Postcard: Galilee

摘要

When Israel's oldest kibbutz, Degania, announced that it was giving up its socialist ideals and going private—members could own homes and earn salaries based on how hard they worked—few other than the kibbutzniks themselves were happy. For many Israelis, Degania was a symbol of rosier days, a Zionist idyll of honest work and camaraderie. But for those who called it home, the kibbutz had become an anachronism as rusty as the battered farm tools on display for tourists. Today, the younger generation of kibbutzniks pines for individualism. Tamara Gal-Sarai gazes out over the kibbutz lawn until her eyes settle on the blue-white shimmer of the Sea of Galilee. "The Israeli press blames us for killing their Utopia," she says. "It was as if we'd destroyed a national treasure."