URBAN KIBBUTZ

A quiet revolution is well underway in the Kibbutz Movement.

Literally hundreds of small Urban Kibbutzim, or K'vutzot as some call themselves due their small size, are springing up all over the country - most of them in development towns and in distressed neighborhoods.

They are models of mutual sufficiency based on cooperation .

You'll read a bit about the Urban Kibbutzim and K'vutzot on the following links. The second was written by a member of one of those k'vutzot.

http://tinyurl.com/24rtkv

http://tinyurl.com/2zj6yu

They are small groups of people who not only pool their resources, live their lives according to direct democratic principles that they carry out in their regular meetings; they devote their lives to helping others in distress.

A number of them have developed innovative programs of education for people of all ages.

Kibbutz Mehanchim (Educators) help youth at risk in the Hadar neighborhood of Chaifa. See: http://tinyurl.com/2tgr9h Note that the article states that "the city (of Chaifa) called on 70 young people from all over the country, members of the Noar Haoved Vehalomed (Working and Learning Youth) youth movement, to establish an urban kibbutz to work with the neighborhood's at-risk youth. That means that they provided housing and initial services for the program to get underway.

Kibbutz Tamuz in Beit Shemesh (a rapidly developing town near Jerusalem) is the oldest of the Urban Kibbutzim. We visited Kibbutz Tammuz when it was about five years old. We were very impressed with the warmth and dedication of those young people. They had received a building from Amidar that was pretty run down and renovated it themselves. It is a pleasure to present an idea to you of how far they've gotten since and how much they contribut to Beit Shemesh: http://tinyurl.com/ypxxg2

K'vutzat Re'ut is located in the housing project Gilo Aleph in Jerusalem. It is one of two urban Kibbutzim in Jerusalem. One of the Urban Kibbutzim in Jerusalem is entirely religious. It is called Reishit (The First).

The population of Kvutzat Re'ut is mixed - more and less religiously observant. They run a number of projects of neighborhood aid. Additionally, they have a beit midrash and a pre-army leadership training program (a mekhina). My son visited K'vutzat Re'ut when he was doing his pre-army leadership training course at Meitzar. Meitzar took their students to K'vutzat Re'ut because their program is so very good. : Please see their web site: http://www.reut.org.il/

There are people that are considered "Friends of Urban Kibbutzim". While they are not members themselves, they support the programs and learn and work with the K'vutzot for the betterment of the environs.

I believe that the model of K'vutzat Re'ut would be perfect for poor and troubled small towns like Tzfat and the distressed neighborhoods of larger towns. K'vutzat Re'ut is all about Jewish learning and mutual tolerance.

I urge you to consider the information on the links I've provided.

Thank you for your consideration. The contribution that an Urban Kibbutz can make in the poor neighborhoods of Tzfat is inestimable. As they have found that the K'vutzot work best when they remain small, they tend to divide into two sister K'vutzot when they reach a certain size. We could have a K'vutzah in the Ofer Neighborhood, or thereabouts, and one in the poor areas of Cana'an.

If your town has not initiated contact with the youth movements about beginning an Urban K'vutza, nudge them.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com