AGRICULTURE, MANUFACTURING, SERVICES

http://www.solhaam.org/articles/kibbut.html

The underlying kibbutz ideology of shared work and shared success, of community-orientated living and social responsibility, was weakened by material success. So now socialist kibbutzim permanently employ labour from outside the kibbutz.

Year by year volunteers flocked to the kibbutzim to share in the struggle for a better and more secure life for the kibbutz and so for its members and for the community at large. Freely contributing their labour while sharing to some extent in the life of the kibbutz. But volunteers to a considerable extent ceased to be motivated by ideology. And to a considerable extent are now regarded as cheap labour by the kibbutz.

Kibbutz members had struggled hard and well and were now enjoying the fruits of their labours. Economic success, social security and wealth came in, co-operative principles went out.

Working for their own benefit, they became profit-taking owners and employers. Kfar Blum and Kfar Hanasi, for example, employ workers from outside in their factories. None of the manual workers in Kfar Hanasi's foundry is a member of the kibbutz. {KIB 01, 03}

Kibbutzim have become employers of labour. Co-operative ideology has been replaced by self-interest. To this extent is their higher standard of living and quality of life the result of profiting from the work of others.


And this outlook has began to affect life within the kibbutz.