Kibbutz Ketura and Tel Aviv

We started our day Kibbutz style, with breakfast in the communal dining room. Kibbutz Ketura is one of the last holdouts of kibbutzim to stick to the old communal ways (rather than move toward privatization, like Maoz Haim, the other kibbutz we visited, and many others have). So, most members still eat all of their meals in the dining room, a lively and friendly place (with decent, if simple, food). They had some American volunteers there helping out, making pancakes and omelets, in addition to the standard salads and breads.

After breakfast, Noa (a former kibbutz member, who is spending the summer back at Ketura working in the tourism division) gave us an amazing tour of the place. She showed us a bit of kibbutz life (which the kids were really interested in) and a bit of the industry (which Abe and I were really interested in). On the kibbutz life side, some of the highlights were the awesome library, the day cares and after school centers, the popsicles in the little market, the laundry, the synagogue (which is egalitarian and has been since the kibbutz was founded - which is rare in two ways, the second being that the kibbutz had a synagogue from the start while most kibbutzim were secular or anti-religious) and learning about how each person does more or less whatever job they want to do (either on or off the kibbutz), each person's work is valued equally, and each person gets the same amount of money each month from the kibbutz (as well as getting all basic needs taken care of - housing, food, education, medical, transportation, and more). Noa claimed it works pretty well (but then again, she left the kibbutz for city life, so I don't know...). The main industries of Ketura are date trees, dairy cows (we got to visit the 1 day old calfs!), tourism (they have a hotel and run seminars for camp groups, etc), a new solar field (unbelievably, the only one in Israel), and an algae farm (the only one in the world, she thought, from which they make cosmetics and algae pills which people believe are good for your skin, etc). They also have some smaller industries like an exotic fruit orchard, a center for nature and environmental studies, a verteranary clinic, independent artists, and more. It was really very cool to hear about a kibbutz which is thriving, has a fairly young and vibrant membership (150 members), has innovative ways of staying competitive in today's world, and so on. Ella has always been really intrigued by the kibbutz philosophy (I think most 13 year olds are socialists anyway), and by the end of the tour, she was ready to sign up as a volunteer!

We loaded up that rental car one last time and drove a couple of hours north, back to Sde Boker, where we had missed seeing Ben Gurion's house on the way down. We visited his humble kibbutz home (nicer than some kibbutz members' houses we've seen, but less than what a former prime ministers house might be), and watched a cool animated movie about his life, and looked at the small exhibit about his relationship with the Negev (which he really thought was critical to Israel) and the Negev today. Ben Gurion felt that the Negev was the only part of Israel where the Jews could start from scratch and build something totally their own, which is why he was inspired to spend his last 20 years there (this was also, by the way, the same reason the woman at the kibbutz cafe gave us for why they chose that location for their kibbutz, "to build something from nothing").

Back in the car for another hour and a half to get to Tel Aviv. As we got close, we kept our eyes out for a grocery store to stock up for our apartment. We found a street with a bakery, fruit and vegetable store, and grocery near Holon. We loaded up every nook and cranny of the car with groceries (but not before Sylvia attracted the attention of every woman who worked in the store - they couldn't get over how cute she was, they gathered in the aisles to admired her curl, etc. They were mostly Russian, so she enjoyed their attention in 2 languages she didn't understand).

Finally, after driving through pretty intense traffic into Tel Aviv at 5 pm, and negotiating the many one way roads - none of which goes in the right direction to get to our street -- we made it to our apartment. The guy from the rental agency met us, showed us around, even helped us carry our luggage up. The apartment is great - 3 bedrooms (so we can welcome guests later this week), very modern and clean in an Ikea style, a popsicle store right downstairs, and in a neighborhood far cooler than we are. we got settled in, did some unpacking and laundry, enjoyed a home cooked meal (pasta) and then the kids went to bed while Abe and I went out to get the lay of the land. There are bars and restaurants everywhere you look, tons of shops (a 24/7 grocery on the corner), a 15 minute walk to the beach, where even at 10:30 pm people were swimming. What a completely different vibe from everywhere else we've been in Israel. Tel Aviv is clearly a city for having fun!

Checking out the algae farm

Admiring the popsicle selection at the kibbutz store

Outside the Kibbutz library

Watching the tanks practice in the desert on our drive north

Ben Gurion's house at Sde Boker

In Ben Gurion's study

A home cooked meal in our new home (temporarily)

Notice Nick Jr on in the background - this must be home!

and there is wifi...all is right with the world