Yom Huledet Ketura

This weekend is Kibbutz Ketura's 35th birthday. We had the traditional barbecue last night with some delicious grilled meat, and today were a number of activities including camel riding (which I did not partake in), pita making (the dough was already made, but we got to knead it and cook it over an open fire), a time capsule of sorts, and a game of capture the flag.

I thought it would be a good time to give a little bit of history about the Kibbutz in the spirit of celebrating and honoring its establishment. Ketura was founded in 1973 just after the Yom Kippur War. The original buildings were left over from the army. Mike Solloway, one of the founding members (and my "adopted father") explained that the Kibbutzniks weren't able to sleep at Ketura the day it was officially handed over to them because the IDF was still using it. The fact that it was established at such a turbulent time in Israel's history helps to explain the four rows of barbed wire surrounding the perimeter and the multiple bunkers scattered throughout the area.

There is also a big moat just inside the fence, but it has nothing to do with military security. It is protection from flash floods. Because they had one in 1975 and a lot of the Kibbutz was underwater. Apparently it was a mad rush to save the books in the library. There have been floods since (the most recent in 1997 or 1998, I think) but the moat has done its job and diverts the water south. It seems that we might be due for a flood this year, but it's hard to say. We did have a good rain the other day. It was quite exciting - we stopped class for it :) It is hard to imagine this place teaming with water...

There is also a story behind the name, Ketura. It was originally named Outpost Ketura by the IDF because a Nahal (river) Ketura used to run NW of the Kibbutz - it is now a dried up riverbed. Ketura is also the name of Abraham's wife. When the Kibbutz was founded, the name committee of the government wanted to change the name to something like Kibbutz Nir Shlomo Kaplansky or "Nashak" (an acronym of the name) who was some important figure or something. Needless to say, this option was not so appealing, so the Kibbutzniks fought to keep the original name and ultimately won.

Interestingly, the Kibbutz was originally slated to open on 4 October 1973 (Sukkot), but it was postponed until 22 November due to the war. The actual opening occurred on the Thursday prior to the reading of the parasha, Chai Sarah, that mentions Ketura. Hmm.

Ketura was founded by a number of young Americans in the Young Judea youth movement. There was a lot of skepticism over the ability of these people to successfully begin and maintain a kibbutz, but with some trial and error they figured it out. The government was willing to give them the land because it was interested in developing the Negev. It wasn't the first kibbutz in the area (that was Yot Vatah), I think it was the third or so. The American roots are strikingly obvious here. Not only do most of the members speak with a terrible Hebrew accent, but there certain aspects of religious life that are decidedly American and stem from the Young Judea roots - a traditional egal service, for example, which is hard to find elsewhere in Israel.

Initially the Kibbutz had its own vegetable garden, but it proved very labor-intensive, detrimental to one's health (due to all of the pesticides and physical labor involved), and not very profitable. As members got older they began looking for other more sustainable and lucrative forms of income. That is how the date farms, the refet, and the algae farm came to be. Other forms of income include the Machon Arava and the Guest house.

There are four or five of the founders that still live on the Kibbutz along with a number of others who came within the first five years. But from the sound of it, the character of the Kibbutz has changed dramatically. It is now a well-established kibbutz, the realities of kibbutz life has changed (in terms of what jobs are available, the economic foundation, and how kibbutzniks spend their free time). Aside from the economic considerations, the fact that a new generation is now on the Kibbutz makes a big difference. It will be interesting to see where they take what their parents built for them.