Idealistic Israelis

Over the course of my most recent field study (Historical and Social Settings of Modern Israel with Kaplan) we had the opportunity to visit a number of Jewish "institutions" (for lack of a better word), some of which were over 100 years old.  In terms of modern Israeli history, that's about as old as things get.  These sites, mostly kibbutz-like, are today no longer operational except as tourist sites, though some of them carry on the work under the same name at a nearby location.  We, however, only visited the historical sites.  At each of them we were met by fairly young and idealistic Israelis who told us about the historical importance of the site and how they see in it hope for the future.

The first such site was Old Geshur, located on the banks of the Jordan River, the border between Israel and Jordan.  It was founded by young, idealistic Jews before Israel was a nation.  The railway ran by it, located as it was by three bridges across the Jordan (Roman, Turkish, and the most recent British railway bridge).  It was destroyed twice, and after the second destruction that site was abandoned in favor of one slightly farther from the border.

This is the dining hall at Old Geshur, one of the few remaining buildings.

Another important aspect of this location was the joining of two rivers nearby: the Jordan and the Yarmuk.  The rivers actually join in Jordan at a place called Naharaim (two rivers.)  In 1920,Pinchas Rothenberg, a Jewish Russian engineer came to Israel with a dream: build a dam to supply Israel with electricity.  The site he choice was Naharaim.  It took years to get the Jordanians to agree to allow them to use the land, and then it took time to build the dam.  Finally, in 1932, it was opened.  It supplied 80% of Israel's electricity for the 16 years it ran.  When war broke out in 1948 it was damaged and permanently shut down.  Still, today it remains an example of Israeli determination and ingenuity.  The young woman who showed us around found in it beautiful inspiration and hope for the future.

In the middle of the picture you can still see the remains of the dam and power plant, in Jordan.

The second site was the Kinneret Moshav.  It was started over 100 years ago during the second aliyah, mostly by Jews in their early 20's or younger.  Their goal was not only to change the landscape (at which they succeeded) but to change the country, with the view that change starts with oneself.  Kinneret was a training farm, intending to teach young men and women the skills they would need to survive in Israel, especially agriculturally.  Many people who started there went on to be very influential in Israel's history, including Rahel,  possibly Israel's most beloved poet.  She is buried nearby where a large number of Israelis can visit her grave every year.  The kibbutzim (and similar things) are arguable the only successful socialist experiment the world has known.  These young, idealistic Jew dreamed of building the ideal society, starting in their little kibbutz or moshav and spreading from there.  While this has obviously not happened to the extent that they may have wished, the young Israelis who work at the historic site today still see hope for the future in the examples of those who went before.

Here our guide, Av-Shalom, shows us a picture of what Kinneret looke like before they changed the land scape.   Today, trees are numerous.

A third site was Tel Hai, in the Huleh Basin, a site of legendary significance in Israeli history.  When it was formed the boundary between French Lebanon and British Palestine was not finalized, but the Huleh Basin was under French control.  It was a time of conflict between the French and the Arabs, and the Jews at Tel Hai were caught in the middle.  There was thought of abandoning it, but this idea was rejected by those who argued that facts on the ground would determine borders.  Eventually, through a series of events not totally understood, a tragedy occurred and several promising young Israelis died at Tel Hai and it was abandoned anyway.  Whether the Jewish presence there played any role in its eventual inclusion in Israel is uncertain, but it has helped to form policy to this day.  The young lady who showed us around talked about the importance of "building your own reality," finding her example in the young people who had been at Tel Hai.  Something is always in your way and you have to find a way to get around it.

The restored/rebuilt Tel Hai building.  Farming was done in nearby fields.  

It was interesting to visit these sites which have had such an impact on forming the national consciousness of Israel.  One can see echoes of these young Jews of 100 years ago, what they did and how they thought, in current political policy.  It was interesting to see their "descendants" - ideologically, if not biologically - trying to carry on the dream in a new generation.  I will not claim to agree with everything they thought then or now, but it was a interesting perspective to see.