Kibbutz & Emek Yizrael
In 1957, the kibbutz movement dominated Israeli society
Letter Excerpts:
“Nothing else is new except the more that I see and hear the way the kibbutz is run, the more convinced I am that it is a very efficient economic unit. The value of their produce here is increasing by about 20% a year since it was established 8 years ago.”
“I spent the morning helping out with the Potato sorting machine.”
— July 16, 1957
“Right now I’m sitting here in a lovely room on a Kibbutz right in the geographical center of Israel’s Galilee. There are acres and acres of lush farmlands”
“My impression of the day and a half is that they are great & idealistic & very efficient. 3 crops a year are planted & harvested with modern equipment”.
July 29, 1957
“I am still on Kibbutz & will probably stay until Sunday making it a week. It is a wonderful experience, both in people living together & working together. I was amazed to learn that this place is almost 3,000 acres in area & has some of the highest acre yields in the world in certain items, dependent of course on proper irrigation.”
July 31, 1957
Jezreel Valley quotes:
“The afternoon is being spent here. Yesterday we went through Israel’s coastal plain & Valley of Jezreel. What a marked contrast to The Southern Negev & the Judean Hills. Here the soil is rich and there is plenty of water.”
— July 29, 1957
“Sunday Morning we left the Kibbutz and began touring parts of the Galil, Israel’s bread basket the valley of Jezreel.”
August 5, 1957
Bob Jacobs at the Israeli-Jordanian border, 1957. Directly behind him is the Jordanian occupied Old City of Jerusalem. At his left reads a sign: Danger – No Entry!”
The same factory years later in the bustling city of Ramat Gan.
Kibbutz HaSolalim
My parents stayed at Kibbutz Hasolalim which was located in the Jezreel Valley a place that my father described as Israel’s bread basket. My dad mentioned how he sorted potatoes. He did not mention he was sorting the potatoes with Elaine. The Kibbutz was originally established in 1946 mostly with immigrants from the United States.
Today the Kibbutz has 950 residents and not taking in new members. Attached is a picture taken 2017 of my parents Bob and Elaine Jacobs taken Passover 2017 at kibbutz HaSolalim in front of the cabins the youth stayed in 1957.
Kibbutz Efficiency
My father’s description of the kibbutz efficiency in the 1950’s is self-explanatory. As a future accountant and capitalist, he had a natural feel for business, and was successful in breaking down business opportunities for his clients
Jewish families expelled from the Old City by Jordan after Jordanian soldiers took control of east Jerusalem, 1948
Hebrew sign at entrance to Kibbutz Hasolalim today.
My Father & Mother visiting Kibbutz HaSolalim 2017, in front of the cabins where their youth group stayed in 1957
1957 Compare and Links
In 1957, the country was run more as a socialist country and the kibbutz movement dominated Israeli society. Most of its leaders were kibbutzniks, and the most motivated soldiers grew up on the kibbutzim. People were loyal to their country and loyal to their kibbutz. In its beginnings, the kibbutzim succeeded to some degree, with the help of the Israeli leadership who themselves held socialist ideals.
Today, the country is more capitalistic, and many of the kibbutzim have become mostly private business enterprises. Instead of true equality, which is supposed to be the overriding value of the kibbutz, favoritism (“proteccia” פרוטקציה) among kibbutz members is what prevailed, and the idealism was diminished. Most of all, the lack of Torah and Zionist values created a younger generation of lost Israelis with no knowledge of their birthright. While their parents understood the importance of a Jewish State (since they had experienced the hardships of the exile), they were not able to pass that down to their children. In the end, without Judaism, our right to the land of Israel cannot be conveyed to the next generation.
LINKS:
What is a Kibbutz?: https://www.touristisrael.com/what-is-a-kibbutz/6053/ The Kibbutz: Israel’s Collective Utopia (Unpacked): https://youtu.be/RIf2f77tjJ8
About Kibbutz Hasolalim (Hebrew): https://www.homee.co.il/הסוללים/
Emek Yizrael Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13RNUhpZSlw
Emek Yizrael – Facts: https://www.gemsinisrael.com/the-gems/the-beit-shean-and-jezreel-valleys/the-jezreel-valley/
“Remember the Sabbath”
During its early years, El Al sometimes flew on the Sabbath. El AL at the time was an airline owned by the Israel Government. Prior to Menachem Begin’s election as Prime Minister the leadership of Israel including all of its Prime Ministers were mostly secular.
Begin was not Orthodox but held Jewish tradition with the utmost importance. As the airline representing the Jewish State, he made it a priority that it not fly on the Sabbath.
In 1982, Begin succeeded in passing a resolution in Israel’s Knesset against strong opposition. He did so through the power of his great oratory skills. Here are some excerpts of Begin’s riveting speech from the Knesset podium:
Prime Minister Menachem Begin always felt the importance of the Shabbat:
“More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath day, the Sabbath day has kept the Jews.“
“There is no way of assessing the religious, national, social, historical and ethical values of the Sabbath day by the yardstick of financial loss or gain. More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath day, the Sabbath day has kept the Jews.
So are we, in our reborn Jewish State, to allow our Blue and White El Al planes to fly to and fro, as if to broadcast to the world that that there is no Shabbat in Israel? Should we, who by faith and tradition heard the commandment at Sinai, now deliver a message to all and sundry through our El Al planes: ‘No, do not remember the Sabbath day. Forget the Sabbath day! Desecrate the Sabbath day.’ I shudder at the thought that the aircraft of our national carrier have been taking off the world over on the seventh day over many years, in view of Jews and Gentiles alike’.”
Begin’s speech was met with rousing applause, the resolution was passed, and since then, EL AL has been known as the the’306-day-a-year’ airline because it does not operate scheduled passenger service on Shabbat or on major Jewish holidays. Conversely, EL AL’s main competitors do operate flights to and from Tel Aviv on those days.
In 2021 a 27 year old orthodox Jew, Eli Rozenberg and his Kanfei Nesharim Company took control of EL AL. His commitment to Jewish tradition was a sign to many that EL AL would continue to be, “The Jewish Airline”.
Rescue, Aliyah & Defending Jewish Interests
Throughout its history, El Al has been the sole airline to defend and rescue Jews all over the world. In 1960, it was an EL AL crew and aircraft which assisted in the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichman, transporting him from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Tel Aviv.
Through massive immigrant airlifts, starting with Operation Magic Carpet which brought Yemenite Jews to Israel in 1949-50, and Operation Ali Baba in 1951 where EL AL flights rescued Jews fleeing oppression in Iraq, the airline recalled the Biblical prophecy of returning Jews to Israel “on eagles’ wings”. From 1950 to 1956, EL AL flew more than 160,000 immigrants from Yemen, Iran and India to Israel, as part of Operation Magic Carpet and Operation Ezra and Nehemia.
In 1990, EL AL started airlifting hundreds of thousands of Jews from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in Operation Exodus, and in May 1991 it carried out the dramatic rescue of thousands of Ethiopian Jews in Operation Solomon. During this last airlift, EL AL set a world record for the most passengers ever carried on a single aircraft – 1,087 on a Boeing 747-200 from Addis Ababa to Israel.
Since 2002, EL AL in partnership with Nefesh B Nefesh, along with other Zionist organizations, has brought tens of thousands of Jewish Immigrants from Western countries home to Israel on Aliyah.
Do We Take the Kotel and Jerusalem for Granted?
The battle for Jerusalem in 1948 was fierce. When the smoke cleared, Jerusalem was divided: The western half became part of the new State of Israel. The eastern half, including the Old City, was occupied by Jordan and the Jews of east Jerusalem were expelled. Under Jordanian rule, access to Jewish holy sites, including the Kotel and the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives was denied.
1967 – Jerusalem United!
As a result of the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel liberated East Jerusalem – the Kotel and Mt. of Olives were now in Jewish hands. Unlike his 1957 visit to Israel, Bob Jacobs’ wish came true in 1968 when he and his wife came to Israel and prayed at the Kotel. With the Temple Mount in Israel’s hands, the long held Jewish dream of building the Third Temple became more of a reality.
“Kafe Nemes”
The original Elite “Kafe Nemes” (instant coffee) continues to be a popular drink in Israeli households.
Strauss Acquires Elite
In 1997, Elite was purchased by Strauss, Israel’s largest food company, and greatly expanded its line of products. Elite produces the hazelnut filled “Egozi”, the creamy “Pesek Zman”, the crunchy “Kif Kef”, and many new products. It also makes sugarless chocolate bars for diabetics.
Ramat Gan Factory Moves to Upper Nazareth
In 2003, Elite-Strauss closed the Ramat Gan factory and moved its operations to their newer factory in Upper Nazareth where land was cheaper. The factory was expanded and expanded its product line. Today, groups participate in an exciting tour of the factory.
Land Sale to Trump Partners
In 2006, this land was sold to the Crescent Group which involved Donald Trump. The group had plans to develop a 70-story luxury tower building that would carry Trump’s name. The building was never built and the land was sold 18 months later. Today, “Elite Towers” stands on the original factory site.