It was the highlight of the day. At the vast archeological sites of Massada and Caesaria, my personal collection of color pictures showing the way the ruins looked as real buildings in their time made the distance between them seem shorter and the history more meaningful. Watching so many different people and eating along the way was the formula when we were walking on one of Israel s many outdoor pedestrian malls. At Kibbutz Ma agan Michael where I learned Hebrew over thirty years ago and still have close friends, we got lucky. It s such a huge kibbutz that, instead of walking, our hosts took us on a tour in something they call a club car .
Nothing typifies the monumental changes in Israel more than kibbutz life today.
The idealistic socialists of the thirties and forties, when close to a quarter of the Jewish population lived on what were then quite austere communal farm settlements, would be in shock to see the typical kibbutz dwelling of the 90 s with its stereo, TV, full kitchen, phone, fax, and personal computer. As Israel rapidly grows, some kibbutzim are converting themselves into regular villages, selling land to developers and investing the money in the Tel Aviv stock exchange. In addition, they are eager to show visitors around and allow them to explore all aspects of the settlement. Many Galilee kibbutzim now have fleets of jeeps for touring in the hills way off the beaten path into the mountains of the Golan and some in the Negev will take you out on desert dune buggies. Guides on these outings are excellent.