Why Is This Kibbutz Different From All Other Kibbutzim?

Theory: “From Each According to His Ability, to Each According to His Need”
Equality: People are not necessarily equal; we all have differing needs and abilities. Therefore, striving for a technical equality of budgets, living space, etc., is not always the best solution.
All members of Samar have equal opportunities to fulfill their needs as they see fit. This is the chief philosophy of Samar, which has been called an anarchic kibbutz.
Samar works to provide high standards of cooperation among its members, and offers an unusual degree of autonomy for each individual.

Climate

Samar is located in the Arava, an extreme desert region.  This means that the area receives less than 70mm annual rainfall, which leaves the soil very arid.  The area surrounding Samar has very little vegetation, except for irrigated locations. But the kibbutz itself is a small oasis, with green grass, trees and plants, and birds of all kinds.
For most of the year, Samar’s weather is very hot and dry.  Summer temperatures range from 35-40°C in the daytime and 25-35°C at night. Because humidity is also extremely low (around 20% in the summer), the heat is more endurable here than in places with high humidity, and summer nights are very pleasant. The winters (mostly January and February) are mild, with afternoon temperatures usually around 20-25 degrees celcius. Some winter nights can drop to 10 degrees or lower, but almost never near zero. Should you decide to visit this region, remember one thing: you need to drink plenty of water to avoid becoming dehydrated!

Location

Samar is a small kibbutz  located approximately 37 kilometers north of Eilat, between two beautiful mountain ranges of the southern Arava valley.  We are 449 km from Haifa, 319 km from Tel Aviv, and 289 km from Jerusalem. This means that you can drive here with a car from Tel Aviv in less than four hours. Regularly scheduled flights from Tel Aviv take less than an hour to arrive at Ramon International Airport, which is 15 minutes from Samar.

History

Kibbutz Samar was founded in 1976 and has  evolved into the successful place it is today. It is home to about 60 families, with a total population of about 350 people, almost half of them children..

Economic Foundation

The economies of most kibbutzim started out being based mainly on agriculture, but today have become more diversified, reflecting changes in the rest of Israel as well. Those changes have helped Samar to survive and  prosper. The main businesses of the kibbutz now range widely, from agriculture, to eco-tourism, to high-tech software development.

Arts and Culture

Many of Samar’s members share an interest in art and culture. Some members paint, some write, some play music, while others find  their own ways of expressing themselves creatively. Because we share common daily tasks, most people have leisure time to pursue hobbies and avocations, whatever their usual workday jobs. Samar is a small and friendly place, everybody knows everybody else; social interactions of all kinds are easier and more common than in a big city.

Democracy, Money and Ecology

Samar is proud of its foundation as a democratic community that values every individual.  Members have a chance to plan their own futures, and we rely on the community and ourselves to make our lives better. We follow the original basic kibbutz principle, that money is earned as a group and spent according to the needs of each member. Many kibbutzim have discarded that principle, but in Samar, all members are valued equally, no matter what type of work they do or the hours they work.
Since we are a small community we share the work of basic services, including laundry, meals, housing, and transportation. This allows us to lower overall costs and results in a more ecologically-responsible way of living.
Kibbutz Samar is successful; economically, most years we break even or earn a small profit.  New members join Samar every year, and few members leave.  Most importantly, if you’d ask, most members of Samar would say that they are happy to be part of this community, and wouldn’t want to live elsewhere. And while each member feels completely connected to the kibbutz, this can sometimes lead to unwieldy situations. For instance, a decision might be made after several meetings that is still not personally acceptable to a large number of members. In such cases, the decision is unlikely to be carried out, even if a majority has voted in favor. Personal commitment is very strong, best seen during the date harvest, when people of all ages come whenever they can during the work day and in the evenings to harvest and pack dates. Even the children take part, happy to know that they are important to their community.

Little Tukul on the Prairie