Christian Communes in Israel: Past, Present, and Future

Prof. Ruth Kark and Prof. Rami Degani

The life style of the first Christian community of Jesus` disciples in Jerusalem, became a model for Christians across the globe. Based on the New Testament and Christian tradition, this community, and others lived as communes.

From the beginning of the twentieth century onward various types of Jewish communes and cooperatives were established by the Zionist movement in Palestine/ Israel, as Kibbutzim, Moshavim and other unique modes of settlement. From the mid-nineteenth century. The Holy Land, saw renewal of Christian communes, the first being the two Jaffa American Colonies and the American-Swedish Colony in Jerusalem. The establishment of the State of Israel brought about both successful and failed attempts to build more Christian communes.

Our paper, based on the analysis of primary sources of the communes, fieldwork and interviews, focuses on several of the new Christian settlements in Israel, that evolved from the model of communal life of the first Christians. We discuss each commune individually and compare between them, taking account of their leaders` initial vision and motivation, their past history, present demographic and economic condition, longevity, and the future long term prospects of communes that persisted. Among the settlements considered are: "Kibbutz" Tel Gamliel, Moshav Nes Amim, "Kibbutz" Ir Ovot, Moshav Yad-Hashmona, the Beth-El commune in Zichron, the Community of the Beatitudes in Emmaus, and the Jesus Brotherhood in Latrun.