The Greying of the Kibbutz
All over the world, villages far from urban centres have been losing their young, and kibbutzim on
the periphery are
no exception. This trend is strengthened by a (again world wide) loss of faith in socialist
ideologies.
Groups of youth, who for one reason or another couldn't live with their families and were brought up by kibbutz foster families, used to be a reservoir of possible members, and many of them did join. But the rate of their absorption has been falling steadiliy and many kibbutzim, Reshafim among them, have ceased this activity (a mistake, as this social activity could have could have helped the kibbutz to preserve some of its relevance in a changing society).
Moreover, families tend to be smaller (2 to 3 children as opposed to 3 to 5 a generation ago), and there are less and less second and third generation candidates for membership. Young people prefer to put off major decisions about their life until they are well into their twenties, travel abroad and pursue academic careers without comitting themselves to living on the kibbutz.
