Kibbutz Degania Alef is located in northern Israel near the Sea of Galilee. The permanent settlement was established in 1910, making it the earliest socialist Zionist farming commune in the Land of Israel and “the mother of all kibbutzim”
Early members included war hero Joseph Trumpeldor, politician David Ben-Gurion and military legend Moshe Dayan, the second child born at Degania.
A long-simmering dispute within the kibbutz about child-rearing came to a head in the 1950s. One faction believed that kibbutz children should live with their parents until they complete high school; the other believed Degania should stay true to traditional kibbutz ideology, with offspring living in separate children’s homes.
The issue was resolved when Degania was divided in two, separated by about 1,600 feet. They were called Degania Aleph (A) and Bet (B) — the A and B of the Hebrew alphabet.
Photo: ד”ר אבישי טייכר / CC BY
