We will begin our visit to Jerusalem by visiting Mt. Scopus. Along the way Nir described the difference between a kibbutz and a moshav. Kevutza - a group - the first was Dan Ganya - communal, agriculture settlements in the 1920's to go against Edward Rothchild. There was complete equality on a kibbutz. Men and women did equal work, income was shared by all inhabitants based on the size of the family unit - single, married, with children. The units they lived in were all the same, again based on family size. The children lived in the children's house. The goal was development of a new breed of Jew - one who was a part of the land. The children would see their parents each day and although the houses were co-ed, they were divided by age group. All food eaten was grown on the kibbutzim. The children were firmly rooted in and on the land. This ended up not working for the long run. The concept changed so that the children then lived with their families. The kibbutzim were a cultural cocoon - it was felt that the city lights corrupted people. It was a socialist environment with total equality the focus. There was total support - health insurance, three meals a day - total security - no drugs, no crime.
In the 1960's many volunteers came to Israel and also brought music and drugs with them to the kibbutzim. Israel was one of few countries to deny entry to the country by The Beatles. Some of the volunteers married kibbutzniks and their were then cracks in the armour.
In the 1970's the kibbutzim fell apart and were forced to modernize. They became more capitalist in theory. Salaries were then based on the job done by the individual. One could have a job outside the kibbutz as long as some of their salary was given to the kibbutz. There are still 270 kibbutzim in Israel.
There are 450 Moshavim in Israel - people living together on the leased land, working like a coop.
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