Growing Up on a Kibbutz
On 5 May, we celebrated Yom Ha’atzmaut – Israel Independence Day with a slide show presentation
by our outgoing rabbinical intern, Josh Schreiber. Josh told of his growing up on Kibbutz Heftziba in the Jezreel Valley
of Israel.
Josh and his family moved to the Kibbutz in Israel when Josh was just entering elementary school
and he lived there until he was in his mid-teens. Life on a socialist kibbutz in a foreign (from America) land with a
foreign language (Hebrew) among native Israeli youths was a challenge for Josh and his siblings - Josh had to put up with
constant bullying by the native Israeli youths on the kibbutz.
Kibbutz Heftziba was located in a very beautiful part of Israel. Nearby were famous Mt. Gilboa,
the major archaeological site at Beit She’an and the ruins of an ancient Hebrew synagogue at Beit Alpha.
The stunning mosaic floor of the synagogue at Beit Alpha was discovered in 1929, when members of a
nearby kibbutz were digging irrigation channels for their fields. Subsequent excavations exposed mosaics preserved intact for
almost 1,500 years.
Kibbutz Heftziba was both an agricultural kibbutz and an industrial kibbutz that manufactured
various products.
It tended to be run in the typical socialistic tradition of the early Israeli kibbutzim. Today, most of Israel’s kibbutzim
are much less socialistic and incorporate more capitalistic features.
Following the highly interesting and informative presentation, the attendees enjoyed coffee and
pastry and the chance to talk with Josh about the presentation.
Kibbutz Heftziba
Kibbutz Heftziba is located in the north of Israel on the boundaries of the Jezreel and Beit
She’an Valleys between the cities of Afula and Beit She’an. The Beit Alfa Synagogue National Park is located in the Kibbutz
Heftziba.
The kibbutz was founded in 1922 by Jewish immigrants from Czechoslovakia and Germany. It was named
after the farm adjacent to Hadera, where the original settlers worked before they relocated and founded the community. The
name derives from the Bible, where God speaks about his love for Israel: "My delight in her." (Isaiah 62:4)
According to a census conducted in 1922 by the British Mandate authorities, Heftziba had a population
of 125 inhabitants, consisting of 123 Jews and 2 Muslims.
The Beth Alpha Synagogue National Park is located in the kibbutz, not, as many assume, at the
adjacent kibbutz with the same name, Beit Alfa. It contains an ancient Byzantine-era synagogue with a mosaic floor depicting
the lunar Hebrew months as they correspond to the signs of the zodiac. The synagogue as well as the nearby kibbutz got their
name from the Arab village that once stood here, Khirbet Bait Ilfa.
Kibbutz Heftziba lies a the base of Mount Gilboa with its 11 peaks and lots of picnic spots. The view
from the top of Mount Gilboa is amazing. From there, you can see the whole Jezreel Valley, and you take a short hike on the
mountain paths where King Saul and his son Jonathan died in the biblical battle with the Philistines.
The Japanese Gardens in Kibbutz Heftziba were established by the Makuya students who were sent to
Israeli kibbutzim to work together with Israelis and to study Hebrew and the biblical background. Some of them have continued
their academic studies in Israel’s universities. The primary kibbutz the Makuya students stay at is in Heftziba.
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