Migvan Community in 2009
Sderot’s Urban Kibbutz
Kibbutz Migvan was founded in the city of Sderot in 1987 by former kibbutz members who wished to create a new Socialist-Zionist model and an alternative to the traditional rural kibbutz. Their goal was to build a collective community on the foundations of social solidarity and their mission was to create a dialog that would lead to shared effort based on mutual interests.
Sderot was chosen because it was a relatively small town and would provide opportunity for integration into the urban environment. The city provided fertile ground for entrepreneurship and has proved to be receptive to new projects and change in many arenas. Migvan’s members and their city neighbors share interests in issues like employment, education, culture and housing.
Community Size
Kibbutz Migvan has 70 residents, half of whom are under age 18.
Lifestyle
Kibbutz governance - Migvan’s administration is headed by a Secretariat – a team that is responsible for the daily management of issues pertaining to the community. Other positions of responsibility include a Treasurer and Purchasers. Various teams oversee the kibbutz vehicles, plan cultural events, review applications for kibbutz membership and help settle disputes.
Partnerships – Migvan’s collective lifestyle is economic, social, and cultural. Members are motivated by principles and values, among them: personal development and contribution to community. The community places the individual in the center and every member is encouraged to develop professionally and personally according to their skills, desires and needs. Most of the members work everyday in careers that promote education and society. Their work helps them share a vision and provides significance to their communal lifestyle. About 9 of Migvan’s families are also economic partners; their salaries enter a collective account and each family is paid a small monthly stipend; investments are made as a group. Each person/family determines for themselves if they will take part in the economic collective.
Social and cultural activities – While the kibbutz does occasionally host social and cultural events for members only, members partake fully in what the city has to offer: members attend activities at the Community Center; children are educated in Sderot’s schools; members go to movies at the local Cinemateque. On Shaked Street, ceremonies for welcoming the shabbat and holidays, policy conferences (where decisions are made through discussion and consent, not by vote) study groups and lunch during the workweek provide opportunities to meet with other community members.
Education – Each kibbutz family decides where to enroll their children; most 6-12 year olds attend schools in Sderot and most high school students study at Shaar HaNegev, outside the city. In 2001, Migvan members established a day care center that is run by the parents and provides a caring, educational framework for young children until 4pm every day, enabling both parents to work outside the home.
Employment – Two main sources of employment on the kibbutz are the Gvanim Association and Migvan Effect (a high-tech company). Adults working elsewhere are employed as teachers, consultants, project managers, accountants, and more. Migvan Effect was established by the kibbutz in 1995 and was Sderot’s first high-tech company. It now has 14 employees and has built its success on creating high-end internet applications for businesses and organizations. About half the employees are kibbutz members. The Gvanim Association was founded by the kibbutz in 1994 as an independent organization. Gvanim acts as an agent for social change with more than 50 programs for disadvantaged populations and now has more than 250 employees, only six of whom are kibbutz members.
Housing – For the first 13 years of its existence, the Migvan community lived in rented apartments in the heart of Sderot. In June, 2000, the kibbutz moved as a whole to Shaked Street in Sderot. While it looks like a regular street in a typical urban neighborhood, all the homes are identical and the public areas are cared for by the kibbutz. The public buildings include a large community center that houses the kibbutz offices, a communal kitchen and dining room, a clubhouse and a play area for the kibbutz children.
Communities within the Community – Kibbutz Migvan has welcomed unique populations into their community: a new protected housing complex for mentally retarded adults can be found at one end of Shaked Street, while Wings, a college-prep program for young adults with disabilities, can be found at the other. Both programs are run by the Gvanim Association; the kibbutz provides social acceptance and community belonging. Migvan’s intentions are to expand its social and cultural activities to include the Wings students and the protected housing residents, integrating them into the kibbutz community life. Wing students attend the program for a relatively short time, while the protected housing residents will live together for most of their lives. Representatives from Kibbutz Migvan are currently meeting with the protected housing residents to discuss their integration into the community and the opportunities they will have to contribute to communal life. Everyone understands that the meetings between the members of the two communities will most often be spontaneous, informal and part of daily life on Shaked Street.
Migvan and the environment – Compost bins and collectors for carton and newsprint can be found on Shaked Street and the community has plans to use solar power to generate electricity for the kibbutz homes and communal buildings.
Accepting new members - Anyone wishing to join Kibbutz Migvan is welcome if they meet two conditions: they must agree with the community’s basic principles and they must fit in socially. New residents must live in the community for a year before they can become members; during this period they must find work and pay their expenses. At the end of the first year all sides decide if the resident may continue living in the kibbutz and, if so, under what conditions. Preference is given to people who wish to integrate into kibbutz community life. Recently Migvan has expanded its community and accepts families who live outside the kibbutz, but take an active part in the community.
Coping with Crisis
Migvan members, like all residents in the region, must cope with everyday crisis – the continuous threat of Kasam missiles from the Gaza Strip. In 2008, the kibbutz's resilience was damaged when two of Migvan’s families took a year’s sabbatical to escape the security crisis. Help was extended to the rest of the community and Migvan focused on expanding the kibbutz population, strengthening communal bonds and holding communal and cultural events. Volunteers from the national kibbutz movement provided physical and emotional support. When the situation worsened, during Operation Cast Lead, kibbutz Migvan’s members moved to the Sde Boker Field school where they maintained their communal structure.
A Different Voice - Migvan members recently founded a new civil and apolitical movement called “Kol Aher” – A Different Voice. The movement, whose members include people from many of the communities and cities near the Gaza Strip, hopes to promote creative, non-violent, long term solutions to the security crisis and hope to the region’s residents.
The Gvanim Association
In 1994, Kibbutz Migvan founded the Gvanim Association as a instrument to bring about social change. Gvanim’s management model is based on creating active partnerships with other social and service organization. At this time the organization has more than 50 different programs promoting social causes, education and welfare. Gvanim employs more than 250 people and its staffs include more than 150 volunteers. In 2009, 6 kibbutz members held positions in the Gvanim Association, including the positions of Director and Chairperson.
