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Page 19 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE July 21, 1978 Who says a kibbutz has to be poor? by Carl Alpert HAIFA—There is indignation in the kibbutz movement. Why do people believe that a kibbutz has to be poor? Why is it a crime for a kibbutz to have an affluent society of its own? Why the derision on the part of city folks when they learn that kibbutz members can live very well indeed? Why this morbid poking into kibbutz private life? Why didn't they point a finger at us when we had only olives and half an egg for a meal? These are, in effect, some of the questions kibbutz members are asking in the wake of a short article in Hoaretz entitled “American Style at Kibbutz Netzer Sereni.” Some aspects of kibbutz improvements and development are already taken for granted. No one is surprised anymore when he finds air conditioning, hygienic conditions, excellent food, decorative arts and green lawns in the larger and more prosperous kibbutzim. The people worked hard in these settlements, and they’re entitled to comfort which they have earned. What caused lifted eyebrows, however, was the report that some members at Netzer Sereni had private bank accounts on the outside, took frequent trips abroad, and apparently had lots of spending money—this in a society which is supposed to preach proletariat) egalitarianism. This kibbutz also operates several prosperous factories which have an annual turnover of almost a hundred million Israel Pounds a year, five times its income from agriculture. There’s nothing wrong in that, but of the ?40 persons working in the plants, about a hundred are hired help from the outside. In other words, the kibbutz is not only a capitalist, but a successful one. Explanations and qualifications followed. Yes, it may be true that some of the Netzer Sereni members maintain private bank accounts (through which they can carry on private investments in the stock market) but the money stemmed from German repara tions. Some of the members are survivors of Buchenwald, and when the reparations came through it was decided that each recipient could keep 80 percent of the payments. The balance went to the kibbutz. These members were free to do as they wished with their money. Some spent it on travel. Some put it into expansion of their Tears At The Wedding. Not At The Reception. Your daugh ter s wea- isone most important events of her life. And yours. And when you're involved in a flu of wedding plans, we ' like you have enough to do. mat's why our Director of Catering offers a very special Wedding Reception. You can sned all the tears vou want to at the wed ding, but there won't be a thing to cry about at the reception. 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And some opened bank accounts. The public was amused to read that Netzer Sereni maintains its own supermarket where members can buy what they wish, paid for in kibbutz script. Netzer Sereni has departed from the original collective ideology in other ways as well. They were one of the first to discontinue the common nursery for children. Here the youngsters are raised with and by their own parents. The kibbutz secretary told a reporter: Should we have to apologize for being successful? Yes, we are a collective under conditions of affluence. Income tax? They insist that they pay honestly, as required by the law. But some observers point out that the law was enacted by Labor Governments and was designed to give the kibbutz a definite advantage, by dividing the gross income statistically among all the members, and thus reducing the total payments. Netzer Sereni, it should be noted has almost 600 souls, including members, children, temporary residents, ulpan students, etc. There are some kibbutzim that are said to be much wealthier than Netzer Sereni. And there are certainly many that have not reached anywhere near its economic standards, especially some of the newer ones. Rich or poor, capitalist or Socialist, there is no doubt that the kibbutz is a unique creation of the Zionist movement, an object ot curious interest to all from the outside. Bomb threat: no Bible exam TEL AVIV—Every pupil knows the experience of having bad nerves before an examination, particularly if he is not properly prepared. Two Ramat Gan high school pupils who had not studied for a test in Bible Studies found a novel way to put off the examination. They arranged for a friend to telephone the school saying that a bomb had been left on the premises. The school was evacuated and only later did the teachers find out that the two errant Bible scholars were responsible. The laconic comment of one of the policemen called in to search for the “bomb" was, “I don’t know whether they would have passed in Bible, but certainly they’ve failed in citizenship.” ^bfanas,\j± Call Arthur Zebrak for: