"Kibbutzing"

חברים,

I am coining a new phrase, "Kibbutzing." And, I must make a shout out to my good friend Rachel G from Nitzanim (yes I'm still wearing both friendship bracelets that you didn't actually make for me when you were quarantined with the swine plague!) I have officially settled into my new home, and this time it really is a home, on kibbutz Yavne. I took a cab down from Jerusalem with all my stuff. "All my stuff" constitutes: A suitcase, my 80 L pack, two duffel bags, and my saxophone. To top it all off, half of my bags were filled with pots, pans, and dishes, all of which I don't need now that every meal and more is provided for me. My room is fairly large, considering what they usually give lone soldiers, and I have a roommate. His name is Jon, yes as in Jonathan. There's no such thing as coincidence... He's a kid from the kibbutz, and he knows english really well, which some may say is a bad thing for my hebrew, but honestly for the first two days here I didn't speak a word of english! I've got the total set up, Jon brought tower speakers, a TV, we have internet (WiFi, no less!), a couch, coffee table, kitchenette (w/ a full size fridge), and our own bathroom. The food here is great, except for dinner, which is really meager even for a kibbuz... They have four stores, two of which you don't pay for (some foodstuff and clothes) How about a little background on kibbutzim and Yavne in particular? Sound good? OK, here we go...

Kibbutzim where started in Israel as sort of outposts to protect and start the infrastructure of the state. It's socialism at its best. Everyone makes the same amount of money, gets the same benefits, eats the same food, and theoretically everyone is happy. This, of course, breeds a LOT of bureaucracy as everyone owns, well, everything! These days kibbutzim are mostly privatized, which means that everyone has their own money, eats at home, and gets paid differently depending on their jobs. There are still members, and you still have to apply to be accepted. Privatized Kibbuzim are kind of like living in an exclusive gated neighborhood. Few fully socialist kibbutzim are still around today, probably less than 10%

Yavne was started 70 years ago, 9 years before the state was founded. It is located 20 minutes south of Tel Aviv, almost on the coast, a few minutes drive from Ashdod. The kibbutz is still fully socialized, which is due to their amazing industry ventures. Yavne is also a "Dati" kibbutz, which means it is religious nationalist. But, the really cool thing about this place is that there is a WIDE range of religious people. Everything from almost not keeping shabbat to the strictest black velvet kippah. Ok, onto their financial endeavors... Yavne makes the only Israeli watch brand, has the second largest olive and pickle plant in Israel, is one of the largest animal feed producers in the country, and has the largest chicken hatchery in the MIDDLE EAST! I'm supposed to be working with chicks all day, but I'm still waiting for an answer...

So, since I don't really have much to do, I've been "kibbutzing!" Wake up early, pray with a minyan, eat breakfast, try to get stuff done in the offices, work for an hour with the eggs, try to figure out the laundry system (oh yeah, I forgot... THEY DO YOUR LAUNDRY, FOLD IT AND DELIVER IT!), chill for an hour, eat lunch, take a nap, go to the pool, chill some more, eat dinner, pray and listen to a shiur (in Hebrew), chill, go for a run, sleep. Repeat. This is my life for the next two months. I want to take pictures, but I currently am on a battery hunt for my camera. I promise I'll post some as soon as I can! I'm really looking forward to living in a place, and not out of my suitcases, for more than a few months. That's all for now, be in touch!

Much love,

-יחיאל