ABSTRACT
This chapter explores memories of establishing and living on a kibbutz. As a social network providing mutual aid, a kibbutz has the potential for enhancing resilience. The idea of a kibbutz originated in Eastern Europe as a response to growing anti-Semitism. A kibbutz is a communal agricultural settlement, first established by Zionists in Israel in 1909. Quotes from study participants offer insight into the group members' idealism as well as their tensions living on a kibbutz. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the organization of a kibbutz "functions as a democracy. The general assembly of all its members formulates policy, elects officers, authorizes the kibbutz budget, and approves new members". In the year 1909, there was one kibbutz, bought by land paid for by the Jewish National Fund. Today, the number of people living in kibbutzim "totals approximately 130,000, about 2.5 percent of the country's population".
