Definition of KIBBUTZIM

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A kibbutz is a communal settlement in Israel in which all wealth is held in common and profits are reinvested in the settlement. The first kibbutz was founded in 1909; currently there are about 270, with a total population exceeding 120,000. Adults live in private quarters, while children are generally housed and cared for as a group. Meals are prepared and eaten communally. Members have regular meetings to discuss business and to take votes on matters requiring decisions. Jobs may be assigned by rotation, by choice, or by skill.

Examples of kibbutz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The official spoke to reporters at a kindergarten in a kibbutz that was struck by shelling a day earlier. — Dov Lieber, WSJ, "Hamas Declares Cease-Fire With Israel After Intense Fighting," 30 May 2018 On the Israeli side, civilians sought vantage points with binoculars and cameras, straining to see the action from kibbutz watchtowers or outcroppings of farmland. — David M. Halbfinger, Iyad Abuheweila And Isabel Kershner, New York Times, "10 Killed in Gaza as Palestinian Protesters Face Off With Israeli Soldiers," 6 Apr. 2018 Israeli soldiers inspect a missile launched fro Gaza Strip inside a kibbutz in Israel near the border with Gaza, Wednesday, June 20, 2018. — Washington Post, "Israel strikes Hamas after heavy rocket attacks from Gaza," 20 June 2018 Israel’s Channel 2 News showed footage of dozens of residents of Nir Am, a kibbutz near the Gaza border that has been hit hard by the fire bombs, launching colorful balloons carrying candy toward Gaza. — Wafaa Shurafa, BostonGlobe.com, "Gaza residents pray near Israel, as Muslims mark major feast," 15 June 2018 It was originally planned as an event under the stars in the Netivot area, near the Gaza border, but was relocated to the inland rolling hills and more contained circumstances of the Ella Valley winery, a kibbutz located near Bet Shemesh. — David Patrick Stearns, Philly.com, "Philadelphia Orchestra in Israel: Zahav's Michael Solomonov serves patrons 'Dinner in the Desert' as a capstone experience," 7 June 2018 Residents recalled both the happier times when Gazans would come to work on the kibbutz, and the tough battles along what has often been a hostile frontier. — New York Times, "Israelis Reflect on Gaza: ‘I Hope at Least That Each Bullet Was Justified’," 15 May 2018 The 1-kilometer tunnel was only meters away from the border fence near the Erez crossing into Israel and a short distance away from a kibbutz, said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman. — Oren Liebermann, CNN, "Israel destroys Gaza tunnel, boosts troop numbers, ahead of expected protests," 12 May 2018 Almog frets over her daughter and four grandchildren, who live close to the border in Kfar Aza, or Gaza Village, which was established by refugees from Egypt and Morocco in the early 1950s as a kibbutz, or collective settlement. — Noga Tarnopolsky, latimes.com, "At the Israeli-Gaza Strip border, a growing sense of anxiety and fear," 6 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kibbutz.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.