In Hebrew, the word kibbutz means ‘gathering’. A kibbutz is a uniquely Israeli phenomenon with a significant cultural legacy and an important role in the nation’s history.
Kibbutz (plural: kibbutzim) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. There are about 270 kibbutzim across Israel.
The first kibbutz was established in 1910 in northern Israel. The name of the first kibbutz was Degania Alef. At their heart, kibbutzim are small towns, typically with somewhere between 100 and 1,000 residents.
Jewish settlers behind the movement envisioned the kibbutzim as a place where Zionism met Marxism. Kibbutz culture was originally dominated by Ashkenazi Jews, or Jews of Eastern European descent, and were seen as less inclusive of those of Middle Eastern descent.
These communities ranged from 50 residents to 2,000 and cropped up in places such as the border with Lebanon, the Jordan river and around the Gaza Strip, and many were originally on what was then Palestinian land.
Kibbutz Be’eri and Kfar Aza were the worst hit in the recent attacks by Hamas into Israel. The attack on Be’eri came around the same time as Hamas militants descended upon the nearby Nova music festival, where more than 260 bodies were later found.
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