Kibbutz volunteering

Kibbutzim started out as a Zionist way of making the socialist dream become a reality in the still-stateless Land of Israel in the early 20th century. Nothing was owned by the kibbutz members - everything belonged to the kibbutz, even the children. Since then, many kibbutzim stopped relying on agriculture as their main economic base, and many have been privatized.

Since the 1960s, volunteers from all over the world (back then, mostly Baby-Boomers) have started coming to volunteer in the unique kibbutzim. Volunteers usually stay for a few months on a volunteer visa, and work in agriculture, kitchen, gardening and factory for food and board, plus some pocket money. In many kibbutzim, it is also possible to study Hebrew during the stay.

Although the peak of the kibbutz volunteering phenomenon has long since passed, thousands still come every year - mostly (but not only) from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

The following is a list of kibbutzim by region, from north to south. Since the landscape is very different across Israel, the region has an impact on the experience: