Kibbutz

A kibbutz was a community where those who live there contribute their share to the community and in return they were given 3000 shekels to live on for the month. The problem was, some people wouldn’t work, so those putting in their fair share were working for those who were not doing anything! There was a school in the kibbutz for the children. There was also a “baby house,” where all the children, starting at age of six months, slept in one room. Two people would always be watching the babies. This was done so the parents could sleep through the night! This did not last since kids did not stay through the night, they would simply go home or wouldn’t want to go sleep in the baby house. If someone came to live at the kibbutz, that family basically had three years to prove themselves, then the people would vote on whether or not you were allowed to stay and live there. Now people come there to rent homes until they are able to establish a place of their own.
We are staying in the kibbutz in Ben Gal’on, which is 30 minutes from the excavation site. We are housed in studio-like apartments, which has four beds and a bathroom. We eat breakfast at a cafeteria and dinner at “Mike and Sharon’s Bistro,” which is a restaurant, but also the name of the people who own it. They are from South Africa and have four children. Mike and his wife cook the food, so we have homecooked meals everyday! Mike LOVES skittles, which are not sold in Israel. Because he makes the best fillet steak in Israel (according to him), we are making a trade…my skittles for one of his filets! Wednesday night I’ll be eating steak while everyone else is eating something not as wonderful!