Kibbutz volunteer

Kibbutz volunteers are mostly young people (Jewish and non-Jewish) who come from all over the world to Israel for a period of time to take part in kibbutz life. These volunteers usually arrive in Israel for a short period of time (two-three months) on a volunteer visa, and participate in all of the activities in all the branches of the kibbutz (agriculture, kitchen, gardening and factory). Volunteers get some pocket money (around 200 shekels a month as of 2008), and receive accommodation, dining, and social activities on behalf of their hosting kibbutz.

Throughout the years, many kibbutz volunteers have chosen to remain in Israel after the volunteering period, often as a result of marrying Israeli citizens. Those who remain in Israel may choose to volunteer in the IDF and, if they are not Jewish, to convert to Judaism. Among the volunteers who decide to remain in Israel, many end up staying in the kibbutz they volunteered in.

History

The volunteers project in the kibbutzim began in the mid 1960s with the arrival of young people from western nations curious about kibbutz life and eager to experience it first-hand. After the conclusion of the Six-Day War, the world's interest in Israel grew, and in the aftermath large numbers of volunteers arrived. At the peak of the project in the 1970s, 12,000 volunteers used to arrive every year, working in the different kibbutzim throughout Israel.

As the kibbutzim began to suffer financially in the 1980s, many elected to halt the volunteer project, in some cases hiring foreign workers from the Far East instead. Due to the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in particular after the Second Intifada started in 2000, many countries ceased to cooperate with the project and as a result there was a significant decrease in the amount of the kibbutz volunteers. The decrease hit its lowest point in 2001, when only 100 volunteers arrived in Israel. Since then, the number of volunteers has grown but has never returned to 1970s levels. In 2007, approximately 1,500 volunteers came to Israel.

In total, 350,000 volunteers from 35 different countries have volunteered in various kibbutzim in Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967.

Celebrity Kibbutz volunteers

Among the many people who came to Israel as Kibbutz volunteers over the years, several later achieved international fame. These include:

• Jerry Seinfeld, the American comedian and star of the television comedy "Seinfeld" volunteered at the age of 17 in Kibbutz Sa'ar in 1971 [1].
• Sacha Baron Cohen, the British comedian best known for the roles of Ali G and Borat volunteered in Kibbutz Rosh HaNikra for a year in the late 1980s.
• Sigourney Weaver, the American actress who starred in the Alien series, volunteered in a Kibbutz for several months at the age of 18 in 1967.
• Simon Le Bon, the lead singer of Duran Duran, volunteered in Kibbutz Gvulot. The band's first album included a track called Tel Aviv.
• Sandra Bernhard, the American comedian, actress, author and singer, volunteered in Kibbutz Kfar Menachem at the age of 17 in 1972.
• Debra Winger, the American actress and the star of "An Officer and a Gentleman", volunteered on a kibbutz and even served in the IDF.
• Bob Hoskins, the British actor and the star of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", volunteered at Kibbutz Zikim at the age of 25 in 1967.
• Annie Leibovitz, the American portrait photographer, volunteered at Kibbutz Amir at the age of 20 in 1969.

External links

• First-hand kibbutz volunteering guide by John Carson
• Kibbutz Program Center (KPC) official site
• Kibbutz Program Center (KPC) USA branch
• Personal account by Simon Trainor
• WWOOF Israel/ volunteer in organic kibbutz