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| Welcome to the Website of the International Communes Desk
| What is the International Communes Desk?
| Our Aims
| How to Contact Us
| Who are We?
| An International Communal Circle in Israel
| In Memory

It doesn't matter who you are, this site has something for you.
If you are just plain curious, a whole new world awaits you.
If you are a student looking for information about the types of communal living, in Israel and around the world, you will find it here - or details how to find it.
If you are a member of a commune or an intentional community, the vast variety of styles of communal living around the world will give you both inspiration and encouragement.
And if you haven't found what you're looking for on our website, we suggest you try the following addresses.

For Information on:

Intentional Communities
Around the World
http://www.ic.org/

The Kibbutz Movement
In Israel
http://www.kibbutz.org.il/
(so far, mainly in Hebrew)

Of course, you are very welcome to contact us directly, at:

[email-masked]
Anton Marks,
Kvutsat Yovel,
PO Box 3791,
Migdal Haemek
Israel, 23506

Some Handy Hints:
- Don't forget to visit our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page.

- Be daring and take a look at the Hebrew version of our site. There are lots of great pictures there too.

Important to all Communitarians

Thanks to the FIC, there is now an Online Communities Directory website!

http://directory.ic.org/

This is a free searchable database of intentional communities around the world. You can browse through the alphabetical community list or search for communities based on location, keyword, and various aspects of community living that are important to community seekers.

Go to it!

The Kibbutz Movement

The English section of the website of The Kibbutz Movement has been expanded and includes updated material about kibbutzim that does not appear on our site. The web address is http://www.kibbutz.org.il/eng/welcome.htm

If you'd like to see what YOU can do about communal living - even if you don't want to join us - press here.

The International Communes Desk is a contact body between the communes of the world - where the term "commune" covers the wide spectrum of intentional communities, kibbutzim and other types of communal living.

A working bee at Cennednyss community
(with thanks to Bill Metcalf).

The Desk was started in 1976 at the initiative of the late Mordechai Bentov, a kibbutz member and cabinet minister.

Our modest headquarters are situated at the Yad Tabenkin Institute, on the campus of Seminar Efal, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel.

Our major regular activity has been the twice-a-year publication, in English, CALL (Communes At Large Letter), published in order to promote the aims of the desk.

Most members of the Desk - our committee - are kibbutzniks, from all types of kibbutzim. Almost all of our work is voluntary and the few who are paid receive very little for their labour.

Our very modest budget is provided by the kibbutz movements, a generous gesture of support, considering their financial problems.

The lCD occasionally initiates meetings with members of communes and other alternative communities from Israel and abroad. The ICD encourages the activities of the Urfeld Circle, a group of kibbutz members closely associated with the German commune movement Integrierte Gemeinde.

The lCD has access to the Library of Yad Tabenkin, with its comprehensive collection of publications and books about communes and other alternative communities. This material is at the disposal of researchers, students and anyone who is interested.

We have recently become a Registered Association, So that now we are legally permitted to receive tax-free donations. (Even a modest sum will be very welcome!)

Do feel free to contact us!

To spread the communal idea, in its many forms, out of the belief that the communal way of life is not only possible, but essential for the benefit of mankind.
To maintain contact with as many as possible communes and intentional communities, in order to learn about their life styles and exchange information, opinions and ideas for mutual benefit.
To provide an address for people from all over the world, who are seeking advice and information about the kibbutz in its different aspects and about communities the world over (including help in making contact for those wishing to visit a community or join one).

Office:
International Communes Desk (R.A.),
Yad Tabenkin,
Ramat Efal,
Israel,
52960
Tel: 972 - 3 - 534 6078
Fax: 972 - 3 - 534 6376
[email-masked]

| Yoel Darom - Kibbutz Kfar Menachem
| Yoel Dorkam - Kibbutz Tsuba
| Ilana Lapidot - Kibbutz Tzora
| Eliyahu (Tzetze) Regev - Kibbutz Baram
| Chaim Seeligmann - Kibbutz Givat Brenner
|

| Yaakov Setter - Kibbutz Bet Guvrin
| Amnon Shapira - Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi
| Nachum Shor - Kibbutz Kfar Menachem
| Elisha Tzurgil - Kibbutz Sde Boker
| Anton Marks - Kvutsat Yovel
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|

Yoel Darom- Born in Germany, I immigrated to Israel (then Palestine) at the age of 17, with the definite aim of building a new socialist society - the kibbutz and a true homeland for the Jewish people. For close on 60 years now I have lived and worked on Kibbutz Kfar Menachem. Deeply attached to all communal visions and experiences, I have been active in the International Communes Desk from its very beginning, and was the chief editor of our journal CALL for the past 10 years.

Yoel Dorkam- My name is Joel Dorkam-Dispeker. Born 1929 at Kassel, Germany. Grew up in France '33-42. Fled to Spain, reached Israel in '44. Fought in the War of Independence, joined Kibbutz Tsuba 1950. Worked in education, culture, and truck-driving - plus many elected positions. Interested (and involved) in several international projects, at the same time leading a volunteer non-profit outfit to help newcomers to Israel. Married to Sarah, 3 children, 8 grandchildren, 2 cats. Sorry, no e-mail - believe in old-fashioned letterwriting! Yoel Dorkam, Kibbutz Tsuba, D.N. Harei Yehuda, Israel 90870. Tel: 02-5347871, Fax: 02-5347955.

Communal education begins early at Kibbutz Tzora

Ilana Lapidot- Born in Israel, 1939. A member of Kibbutz Tzora since 1957. Married + 4 children. B.A. Degree in Linguistics, Hebrew Literature and Language, and M.A. in Communications. Has held responsible positions in the kibbutz, the kibbutz movement, the trade union organization and the regional council, mainly in the fields of integration and culture. Active in Arab-Jewish co-existence and in Israel-Finland friendship. Now Director of "Seminar Efal" (the central educational institution of the United Kibbutz Movement), initiating Community and Cooperation Studies programs.

Eliyahu (Tzetze) Regev- Born in 1932. A member of Kibbutz Baram since 1950. Graduated in both psychology and sociology. Active in think tanks of the kibbutz movement over the last twenty years. The author of the book (in Hebrew) The Kibbutz is Dead. Long Live the Kibbutz!, an analysis of the processes now taking place in kibbutzim. Has written a series of booklets in Hebrew on communal living around the world in the year 2000.

Chaim Seeligmann- A member of Kibbutz Givat Brenner (since 1936). For the last 30 years a research fellow and lecturer at the Kibbutz Movement's Yad Tabenkin Institute and at Seminar Efal. Lectured in Germany at the Universities of Kassel and Bielefeld, being awarded a Ph.D. by the latter. His recent research has concentrated on anarchism, in particular G. Landauer and B. Lazare. His book, on the educational activities of the highschool teachers in the Weimar Republic, was published in Germany. Has had various articles, on historical and educational topics, published in both Israel and in Germany.

Yaakov Setter- I was born in 1948 in Tel Aviv, where I was educated. I then studied political science and history at the Hebrew University. I married my childhood sweetheart, Esther, and we have four daughters and one grandchild. In 1975 we chose kibbutz life and moved to Kibbutz Bet Guvrin. I have filled numerous responsible positions, mainly as committee chairman, and worked as the cost accountant of the kibbutz. For many years I edited the kibbutz journal. Since 1982 I have been the chief editor and publisher of Yad Tabenkin, the ideological, research and archives centre of the United Kibbutz Movement. I value kibbutz life very much, but know that, in the present situation in Israel, the kibbutz is fighting for its life and perhaps has reached the end of the road. A great pity!

Amnon Shapira- Since 1955 a member of Tirat Tzvi, an orthodox kibbutz, which searches for the synthesis between a traditional-religious way of life and modernism. Doctor of Bible Studies - the Hebrew Bible, of course. Fields of research include: the democratic roots in the Bible, humanism and universalism in the Bible, and a feminist reading of the Five Books of Moses. Married to Hadassah, father of six children and grandfather.

Nachum Shorr- Member of Kfar Menachem, the second son of the kibbutz. Has filled educational and political positions in the kibbutz movement, as well as on his kibbutz (farm manager, secretary, factory manager). For four years served as an emissary in the United States. Has worked as a teacher and educator in several kibbutzim.

Elisha Tzurgil- Born in Israel 1945. Member of Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Negev desert since 1964. Married plus 4 children. Believes in contact between people and between communities, out of curiosity and the desire to get to know others. Keen on languages.... "For me, agriculture is not only a profession but also a hobby, which enables me to travel the world, both as an advisor and as a learner.... The future of the kibbutz depends mainly on adapting its social and economic framework to a reality which is changing."

Anton Marks - Born in 1974, he grew up and was educated in England. Was an active member of Habonim-Dror, the Socialist-Zionist youth movement, and edited one of its journals. After receiving a B.Sc. degree in psychology, he immigrated to Israel in 1999. Anton is a founding member of the urban kibbutz, Kvutsat Yovel, which was situated in Jerusalem for several years, now to be found in the development town of Migdal Ha'emek. He works as a freelance informal educator and writer. He has been very active with various peace organizations, especially Peace Now. He is now the chief editor of our journal CALL.

The URFELD CIRCLE originated at a meeting on October 1995, of thirty Israeli kibbutzniks from all three movements, a group of thirty members of the Catholic German Integrierte Gemeinde and six Bruderhof people. From an initially somewhat wary dialogue, charged with memories of the past, resulted a warm, trustful relationship, which later evolved into a solid, profound and quite challenging friendship -- which keeps drawing additional participants, young and old.

The Integrierte Gemeinde movement was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, by a member of the anti-Nazi, underground Catholic youth movement, Traudl Wallbrecher. She asked herself and her Church some anguishing questions, and proposed a return of Christianity to its Jewish roots. Following the example of the early Christians, who lived communally, she established a flourishing communal movement. On their part, the Israeli kibbutzniks, in the midst of an ideological, structural and economical crisis, were searching for alternative (and successful) modes of community life. Mutual meetings and visits soon created an exciting atmosphere of trust and personal links, based on shared spheres of interest between the German Catholics and the Israelis.

The Urfeld Circle formed a non-profit association named "Sde Ur" ("Field of Light" in Hebrew) which purchased a spacious house at Motza near Jerusalem. Named Bet Shalmon, it serves as a centre for visits, discussions and mutual activities.

1998 meeting of the whole Urfeld Circle during the Chanukah festival
in Urfeld, in Germany (with thanks to Joachim Lang)

Sol 'Shlomo' Etzioni (1929-2007)

It is with great sadness that I report of the passing of our beloved secretary Sol (Shlomo) Etzioni.
Sol was born in Australia and spent his youth as a member of Labour-Zionist Youth Movement Habonim. It was here that he began his life as an educator, a guide, and an inspiration to Jewish youth.

His first taste of communal living began in 1951, when Sol went to live on Habonim's training farm in Springvale, Melbourne. The idea was that Sol and his contemporaries would learn what it was to live and work on a 'Kibbutz', before emigrating to Israel and doing it for real. Sol remembered communal life as being very primitive, and described the unlined fibro huts as follows: "[without even] electric light to give the illusion of warmth. There's nothing that casts a cold spell over... dreams of sun-scorched Israel more than dressing in pitch-dark in freezing cold - literally freezing, for the rain-puddles froze over solid - to learn Hebrew...[Those two years] enhanced my maturity and expanded my horizons...I found that I could live in close quarters with others whom I didn't necessarily like."

Leadership by example is a concept that Sol imbibed from growing up in the youth movement. He duly fulfilled the highest goal of Habonim by arriving in Israel in 1954, and joining Kibbutz Tzora. There he spent most of his career as a high-school Chemistry teacher, with a hiatus from 1962 - 1964, when he left the kibbutz to become an emissary of both the Kibbutz, and Israel itself to a whole new generation of Habonim Youth in New Zealand. It is no surprise to find many of the people that Sol worked with during those years in New Zealand following his example, and can today still be found on Kibbutzim in Israel.

In recent years, as Kibbutz Tzora has undergone many changes, Sol recognized both the need for change in today's modern reality, whilst always retaining his strong belief in communal living and shared responsibility. In January of this year he wrote thus: "The problem is that no one wants to put more money into the public purse - by means of a progressive 'income tax' - and this means inevitably that there is pressure to reduce communal services even further. The fact that almost everything is judged by its cost means that there is pressure to shut down 'unprofitable' activities".

Similarly, even though Sol described himself as not being political, in this sphere too he saw the complexity of issues and never expressed a dogmatic one-sided opinion. He could recognize Israel's imperfections but it always pained him to read over-the-top criticisms, or even being blanked by communities outside of Israel. In setting the record straight on his beloved Israel, he always called for fairness and even-handedness in any criticism, whilst stressing Israel's legitimate concerns and it's right to live in peace and security.

When most pensioners would be taking their foot off the gas, Sol was looking for a new challenge and in 2000 he became the secretary of the International Communes Desk. His belief in communality and his many years as an educator, combined with his dedication, enabled Sol to bring the communal scene in Israel to the world and the world communal scene to Israel. He courteously ran our meetings with patience and humour and worked tirelessly behind the scenes: corresponding with communities around the world, hosting visitors that came to Israel to learn about Kibbutz, editing the content of the website, attending conferences all over Israel to promote the Desk, fundraising, proof-reading this publication, etc etc.

Sol is survived by his wife Rene, 3 children, 8 grandchildren and the many, many people, all over the world, who have learnt from Sol, been inspired by Sol - a true leader by example.

Shlomo Shalmon (1923-1998)

Shlomo Shalmon, who was for years Secretary of the International Communes Desk and co-editor of CALL, passed away on the 24th of October, 1998, on his kibbutz, Gesher.

Shlomo was born in Vienna, Austria. As a member of a Zionist youth movement, it was only natural that he chose the path of a pioneering life, and in 1938 he came to Palestine. After a short preparation period at the largest kibbutz, Givat Brenner, Shlomo and his group founded Kibbutz Gesher (" Bridge") in the Jordan Valley. Landscape gardening was his first major occupation, together with battling the insect pests in the citrus groves and the cotton fields. Besides building up the kibbutz - together with his helpmate, Naomi - he took an active part in defending it during the War of Independence (1947-8).

But education beckoned and he ran courses teaching Hebrew to new immigrants. Then the kibbutz sent Shlomo to study at the Kibbutz Teachers' Seminar, and for 16 years he taught Gesher's children of all ages - even Grade 1 in the kindergarten! The list of subjects Shlomo taught at high school reflects the vast range of his interests and knowledge: English, Hebrew, Biology and the Land of Israel. Later he specialized in Geography and Natural Sciences and taught these subjects at the Oranim Teachers' School, which is part of the Haifa University.

While his academic degree was in Geography and English Literature, research of all kinds and writing and translating poetry were Shlomo's major hobbies. One year he spent helping and advising a new kibbutz, Kadarim. "This", he often said, "was the happiest year of my life."

In the course of time, Shlomo became increasingly interested in urbanistics, researching the developing tendency of kibbutzim to change from an exclusively rural settlement to a community that bore more and more urban characteristics. On this subject he published articles in English, German and Hebrew, lecturing at ICSA and other academic forums.

In his later years, Shlomo literally lived the contact between the kibbutz movement and the communes around the world. The young-old Secretary of the International Communes Desk made connections with an ever-widening circle of communities, spoke about them and wrote about them. Shlomo took special interest in the rapidly developing communal movement in Germany. He wrote a book on the Kommune Niederkaufungen, in which he drew a true-to-life portrait of this successful group. This book appeared both in Hebrew and in German.

It is hard to fully appreciate Shlomo Shalmon's immense contribution to Israeli (and other parties') efforts to create contact between communes all over the world. He was active in all aspects of the ICD's work in trying to build a network of intentional communities, constantly stressing the over-all importance of ecology and care of the environment. He believed deeply in community life as an antithesis to the corrupt, dehumanizing capitalist system. His vision was to have the kibbutz movement, together with all the different - secular as well as religious - communities the world over, become the driving force towards changing the agenda and life-style of millions.

At regular intervals, Shlomo would appear in Yad Tabenkin and enter the Library, his special hat always on his head. With his satchel suspended from his shoulder, his body leaned forward, eager to get to his tiny room and to jot down even more notes in his notebook. He was the king of notetaking - at all times and in all places. Despite the continuing activity, his room remains orphaned. To this very day, his presence still hovers over the tiny room, which makes up the Communes Desk.

May his memory be blessed!

PS. It has been decided, most appropriately, to give the name Bet Shalmon to the newly formed center of the Integrierte Gemeinde near Jerusalem, in memory of a true comrade of communal living.

Arie Jaffe (1923 -2001)

One of the most central and active members of the Desk passed away suddenly on October 25th, 2001.

Three tributes from very different sources throw some light on his personality and the wide radius of his life.

From the letter from Germany's President Johannes Rau, read out at the funeral:
"... So there grew a real friendship with quite an unconventional man, who should have had a much more forming influence in his country and amongst his people than he was able to attain. We liked and respected each other, we were in close inner contact with each other..."

From Jan Bang, former kibbutznik, now member of Solborg Camphill, Norway:
"... He was one of my heroes, a role model in all respects, with a colourful life behind him, and a way of presenting his views that I could only hope to aspire to, but never reach."

From the letter of Traudl Wallbrecher, spiritual leader of the Integrierte Gemeinde:
"... We gave thanks for his life, his friendship, his wide open heart which will help to carry us in the coming years, so that we will not lose hope and can carry his and our dream a step further into the hearts of the next generation: To seek and to find the way of peace between all who are still able and would like to trust in God's promise..."

At the age of 78, after completing a third stint as Secretary of Kibbutz Yakum, Arie had just received his M.A. in History, with distinction, and was about to undertake an important task: setting up a joint archives of the International Communal Studies Association and the Communes Desk. He was a co-founder and active member of the Urfeld Circle, the unique joint group of the German Integrierte Gemeinde and kibbutzniks.

Arie was born in Berlin in 1923. When the Nazis came to power, he moved to Lithuania, and then the Soviet Union, serving in the Red Army during World War 2. After the war he was active in the organisation of "illegal immigration" of survivors to Palestine and in the executive of the Socialist-Zionist youth movement, Hashomer Hatzair. Arie immigrated to Palestine in 1950 and joined Kibbutz Yakum, where he worked in the citrus groves, and in the cultivation of vegetables and fodder. Over the years he occupied a series of responsible positions in Mapam, the Socialist-Zionist Party, and in its kibbutz movement.

We sorely miss him.