Over this past summer, I had the
opportunity to spend a few days on Kibbutz Ketura in Southern Israel. Kibbutzim
are primarily agricultural, and originally Socialist and Zionist communities that have hugely contributed
to Israeli economic success. Eastern European and Russian Jewish immigrants who
moved to Israel to start a new life originally started these Kibbutzim. In
fact, you can still find many Russians and Russian speakers living there.
While Americans specifically founded Ketura, there are Russians who
reside there. These communities are thriving microcosms of cultural diversity incorporating visiting students, military members, and immigrants from all over the world into a living and working environment. For me, it was very surprising to find that my studies coincided with
a place that I visited as little more than a vacation.
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