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Kibbutz Na’an was distinctly irreligious, even anti-religious. There was no synagogue nor were prayers held to the best of my knowledge. Sabbath was not observed except by taking the day off. If necessary, people worked on the Sabbath also. Nobody wore a kipa (Jewish skullcap). I remember someone telling me that he did not like rabbis.
The atmosphere in Kibbutz Na’an was (and I dare say still is) very severe. People did not, as a rule, wish each other "Good morning,” etc. Once, during my first days there, someone said "Boker tov” to me. I did not know what that meant, and I turned to a person who knew English and asked for a translation. He replied that it meant "Good morning” in Hebrew. He added: "These are the two most useless words in the language.”
A person was admired for working well. If a person was reputed to be "a good worker,” that was praise indeed. A person was also accepted for being straightforward and sincere. If a person was suspected of insincerity he was ostracized. This was a painful punishment. It seemed to me that people went out of their way to give the impression of sincerity. In most cases, in my judgment, it was not merely an impression. They really were sincere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the founding members had originally come from Germany. Hence German punctuality was the rule. On my first day at work I was to be present at a certain place at 6 a.m. to catch the Jeep going to the orchards. I arrived at 6.01 a.m. and the Jeep had left. I had to walk to the orchards. You may be sure I never came late again, by even so much as a minute.
In addition to this, there was an atmosphere of austerity. Even though the Kibbutz was earning vast sums of money, much of it in foreign exchange, conspicuous consumption was frowned upon. For instance, no one wore a suit and tie, and indeed I doubt if anyone even possessed such a thing. In hot weather everyone wore sandals, shorts and shirt — men as well as women. Residential rooms were small. Furniture was simple. Food, though plentiful, was simply cooked, with the emphasis on nutritional value rather than taste. Expense, however, was lavished upon children’s education and rearing. In fact, in my opinion, the closest thing to paradise for a child on earth must be to grow up in a kibbutz. Nothing was too good for them.
However, austerity did not mean that pleasant things were frowned upon: only expensive personal items were discouraged. One of the "traditions” on the Kibbutz was the afternoon tea at the house of one’s "adoptive” parents, often with sumptuous cakes baked by the lady. All clothes were extremely clean and so were the living quarters, and moreover, the residential area was landscaped and tended by a team of gardeners, making the entire place look like a park with small houses scattered among the flower beds and lawns. People took pride in little things of beauty which they made themselves.
Alcohol was generally frowned upon, and at Kibbutz Na’an not even wine was drunk at the Sabbath. Tea with lemon was the common drink, even with meals. Plenty of fruits, vegetables (raw as well as cooked), milk and eggs were available. Chala (a special Jewish Sabbath bread) was baked for every Sabbath and distributed to all. It appeared that the members made it a point to ensure that no one went hungry. Three square meals a day were a "must,” and at times there were even five. What with the physical labor, one worked up a good appetite. Food was therefore given great importance. So were the kitchen and dining rooms, which were elegantly structured in modern architectural style and equipped with the latest and best cooking equipment made of stainless steel. There were steam-heated cooking pots large enough to hold a grown man and cold storage rooms of vast dimensions, plus automatic dish-washing machines capable of washing hundreds of plates, cups and cutlery at a time.
Materials and facilities for common use were lavishly available. These included sport facilities (Kibbutz Na’an had a nationally famous sports team), an outdoor amphitheater where shows were held regularly, and so on. In particular they encouraged items which members could use collectively for the development of their physical and mental well-being. Unnecessary ornamentation was frowned upon but beauty was encouraged in all aspects of life.

 

 

 

 
Cleanliness was almost a religion, and no one went without a daily shower. In cold weather, after work one had the luxury of unlimited hot water to shower with. This was often done in a common shower room particularly by the young. I was informed that ever since the beginning of the Kibbutz this had been given great importance and, in the old days everyone went to the common showers after work, which became, as a result, an intense social gathering place. One person was on record as having said during the weekly general meeting: "I have been saying this in the showers, and I am saying it here…” By the ’60s of course most members had their own private showers in their rooms. Some old timers, however, could still be seen with towels over their shoulders going every evening to the common showers.
Work was generally for eight hours a day, six days a week. Everyone did at least this much; some did more. No extra pay was received for overtime, sometimes not even the approval of one’s fellows was given for more work. It was done because the person concerned felt he had to do it. If one did one’s eight hours, though, it was sufficient to be called a "good worker” provided that during those eight hours one really worked. I am happy to say that after a month or so I was considered to be a "good worker.” I did only my allotted share.
The Kibbutz was in law a sort of private limited company but with a difference as to its internal workings. Externally, however, like any company, it sold its produce in the open market and thereby realized an income. The annual turnover of Kibbutz Na’an at the time of which I speak must have been in the region of 50 million Israeli pounds (about USD 16 million) when the exchange rate was about four Israeli pounds to the US dollar. The treasurer had to manage all this money. No treasurer remained on the job for more than a few years. Most kibbutzniks have an aversion to paperwork.
Every week there was a general meeting of all the members; or rather, to be more accurate, of all the members who cared to come. Not all came; some were happy to stay at home with their children or friends, and leave the running of the Kibbutz to others. But many came, and discussed any point worth discussing, which was afterwards put to vote. Voting was by show of hands. Majority decisions carried the day. These decisions were then left to the office-bearers to implement. Election of office-bearers was also done. There was no restriction on what could be brought up before the general meeting; all kinds of minor matters also came up. So there was full participatory democracy.
In addition to the weekly general meetings, there was of course the close contact members had with each other at mealtimes. Also, a large amount of gossip was always floating around. So after a while one got to know the inner workings of the Kibbutz quite intimately.
Due to this factor, perhaps, in order to protect one’s privacy, the more permanent members were somewhat standoffish, particularly at first. It took a while to win their confidence. The native born Israelis were not only standoffish but even positively rude. This is why they are called "Sabras.” Sabra is the Arabic name for the fruit of the cactus tree which is thorny outside, but its heart is sweet once one gets to it. The native born Israelis are like that too.
It must be emphasized that one’s free hours on the Kibbutz were really free. There was no shopping, washing up, housework or any other work to be done; every aspect of these was handled by teams of persons whose job it was. One ate one’s meals in the dining room and threw the plates in the sink to be washed by others. Gardening was done by the gardeners, house repairs were undertaken by the team meant for that purpose, and so on. Of course one had to do everything required but that was during one’s working time. Outside working hours one was completely free to do what one felt like doing — even nothing, if one so desired. A lot of people had hobbies — gardening, cooking, painting, ceramics, sport, exercise, reading, listening to music. This would be unimaginable in town. In the Kibbutz one lived as if one had servants without actually having any. Therefore many people worked, as I have said, more than was required of them, because they had the extra time or for whatever other reason.
I have known persons working 12 to 14 hours a day without deriving any extra benefit. Yaeli, for instance, used to work very much and when she was not working at her regular place of work — in the children’s house — she would be doing something in the home: cleaning, cooking, re-arranging and so on. Some people considered this sort of tendency unhealthy and did not encourage it. It was felt that a person should relax after work. Nevertheless many people did work more than was required of them, because they felt like it. In my opinion — shared by many others — this is due to the very special atmosphere created by the peculiar structure of the Kibbutz. These same people would probably have not worked like this if they lived in town and had to do their shopping, cooking, laundry and house repairs in addition to their regular wage-earning work.
This factor led to the peculiar situation where even casual guests who had never been on a kibbutz before would feel uncomfortable if they were not assigned some work. So they were given tasks, if they so desired, generally in the kitchen.
To be continued