Phillip Gordon
I regularly enjoy the interaction and time spent with this resident whenever he attends shul on Shabbos. I am grateful to him as it helps me keep a balanced perspective on life and all its challenges.
On this particular Shabbos he told me the Chev was planning to shut down the kibbutz and he did not know what was to become of him. I could see how stressed he was and heard the genuine anguish in his voice.
Being aware of his diminished capacity, I tried to calm him down and resolved to enquire whether these claims were true
I approached a relative of another resident who mentioned there was talk that the closure of the kibbutz was under consideration and that there was deep-seated acrimony between the Chev and the parent body of the kibbutz. I have not seen or heard anything in the Jewish media, which I felt [usually] formally proved or disproved this.
Upon reading the Pesach edition of the Chevrah news, I noticed that despite there being articles on all the institutions and services offered by the Chev and on several suppliers of services to the Chev, there was no mention of Kibbutz Lubner – it was as if it did not exit.
To me – considering all the products I see on the shelves of many supermarkets which I know are manufactured by residents of the kibbutz, which I assume bring in much-need revenue into the coffers of the Chev, this absence seems somewhat disingenuous and suggests that there is more than a smidgeon of truth to what I have been told.
Whilst I – like all of us should – cannot adequately express my gratitude to the Chev for all they do, I would be much happier if in dealings with the public there was more transparency so that people did not come to rely on unsubstantiated word-of-mouth details of what is transpiring on the ground.
Phillip Gordon
Highlands North, Johannesburg
