Interesting to find this on the front page.<p>I lived on a kibbutz for nearly three years, and left a few years ago. Like most insular communities, there's a lot to like when looking at it from the outside. People live in comfortable homes and have plenty to eat, with plenty of modern accoutrements like Internet access and the like. The community is quiet, with houses linked by footpaths instead of roads. The sense of community is strong.<p>The flip side is that internal community politics was horrible. People fought over the width of door frames in newly renovated housing because otherwise their houses weren't equal. People who turned their external salaries over to the kibbutz were often exploited, earning salaries that were a fraction of market rate, because they wouldn't see any of the extra. There were mentally ill people in positions of power who could not be removed because it was "their" position and their membership could not be revoked.<p>It's easy to look at kibbutzim and think that the grass is greener on the other side. But it comes at a deep price to your soul.
A kibbutz can be a nice place to get ones mind in order I think.<p>My brother was depressed at some point and didn't feel motivated anymore with his software engineering job. At some point he got so annoyed with his life and job that he decided to spend some time in a Kibbutz. A half year.<p>He got some food and lodging and a small amount of money which he would spend in the weekends. While at the Kibbutz he did some gardening, worked in the kitchen, etc... He enjoyed his time there.<p>And now he's back into a software engineering job :)
There was a great episode of EconTalk on this history and economics of Kibbutzim. Really interesting from the perspective of someone in the west: <a href="https://www.econtalk.org/ran-abramitzky-on-the-mystery-of-the-kibbutz/" rel="nofollow">https://www.econtalk.org/ran-abramitzky-on-the-mystery-of-th...</a>
I have no idea why this is posted on HN.<p>There was an another story here a few days ago about some economics professor turned hardcore free-market objectivist, becase he lived in a kibbutz in his youth.<p>Look, it isn't for everyone, but why not let people live how they want. Some prefer giving up some personal liberty for the collective communal experience.
How early ateist settlers used religion like symbols in their everyday life
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5530042/" rel="nofollow">https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5530042/</a>
Israeli kibbutzim are unsustainable model.<p>They only lasted for the following reasons:<p>1. exploiting external workers (new immigrants, Arabs, foreign Thai workers)<p>2. huge subsidies and debt write-offs were provided by the left-wing governments (until the right-wing redirected them to building in Judea & Samaria)<p>3. Stealing public resources: converting the free agricultural lands to real estate, privatizing public waterfronts for use in their B&B businesses, etc.<p>Similarly like Crypto is parasitizing on the global financial system, Kibbutzim were parasitizing on the Israeli state and its taxpayers.
I wholeheartedly endorse the idea of kibbutz. It's a patch of peaceful communist living which you can walk into, and, most importantly, walk out of. A great demo of the upsides and the downsides of it.<p>I mean, between consenting adults, anything.
i always find it surprising how in every conversation i had with friend from the far left, they always forget to mention that there was actually <i>one</i> successful attempt at living in the "communism" mindset, without turning into a totalitarian regime.<p>The thing is the hate israel gets today (especially from the left) prevents them from ever using this argument.