ABSTRACT
Recent changes within kibbutzim since the 1990s, demonstrating how far they have strayed far from the kibbutz model, raise the question of whether it is still appropriate to use the term "kibbutz" with regard to these communities. This chapter examines the actual transformations that a large part of the kibbutz sector is undergoing and utilizes the notion of "collective rebuilding" to emphasize that the collective persists despite its transformation. Civil servants in the national administration have an interest in the new definition as well, as they deal with kibbutzniks in matters of income tax, land use, physical planning, social services, school budgets, and many other matters linking kibbutzim to official agencies. The three basic issues—implementation of new arrangements, redefinition of the kibbutz's "uniqueness," and the reformulation of collective identity—should shed light on the process of collective rebuilding that the Ben-Rafael Committee endorsed.
