A Day in Kibbutz Keturah
I wake up in the morning to one of the best views in Israel. I wake up, shower, get dressed, and when I walk out the door to work I look out across the Arava Valley to the Edom Mountains of Jordan and fields of the Date Palms of Israel. You know this stunning landscape from your drive to Eilat, and let me tell you – waking up to it every day does not get old.
I live on Kibbutz Ketura – a medium sized kibbutz about 30 minutes north of Eilat. A pluralistic community, Ketura falls into a 
happy medium which is so hard to find among kibbutzim: a kibbutz mixed with observant and secular people. It is a difficult balance, but the idea is that in public places such as the Dining Hall and the centers of kibbutz life Shabbat, Kashrut, and Mitzvot are observed, and in private places families can make their own decisions. My family are not members at the moment, we are what is called “Toshavim” or “residents.” Along with my wife and new son (10 weeks old today!), we benefit from all the amenities of the place, but have to pay rent and kibbutz fees to partake in what the kibbutz has to offer. Being in the Arava, the summers are HOT and the winters are COLD, but the spirit of the place and the energy of living on kibbutz is exciting. We live in the new neighborhood on the edge of the kibbutz, which means that while we live in a prefabricated house, also means we are afforded the best view on the kibbutz – and in my opinion, one of the top 3 views in Israel (along with Midreshet Ben Gurion looking out at Nahal Zin, and of course Mitzpeh Ramon).
I have to walk from one end of the kibbutz to the other to start my day at work – and the 5 minute commute has me jealous of all the other people. I am the Director of Campus life at the Arava Institute of Environmental Studies. An academy dedicated to a high level of environmental education, as well as a forum for Israeli, Jordanian, Palestinian, and International students to come together and learn to live together and work on some of the most important environmental and social issues of the region. My role is to work with these students on a day to day basis, handling logistical and social issues of the program as a whole. Whether it’s helping make a budget for an independent study program, coordinating a trip into the field for a study of the region, or making sure our dorms have hot water, every day is a different experience and challenge which is exactly what I love about the work.
After a morning filled with Admissions Committee meetings, and staff meetings, and meetings with students, I break for lunch in the Dining Hall with my wife, Jacqui, and our son, Tzuk, affectionately called Heathcliff). One of the wonderful things about living and working on kibbutz is to have a break in the middle of every work day to spend with my family over lunch (Also, not having to cook or prepare that lunch is pretty nice!). Today we are having a stir fry chicken type meal. The Dining hall is kosher, and Lunch is always a meat meal on Ketura. I like to eat every meal with a heaping of rice and as many of the home made pickles I can fit onto my plate. I must eat at least 18-20 times more pickles now than from when we moved here, and believe me that is saying something! Back to work in the afternoon is usually filled with more administrative work – making sure the students all have coverage for health insurance, organizing rooms for visiting faculty and alumni, or finding students to speak at panels for guests of the Institute.
When I wrap up for work, I’ll have my next horse riding lesson. I never stepped foot near a horse before coming here, but soon my childhood dream of being a cowboy may become a reality! It is much more difficult than I ever expected, and learning to control the horse through one’s hips and legs can get very tiring, but it’s something I look forward to and really genuinely enjoy.
As the day begins to close, my family and I have dinner in the Dining hall again, sitting with new friends over soup and a hot dairy meal. Dinner tends to be at least an hour, hearing about peoples stories of the day in the fields, in the laundry, in the general store, in the kitchen. We begin to unwind and I look forward to the rest of the evening with my family in our home. Spending time with a new baby and a loving wife is a life changing experience to say the least, and the happiest time of my life. To be doing all this here in Israel, in one the most beautiful place I’ve lived in my entire life, surrounded by people who truly care for one another and are committed to making not only their own lives better, but to better the lives of the whole community, is truly an amazing way to live.
I was recently asked in a kibbutz meeting if I could see myself living on kibbutz 10 years ago. The truth was that I think 10 years ago as an idealized 19 year old I could have seen this – but 5 years ago as a jaded 24 year old working nine to five I never could have pictured it. Living here has not only given my life meaning and purpose, it has made me an idealist again, and beyond that, it has give me a way to bring that very idealism to fruition in a real and incredible way.
