Jewish Life Digital Edition October 2015 | Page 28

Kibbutz Ulpan – Yoni Raichlin
“I went in to the Kibbutz Ulpan programme without any expectations because
I had absolutely no idea of what I was getting myself into – other than the traditional ideas that we all have about kibbutz. At
the suggestion of my parents, I went to try
out living in Israel for a few months in order to help me decide whether I wanted to
make aliyah. Very soon into the programme, I recognised that the reality I was
living was nothing short of spectacular.
“Kibbutz Ulpan entails going to live on a
kibbutz, dividing your time between working on the kibbutz and learning Hebrew in
a structured classroom – three days of
class and three days of work, and on one of

24 JEWISH LIFE n ISSUE 89

YONI RAICHLIN

We went exploring,
hiking, and touring,
seeing the most breathtaking views, scenery,
and mountains, as well
as ancient civilisations
that were being
discovered right there
in front of our eyes at
the archaeological dig
sites. YONI RAICHLIN
those days of work, you still have three
hours of class afterwards. It’s very intense,
yet incredible at the same time. The kibbutz I chose, Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, is a
Modern Orthodox Religious Kibbutz located in the Bet Shean valley, just south of
the town of Bet Shean near the border
with Jordan. The kibbutz is still fully communal and collective, and all the industries
are agricultural based. The beauty about
the programme is that once you finish up
for the day, you are free to do whatever
you want to do with the rest of your day.
We went exploring, hiking, and touring,
seeing the most breath-taking views, scenery, and mountains, as well as ancient civilisations that were being discovered right
there in front of our eyes at the archaeological dig sites. I trekked to Tiberius. I
hitchhiked across Israel. With sleeping

bags in tow, I went off with a friend to
camp and just lived off the land, building
fires to stay warm. It was unbelievable.
While there was a set schedule for the day,
including Hebrew class and work, there
was still a lot of freedom to be had. We had
weekends off, and it was our choice to do
whatever we wanted during that time,
which gives one that growing-up feeling,
an independence which we don’t really experience until we’ve finished school.
“With independence, however, comes
responsibility, which is in itself liberating.
You have to be back on time, at work when
your week starts again, and doing your
part without being pushed and prodded by
anyone. And that for me \