I have been working in a kibbutz in Israel two times, in 1972 and 1973, for a period of altogether 4 months. Staying and working there was a good experience, which I will never forget. In the seventies, not many people in Europe asked critical questions about visiting Israel because the political climate of The Middle East was different from today. So staying in a kibbutz became part of the education of students and others from everywhere. Young people from all the world spent weeks and months working in the banana, orange, grape and avocado fields, and most of them had a great time. If your normal, daily work is at an office or at a desk, harvesting bananas and oranges is a refreshing change, and that was the reality for thousands of young travellers in that period.
I stayed in Kibbutz Cabri (Kibbutz Kabri), close to the town of Nahariya in the north. Our rooms were quite basic, but the most important was the social life and the great experience we got there. Several lasting friendships were created in a positive atmosphere (when travelling, you often meet the best features of other people!), and after our return, many of us had achieved a knowledge of the region, which turned out to be useful for the rest of our lives.
