What is a kibbutz, the kind of Israeli community targeted during the Hamas attack?

Aerial view of the kibbutz of Yiron.
An aerial view taken on April 13, 2023, shows the northern Israeli kibbutz of Yiron. Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

This report is part of ongoing coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Visit our dedicated page for more on this topic.

The multi-front, surprise assault that Hamas militants launched against Israel over the weekend hit communities across the country, including a set of communes known as kibbutz (pluralized as kibbutzim). Be’eri, a kibbutz located along the Gaza border, was left devastated, with about 100 dead, and buildings shattered and destroyed.

Since Saturday, the death toll has skyrocketed on both sides. The Hamas attack has killed about 1,300 Israelis and left about 3,300 wounded. Meanwhile, Israel has begun bombarding Gaza in advance of a ground assault, killing more than 1,300 people and wounding about 6,000.

Headshot of Lori Lefkovitz.
Lori Lefkovitz, director of the Jewish Studies program at Northeastern. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

The violence that occurred in Be’eri and other kibbutzim over the last week is striking, not least because of the important place these communities have in Israel’s national history. Collectivist, egalitarian communities known for their agrarian economies and utopian idealism, kibbutzim played an important role in establishing Israel’s early national identity.

Their numbers have dropped in recent years: Today, about 120,000 of Israel’s 9 million people (2.8%) live in about 270 kibbutzim that range from 80 to 2,000 people. Some kibbutzim have also departed from the socialist and communal ideals in favor of startups, industry and private capital. But they remain an important part of Israeli national identity and one of the more successful socialist endeavors in modern history.

“It’s a socialist vision of ‘from each according to his ability and to each according to their needs,’” says Lori Lefkovitz, Ruderman Professor of Jewish Studies and director of Jewish Studies at Northeastern University. “That’s the original vision, and it’s quite idealistic.”

Wealth is shared, so any income collected by kibbutzniks working the land or, more recently, working outside the kibbutz is collected by an elected leadership group. People can apply to use funds, but decisions about how income is allocated are made by the elected kibbutz boards. 

Most kibbutzim are outside major cities, in line with their agricultural roots, and are fairly separate from other communities physically. However, they exist like any other neighborhood as part of the Israeli social fabric. Some Israelis even choose to rent property on the kibbutz to escape the high costs of the city. If kibbutzniks choose to move outside the kibbutz, they leave with some amount of the collective income, akin to a buyout.

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