also writes textbooks. Her husband is from Finland (or Norway?) and they have 4 children, 3 are grown and the youngest is almost 13. The host mother wanted an English speaker in order to converse easily. While it’s nice for sake of relating it defeats the purpose of my coming to Israel for immersion into the language. However, little by little… I also spent this past Shabbat with them as well and met their oldest daughter and we had dinner together in the Heder-Ohel (dining room).
One highlight of my time here was that a woman whom I work with, Dorit, invited me to her parents' home for Shabbat dinner. I actually work with both her and her mother, Dalia. Dorit is 40 and lives in her own apartment but family time is priority so for Shabbat meals she spends time with them. Except for approx. 4 years, Dorit has lived her entire life here at Kibbutz Tzuba. Many kibbutz families once on a kibbutz tend to stay as do their children, grandchildren...you get the idea. However there are new individuals and families that move onto the kibbutz as well.
I hope to post an informational update about more kibbutz facts which will have to wait now as I have a Hebrew scrabble game to attend! Be well!
2 weeks ago Shabbat was very nice as I was introduced to a family on the kibbutz who “adopted” me – the woman is from England and is both an English teacher and also writes textbooks. Her husband is from Finland (or Norway?) and they have 4 children, 3 are grown and the youngest is almost 13. The host mother wanted an English speaker in order to converse easily. While it’s nice for sake of relating it defeats the purpose of my coming to Israel for immersion into the language. However, little by little… I also spent this past Shabbat with them as well and met their oldest daughter and we had dinner together in the Heder-Ohel (dining room).
One highlight of my time here was that a woman whom I work with, Dorit, invited me to her parents' home for Shabbat dinner. I actually work with both her and her mother, Dalia. Dorit is 40 and lives in her own apartment but family time is priority so for Shabbat meals she spends time with them. Except for approx. 4 years, Dorit has lived her entire life here at Kibbutz Tzuba. Many kibbutz families once on a kibbutz tend to stay as do their children, grandchildren...you get the idea. However there are new individuals and families that move onto the kibbutz as well.
I hope to post an informational update about more kibbutz facts which will have to wait now as I have a Hebrew scrabble game to attend! Be well!
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