Can you imagine the community doctor and the community laundry folder receiving the same compensation? How about having a community wide vote on what color to paint your home? This is what life was like in the early Kibbutzim. These kibbutzim innovated the communal experience as an experiment in Democratic Socialism. Should the needs of the community be prioritized over those of individuals? How can the current kibbutzim adapt to modern challenges while still retaining their core values and ideals? Through the interactive “Kibbutz Game of Life” this resource provides the learners with the opportunity to experience what life was like on the kibbutzim and to debate the challenges that kibbutz residents faced while also examining the changing realities which kibbutzim must face today. Learners work to apply kibbutz values, such as the importance of community and shared decision-making to their own lives and debate the merits of adaptation versus maintenance of fundamental values.
The learners will:
understand how defining the ideal of community has many possible articulations as well as the complexities of navigating the needs of the individual and the needs of the collective
know the primary values and ideology of the early kibbutz movement and how kibbutzim are adapting to the changing realities of today’s society
be able to simulate life on a kibbutz and the shared decision making that was central to kibbutz life, as well as to debate the pros and cons of the centrality of the community versus the needs of the individual
Unpacked for Educators materials include:
An educator’s guide that contains many rich components. These are organized under the following titles:
review (questions that relate to the video)
discussion
activities
reflection
further learning
A video designed to spark interest in the topic.
A lesson plan (link in the attachment above) that incorporates additional building blocks for the construction of an engaging and interactive lesson.
Computer, Projector, Student Handout
The website link includes a “further learning” section in the educator’s guide.