Kibbutzim have come a long way from the days when they were the backbone of Israel’s settlement and security. Yet they still hold an important place in Israeli society. For Czechs, one kibbutz is especially significant – Kfar Masaryk, founded in 1938. It is located in northern Israel, and we spoke with one of its members, educator Ronit Carmeli, about its ties to Czechia as well as current events in Gaza and Israel’s conflicts with Lebanon and Iran.
Is there anything that the kibbutz model offers today’s society?
It offers a powerful and timely lesson for today’s society, especially when it comes to resilience and community. Their most valuable contribution is their ability to function as a strong, supportive community in difficult times and during times of crisis. Unfortunately, this is how we characterize the last few years, especially the period since October 7th, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel. The kibbutzim surrounding the Gaza, which served as the first line of defense, bore the heaviest blow. Despite the immense destruction and pain, the community model has become crucially important. Kibbutz members were evacuated together as a community to hotels or other locations, which allowed them to go through the difficult period together and provide one another with emotional and psychological support. Even though they are displaced from their homes, the kibbutzim’s communal mechanisms continue to operate in the hotels and temporary evacuation centers, taking care of education, social activities, and the daily functioning of members. The way these communities, such as Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Kfar Aza, are clinging to one another to survive and rebuild has become a model of national resilience. At my kibbutz, Kfar Masaryk, we hosted 100 evacuees and, like other kibbutzim in the area, gave them a warm welcome and a home to stay.
Does today’s generation at Kfar Masaryk still know who T. G. Masaryk was?
At Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk, we often say that a special DNA, inherited from the founders who arrived from Czechoslovakia and Lithuania almost 100 years ago, defines our community. This is especially true for the Czech tradition of humanism and pluralism. While many early kibbutzim were known for their strict rules and rigid frameworks, at Kfar Masaryk, things have always been a bit softer and more tolerant. The names Tomáš and Masaryk are familiar to everyone here and are used whenever a new institution in the kibbutz needs a name, whether it’s a club, bar, cafe, or gallery. The kibbutz also has a museum named after T.G. Masaryk, which receives many visitors. While the children and grandchildren of the founders knew Masaryk’s legacy well, today’s generation has only partial knowledge, though there is still a great sense of pride when his name is mentioned. As a granddaughter of a grandfather who came from Czechoslovakia in the 1930s, I feel a sense of mission in spreading knowledge about Masaryk and why the kibbutz was named after him.
What are Kfar Masaryk’s current ties to Czechia and Slovakia?
The ties between Czechoslovakia and Israel are fondly remembered from the very beginning, following the 1947 decision to partition the territory under the British Mandate. My grandfather traveled back to Czechoslovakia with a delegation of other kibbutz members in 1947 to acquire educational equipment for the school in the young kibbutz. While he was there, he was asked to join the team that organized the shipment of weapons and aircraft as part of the well-known arms deal that greatly influenced the course of the war in Israel and contributed to the declaration of the independent state in 1948. This military and economic connection is often told in Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk and is a source of pride for the kibbutz founders and their successors. Considering recent tragic events, our connections to both Czechia and Slovakia have been strengthened. Following the murder of a young kibbutz member at the music festival on October 7th and the death of a teenager from the kibbutz who was killed by a missile from Lebanon, we have been honored to receive visits of condolence from various official figures from Czechia and Slovakia.
How has the mood in Israeli society changed since October 7, 2023? Is it really true that people have become accustomed to the sirens warning of missile attacks in Israel?
It’s hard to get used to sirens and, even more so, the sound of explosions and falling shrapnel. In the north, we were under attack from Lebanon several times a day from September to November 2024. We had a warning of only 30 seconds, and it was often hard to reach a shelter in time. What’s amazing, though, is how a person’s mindset can shift from immense fear and a refusal to leave the house to return to normal life the moment a ceasefire is announced. For example, on the day the ceasefire was declared, I immediately got into my car and drove to where I needed to go, even though a day earlier I couldn’t bear to do so. The missiles from Iran have a longer warning time, giving people more time to get to a shelter, but they are also much more dangerous. The general mood in Israeli society today is one of deep sadness, anxiety for the fate of the hostages, and a great deal of disagreement over the continuation of the war.
How do you personally perceive the situation in Gaza?
My views are rooted in the education and ideology I received from my grandparents, who were among the kibbutz founders. They came here as part of a Jewish, socialist, and peace-loving youth movement, and I still believe in the coexistence of Jews, Arabs, and all residents of this land and region. Sadly, many Israelis who held views like mine are finding it difficult to recover from the events of October 7th and the brutality that defined them. Some of those who were murdered were peace activists who had worked for years to help Gaza residents, for instance, by driving sick children from the Gaza border to hospitals in Israel for medical treatment. This is a volunteer effort that has been going on for years, with many kibbutz members participating as part of an ideology that supports peace. People like this were kidnapped from their homes, taken captive, and murdered. After all this, part of the Israeli population finds it hard to feel compassion for the residents of Gaza. And yet, there are still enough people who do feel that compassion and oppose some of the government’s actions. As I said before, it is difficult to help the residents of Gaza if our hostages are being held there. And yet, I don’t believe that violence leading to more violence can be the solution. Roughly 80% of the Israeli public supports bringing the hostages back through a deal, and the majority also supports ending the war. Many people are voicing their opposition to the suffering of Gaza’s residents. In my opinion and in the opinion of most people around me, who attend demonstrations and publish their views on social media, humanitarian action is needed in Gaza. But it must also be directed toward our hostages. I would hope that human rights organizations would work for the benefit of our hostages, who are being tormented and starved in the tunnels of Gaza, alongside their work for the residents of Gaza. The sight of these hostages, who look like skeletons after living for nearly two years in dark, narrow tunnels, is a nightmare for so many. They must release the hostages, and then it will be possible to rebuild and help the residents of Gaza.
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective settlement in Israel, often agricultural or industrial, where residents live and work under shared ownership and management. All profits from collective property are reinvested back into the kibbutz after covering the residents’ basic needs. Kibbutzim are an important symbol of Israeli history and culture. They played a key role in the building and development of the country, especially in the early years of the State of Israel. The very first kibbutz was founded in 1909.
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Ronit Carmeli (born in 1965 in Israel) is an Israeli lecturer in history, pedagogy, and education.
She studied history at the University of Haifa (B.A.) and Tel Aviv University (M.A.) and received her Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Haifa.
For many years, she has been involved in guiding, teaching, and supervising students in the field of history (Oranim College of Education and the University of Haifa) as well as teaching history (Na'aman High School and Ofek High School).
She is the author of several publications, e.g. Between Faith and Doubt, West and East: The Hashomer Hatza’ir Youth Movement’s Identification with the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s (2016)
She lives in Kfar Masaryk kibbutz.
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