I was very interested in the theoretical and practical underpinnings of kibbutz culture even before coming to Israel. My favorite high school teacher, Mr. Trodd used to call me "Commi", so maybe my left-ward leanings have cultivated this interest. Yotam and his entire family are kibbutznikiem (kibbutznik being a person from a kibbutz, add "iem" for pluralization) so coming here to the Jordan Valley, which hosts many kibbutziem of varying stature and success has been an extremely educational experience. A kibbutz by traditional definition is a communal settlement. I think they are found only in Israel, and in Jewish communities elsewhere, although it should be stressed that these communities (from what I've seen anyhow) are not intrinsically identifiable by their Jewishness. In fact, in the kibbutziem I've been to, there is a staunch secularism that prevails,
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