I would like to live and work on a kibbutz (communal farm) in Israel. I’d like to hear from Israelis, or former/current volunteers and workers on kibbutzes, on recommendations for a good kibbutz. Some info:
Two I’ve had recommended are Kibbutz Yotvata and Kibbutz Yahel.
Mmm… Yotvata. Chocolate milk.
Yotvatah is one of the few rich Kibbutzim (at least it ws 10 years ago) due to its very successful dairy industry - they make the best chocolate milk in the country, and sell plenty of it. If you have any experience with cows, you’ll probably like it there, and the place’s financial success means living conditions are probably decent, relatively speaking. Plus, all the chocolate milk you can drink!
OTOH, it’s far away from “civilization”, down on the Arava, and the heat can be rough for the uninitiated.
Don’t know anything about Yahel.
I lived at Kibbutz Metzer for a while as a teenager, and it’s a nice place. It’s near Hadera (which means there’s a mall a short drive a way, if you get the jonsin’ for some shopping), it’s pretty well-off, and they have a prize-winning avocado plantation. As for extracurricular activities… for most volunteers that means lots of booze and casual sex, and I suppose you can find those in any Kibbutz (except for the religious ones, maybe. Probably not). What else are you looking for?
So much for their high brow Marxist ways, eh?
They put the “commune” back in “Communist”.
The SDMB is lesse a place of kibbutz-ers than it is a place of kibbitzers.
YAY! I get to use the ;j smiley!
;j ;j ;j ;j ;j
First of all, check out this site: http://www.kibbutzprogramcenter.org/. If you want to learn Hebrew while here, try Kibbutz program center - Welcome to Kibbutz Program Center NY (on the same site)
It was linked to from an official Israel Government site (here), so I think it can be trusted, although I haven’t gone through it myself.
As for specific places – As Alessan mentioned, Yotvata is a nice place, not too far from Eilat (about 25 miles) and relatively well-off, but hot in the summer. Yahel is one Kibbutz North of Yotvata (about 40 miles from Eilat). If you’re going to be here in the summer you may well want a different climate!
If you want to be really close to an urban center, try Glil Yam, Shefayim, Gaash (all very near Tel Aviv), or Ramat Rachel, Tzova (near Jerusalem). For a sense of History, try Sde Boker (Ben Gurion’s kibbutz) in the negev, an hour South of Beer Sheva. Otherwise, maybe try HaGoshrim, Dan or Dafna in the North. Disclaimer: I have never lived on any of these nor on any other Kibbutz; there are just a few places I have heard well of and/or briefly visited, and I don’t know whether or not any of them currently accept volunteers – you will have to do your own research.
And most importantly, if you do come over here, be sure to e-mail me beforehand! Maybe I can even help arrange for a “soft landing”; in any case, I’d love to meet a fellow-Doper 
Dani
Cool, Noone Special, if you don’t mind I’ll email you soon.
The only problem I have with the southern kibbutzes, like Yahel and Yotvata, is that I’ve heard Eilat is a real tourist trap.
I’ll be happy to hear from you
Yes, but… it’s a really nice tourist trap. Well worth a night or two during your stay, even if you aren’t living and working in the area. IMHO.
OTOH, you’ll have so much to see and do when you get here… you’ll just have to pick and choose, anyway.
Hope to see you here soon!