Kibbutzniks in the Diaspora

Under what circumstances would kibbutz-born young people leave a society which symbolizes, more than anything else, the Zionist dream? Naama Sabar explores this question by examining the lives of a group of Israeli emigrants living in Los Angeles in the 1980s and early 1990s. Through extensive interviews in which these "kibbutzniks" share their life stories, she uncovers what pushed them to leave the kibbutz and what pulls them to remain in L.A. The underlying leitmotif is the search for identity under changing conditions.
Preface

Introduction

Part One: Getting Started

Part Two: About Themselves

The Contented
The AmerIsraelis
The Searchers
The Discontented

Part Three: Permanent Temporariness

Togetherness
Hebrew Labor
A Failing Mark in English
Songs of the Homeland
Religion and Tradition
Women and Children

Part Four: Life Cycles

The Parental Home and the Kibbutz
The Kibbutz Educational System
Israel and the Jewish Heritage

Part Five: Push and Pull Factors

Epilogue

Appendix A: The Research Methodology

Appendix B: Recent Changes in the Kibbutz

Endnotes

Works Cited

English
Hebrew

Index