By Will Hutton
THE OBSERVER , LONDON
Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004,Page 9
It seems a long time ago now, but there was a time when Israel was not only the Middle East's only
democracy but a source of liberal inspiration. The kibbutz movement was a living example of how to build a new society based on genuine equality of opportunity and mutuality of respect in collective democratic communes that actually worked. I remember friends who had spent their gap year working on kibbutzim eulogizing about the experience.
That was then. Today, Israel's kibbutz movement is in crisis as a succession of right-wing governments has redirected subsidies to support settling the West Bank, where settlers now double those working on kibbutzim.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2004/07/28/2003180789The is the first time I've ever read anything about the 'kibbutz'. But as one can see, for 3 years I posted about how nice, friendly, funny, liberal... all of my Jewish friends I grew up with in Chicago. That I never even knew they were Jewish until I met their mothers. It sort of makes me proud to have this feeling independently with never really knowing much about Israel. And I repeat, no Jewish person I've ever met would steal anything from anyone. They'd never kill anyone either.