The Kibbutz in Israel

The first kibbutz was established in 1909, many years before Israel attained statehood in 1948. The founders of the kibbutzim were influenced by the Zionist movement which began in the mid1800's. The purpose of Zionism was to create a Jewish nation in the region of Palestine. In this regard, Zionism represented an effort to overcome the effects of the diaspora. The diaspora was the scattering of the Jews which occurred in 586 B.C., when the Babylonians conquered the kingdom of Judah and destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem. For more than two thousand years, the Jewish people lived in various parts of Europe without a homeland of their own. During that time, many Jews yearned for a chance to return to the land they had been exiled from.

The Zionist movement had its origins in the late eighteenth century, when the Jewish people were emancipat

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special spiritual value. He felt that working on the land represented a return to nature. According to Gordon's view, the scattering of the Jews of Europe had alienated the people from natural values. Thus, "Gordon concluded that a real national revival was conditional on a return to normal life, with work as the great remedy against all the evils of Jewish life in the diaspora" (Laqueur, 1972, p. 285). Gordon's emphasis on agricultural work was combined with communal ideals in the creation of the first kibbutzim. Gordon was influential in the establishment of the first kibbutz through his creation of a political organization known as the Young Worker Party. This group was seen as "a major force behind the movement to collectivize Jewish settlements in Palestine" (Lewis, 1990, p. 29). In 1908, Gordon's group was given an opportunity to develop an experimental commune in the region. At that time, the newly founded Palestinian Office established Kinneret Farm, "where young agricultural workers were trained under the supervision of professional agronomists" (Slutsky, 1971, p. 667). The Young Worker Party was actively involved in this training program. In 1909, Gordon and his group were given the chance to start their own exp
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Gan Shlmuel, , Europe Specifically, Worker Party, Jews Europe, French Army, Temple Jerusalem, Palestine Lewis, Prior Jews, Palestine Slutsky, zionist movement, slutsky 1971, lewis 1990, kibbutz system, jewish people, frankel 1980, land palestine, washington dc government, helen chapin, jewish nation, study helen, ed washington dc, dc government printing, metz ed washington, printing office pp,
Approximate Word count = 1763
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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