We planned out trip to Israel with the central idea of “People over Places” – that is, our goal would be to visit with as many distant relatives or near relatives as we could to get a sense of life in Israel rather than trying to see “the sights”.
Certainly one of our most enjoyable times in Israel so far has been the time we spent at Kibbutz Ma’agen Mikha’el. Located along the Mediterranean, halfway between Netanya and Haifa, this well-known kibbutz is the most prosperous and innovative one in Israel. It is unusual in that it is both agricultural and industrial. The heart of its industrial effort is the plastics company Plasson, which produces a wide variety of specialized industrial and consumer plastics and has spun off subsidiaries in a number of countries. In addition to the high tech products of Plasson, the kibbutz is also active in commercial scale fish farming, dairy farming and a variety of plant crops.
We were the guests of a niece of Lise (the niece of Roz’s cousin’s wife – got that?) and her husband Ofer, one of the kibbutz’s officers. They were incredibly welcoming and we arrived at the kibbutz at a particularly special moment – the afternoon of the holiday of Shavuot. This holiday celebrates the receiving of the torah by Moses on Mount Sinai and the orthodox honor it with all night study sessions of the Torah. The kibbutz takes a much more secular view (in two evenings and one full day, not a kippah was in evidence), celebrating its various agricultural and industrial achievements over the past year. After a good meal in the communal dining hall with its scenic view of the Mediterranean (other Israeli’s we met were surprised that the kibbutz still had a communal dining hall), we moved outside to sit in a large natural amphitheater, where the various production managers reported on their accomplishment, youth of various ages put on dance performances and older members of the kibbutz sang songs. This event was followed by an outdoor wine bar with more entertainment. Both events were for the kibbutz itself and not particularly open to outsiders unless they have some connection to the group, so it was special to be there to share it with them.
The next day, Ofer took us on an extended tour of the facilities, showing us the various fish ponds and telling us about the innovations in fish farming the kibbutz has pioneered. We also had an interesting tour of the Plasson plastics manufacturing facility and the diary farm. We finally finished our day with a dinner of grilled sea bass (from the farm) with their extended family. One of the most endearing aspects of this kibbutz was the fact that most of the children elect to return to the community after their military service or world travels so extended families are together for holidays and most celebrations. Indeed, this kibbutz is in the midst of constructing new housing to accommodate the children of the community who wish to remain part of it.
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