Life on a Kibbutz

What a day! I am now in a bungalow at Kibbutz Eilot. Today has been amazing. What is more amazing is how very tired I am. This morning I woke up a little late, but I made it to the bus with time to spare. (Right - Clare, Mindy, Russ, Bethany, and me on the bus ready to go!) After I got on the bus, I realized that I had forgotten my camera! I literally ran back to my room to get my camera.
Our first stop was Tel Be'er Sheba. It is the location of ancient Beersheba where Abraham dug a well and covenanted with Abimelech. It was also the southern most city during the time of the Judges. At Beersheba, an Israelite pagan altar was discovered. A replica is there now. (Left - At Tel Beersheba. You can see the walls in the background). The reason we know it was not an orthodox Jehovah worshiper's altar is because the stones were cut. The Israelites were commanded to have unhewn stones make up the altar. This is because the tools were made of iron which was also used to make weapons and such things were not to touch the sacred altar. It was very different than I expected.
Our next stop was Sde Boqer. (Right - Me and Debbie inside the cistern at Tel Beersheba). This is the place where David Ben-Gurion, an Israeli hero, is buried. It is also a lookout over the Wilderness of Zin, one of the seven deserts where the Israelites wandered. They spent the most time in that wilderness. There was a great view.
We had lunch there before heading out. We made it to our next stop (Kibbutz Yotvata) an hour early. We got out of the bus to stretch, use the restroom, and buy ice cream. They make the ice cream there from their dairy farm. It is incredible. The coconut flavor was especially good.
We arranged to start our tour early. Our tour guide was a woman named Noama (the name of one of Solomon's wives, I don't know how to spell it). (Left - Me and Heather in front of the replicated 4-horned altar). We drove through the fields, saw the horses and cows, and then went onto the Kibbutz itself. We saw the old communal shower, some homes, and also the high school. There we sat on the grass and asked questions. (Right - Me in front of the Wilderness of Zin).
A kibbutz is basically a communal farm. It is like living the law of consecration. Everyone gets the same wage no matter what their job is. A long time ago the children didn't live with their parents; they lived in children's housing. Our guide was one of those children. There is a movie about it that our guide couldn't remember the title of. I'd like to see it. Now many kibbutzim are being privatized and aren't communal. (Left - My first view of Kibbutz Yotvata. These trees are used as a windshield to protect other crops inside. They have a huge farming area. I won't bore you with pictures of that, though).
After our stop there, we went back to where we first stopped for ice cream. There we ate dinner. It was a buffet-style dinner. The food was good and the entertainment was even better. We sand along and danced. It was a lot of fun.
When we finished, we got on our buses and drove to Kibbutz Eilot. Tomorrow we leave bright and early to cross into Egypt!

The Horse Farm of Kibbutz YotvataThe Dairy FarmParty at Dinner