MY ISRAEL:
Since their agricultural beginnings in the early 20th century, kibbutzim today have greatly diversified and to date many of have been privatized. Presently there are some 270 kibbutzim in Israel, of which 85 % belong to the secular as opposed to the religious kibbutz movement. Kibbutz Ein-Shemer definitely belongs to the secular movement & is to date privatized.
Kibbutz Ein-Shemer is located alongside present day road 65 about 20 kilometers east of Caesarea. Road 65 corresponds to the ancient Via Maris route that connected the Mediterranean coastal plain & the Jezreel Valley
During the early 20th century, the remoteness of the site coupled with the harsh conditions of the environment due to the lack of water & risk of malarial infection, made living conditions very difficult. Additionally, the advent of The First World War (1914-1917) did not help matters & early attempts to establish a resident community on the site failed.
During the British Mandate Period (1917-1948) the Gdud Ha-Avoda, a Zionist socialist workgroup arrived on site in 1921. They built a one-acre fortified courtyard that comprised of a surrounding two-meter high masonry wall that housed slits for shooting attackers. Access to the enclosure was via an iron gate. The walls surrounded a two story stone structure built to provide housing for the locals during times of trouble. The structure & surrounding wall remain standing to the present day. Scattered throughout the courtyard is an array of differing types of agricultural farming machinery from the early 20th century. The courtyard also accommodates a museum that illustrates the life style of these early pioneers.
After completion of the fortified courtyard, only one person from the group remained, namely Shmuel Shuali, who later became the first member of the future Kibbutz. He was affectionately called “Shmuel the first” by its members.
In 1927 a group of Zionist socialists belonging to a movement called Shomer HaTzair were the first to establish permanent roots on the grounds of Ein Shemer. Comprising of 18 women & 36 men in their late teens and early twenties they hailed from Poland. Many came from affluent families & most never saw their families again. Conditions were extremely harsh, and 80 of the first 100 members contracted malaria. It was only in 1934 that the kibbutz hooked up to the electrical grid. Prior to the discovery of water on the site in 1935 water was brought from nearby Karkur using horse and cart.
Attempts made to foster friendly relations between the kibbutz members and their Arab neighbors were partially successful. Tensions however persisted during the 1930s & 1940s, & in 1938 an Arab gang murdered two kibbutz members in the communal dining hall.
Kibbutz members were involved in the fight against the “illegal” immigration policy imposed by the British that attempted to prevent Jews, many of whom were Holocaust survivors, from immigrating to the land of Israel
On the grounds of the kibbutz are three statues that record & honor events that are an integral part of the kibbutz’s history. Two relief sculptures by the renowned sculptor Nathan Rapoport commemorating both the operations that enabled the “illegal” immigrants to avert British restrictions on Jewish immigration as well as those that partook in the aforementioned clandestine operations.
The second relief sculpture is located at the entrance to what was the communal baby house & inspired by a woman who died just after childbirth who entrusted her child’s future to the kibbutz. The relief sculpture depicts outstretched hands holding a baby.
Another monument by the sculptor Rudlinger commemorates two members of Kibbutz Ein- Shemer, Amnon & Hanan, both of whom were paratroopers serving in Jerusalem & who were killed in action during the 1967 Six-Day War.
The kibbutz also accommodates an interesting historical building type belonging to the Bauhaus movement that was born in Germany in the 1920s. Until WW 1 (1914-1917) most buildings were designed according to the dictates imposed by classicism i.e. Greek & Roman architectural principles. Inspired by the emergence of socialism in which all are equal, Bauhaus architecture negates past historicism and focuses on internationally accepted disciplines such as mathematics. Hence, buildings comprise of a combination of geometric forms that employ the cube, the sphere, the cone, the square, the circle & the triangle. All components were colored white to emphasize the point that all elements are equal in stature. In 1933 the Nazis came to power in Germany and those Jewish architects schooled in Germany fled, some of whom came to Israel and introduced this socialist form of architecture to the country. Incidentally, Tel Aviv is home to the largest concentration of this building type in the world.
A present day member of the kibbutz namely Amir Tomer, father of three, was born on the kibbutz in 1974 and is a descendant of the kibbutz founders. He grew up during that period of time when children slept in children’s houses separated from their parents & speaks positively about his upbringing. During the late 70s & early 80s, Jewish mothers banded together and collectively rejected this form of child upbringing. Against such a powerful force, the practice of child rearing according to the socialist doctrines adopted by the early kibbutzim did not stand a chance of survival & died.
Today the kibbutz has a resident population of 750 people and their economy is dependent on both agriculture & industry as well individual members who work outside the kibbutz.
Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect). Website: rontraub-tours.com Photo’s: Rimonah Traub.