Shabbat on Kibbutz Gazit

A really interesting and unique way of life in Israel is living on a kibbutz, a community where almost everything is shared- from the work to the food to clothes and childcare. Ellie and I are lucky to have a friend from camp that lives on Kibbutz Gazit, a farming kibbutz near the Kineret, and over the weekend, we had a chance to experience life there. Ellie, Keren, Becca, and I set off for Kibbutz Gazit on a never-ending bus ride, and our friend Guy picked us up when we finally arrived. The kibbutz is near Mount Tavor and the Kineret, but it doesn't need these beautiful surroundings to make it incredible; the kibbutz itself is beautiful. As we drove through, we noticed how calm and quiet it was- especially compared to the busy streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. All the houses are beautiful inside and out.

There are about 300 families on the kibbutz and everyone knows each other. There are family houses in one part of the kibbutz, and young adult studio apartments for ages 18+ are a few minutes' walk away. There were also soccer/ basketball courts, a big dining hall with buffet style meals, classrooms, a nursery, and playgrounds. Since Kibbutz Gazit is a farming kibbutz, there were lots and lots of cows and sheep.

After we arrived on Friday, we met Guy's parents, brother, sister, and nephews. We all had mint tea and a small snack to hold us over until Shabbat dinner. As always, the food was amazing! We had dinner in the dining hall, where there was rice, chicken, potatoes, vegetables, and more- mmmm good. After dinner, we headed to the moadon (social lounge) for some chocolate milk and pretzels/ wafers. We sat outside with a bunch of families and watched the kids and dogs run around. Dogs on kibbutz's have the life: they can wander about as they please, everyone feeds them/ knows who they are, and no one bothers them. Guy's dogs walked between his apartment and his parents house whenever they felt like it or wanted to see another family member.

As if we didn't have enough for dinner/ dessert, when we went back to Guy's parents' to relax, we were served brownies with ice cream! We learned a lot about the kibbutz and had a great time with Guy's family over the 2 days. Also on Friday night, we met a bunch of Guy's friends and went to the Kibbutz pub. We sat outside and played cards while enjoying a few beers. All in all, it was a great night.

On Saturday, we woke up early for breakfast at Guy's parents' and then headed out for our walking tour of the kibbutz and the local orchards. It was beautiful! The view from the kibbutz is great- all greenery and trees on mountains. The trees in the orchards included almond, avocado, sabras, and pomela. Pomela is a very large green citrus that is somewhat sweet and very delicious. We picked one from a tree and sat outside to enjoy our snack after a long morning of walking and learning about the kibbutz. We also went to visit the cows and sheep, and saw the cows getting milked. They have machines/ suctions that milk the cows, so Guy's job is to get the cows in/out, set up, and clean up. Becca was brave enough to see what it's like to milk a cow by hand! We also visited the baby cows, which apparently will suck on your fingers if you put them in their mouths, hoping for some milk (weird, but Guy told us to do it).

When we got back to Guy's parents', it was time for lunch: empanadas, chinese noodles with chicken, and chicken stuffed with veggies. We had another brownie ice cream treat for dessert! After our delicious lunch and recovery from over-eating, we got in the car to drive up Mount Tavor. There are quite a few Arabic villages in the area, and it was interesting to drive by and check them out. The view from Mount Tavor was amazing: the Israel Valley, more mountains, and you could even see Tzfat! We also drove up to a really pretty church but couldn't go inside. 

As the sun set, we headed back to Guy's for a quick nap and then it was time to head back to Tel Aviv. It was an incredible experience seeing first hand what life is like on a kibbutz and the advantages of a sharing culture.