My Life: The Iron Lady of Israel, Golda Meir - VII
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Life at Palestine
The summer in Palestine was very harsh, of course no one seriously thought of leaving it, but rather all became a part of it. She expressed her feelings in a letter to Shamai, her brother-in-law that ' I cannot leave and you must come '. She knew that he was ready to work hard, but it was harder to find hard work there, the fact was one had to endure a lot, economically too. There was every possibility of riots, but if one wants one's own land with whole heart one had to be prepared for any such calamity.Golda was in her twenties fully fit, and had a lot of energy, her husband, sister and best friends, were with her, and she was very happy to be where she always wanted to be.
All came from different countries to Palestine and spoke different languages but had similar beliefs that only Jews could live in Palestine as a right, they could be ' masters and not victims of their fate '. She was immensely happy to be there. Everyone adjusted to the new reality. In the month of September, all applied for membership to kibbutz Merhavia ( God's wide spaces, this was one of the first kibbutzim ) though they knew very little about it. ( Kibbutz are farming settlements, where no one has personal or private property, then no labour is hired, and the group is responsible for production, all kinds of services and all the needs. ) It was a way of life or a channel to express Zionism.
It was not easy to settle on the land where there was every possibility of malaria and blackwater fever and it was not cheap. It was to be made ready for cultivation, this was a back-breaking and was to take years to earn profit. The wetland had to be drained, this was undertaken by motivated pioneers of the Labour-Zionists, as they prepared to reclaim the land in spite of difficult circumstances and human cost. No one was hired for the job, many lived to see it become a very fertile land of Israel with prospering villages and collective settlements.
The group who set up the Merhavia came in 1911, but after the war started in 1914 hostility of the labouring Arabs plus malaria made them pull up the stakes, the second group too failed (of which Golda too was a member ), the third group in 1929 could make it.
Ultimately when they applied, their applications were rejected, the reasons were that married people were not wanted as the luxury of babies was not affordable then. The impression was that American girls were not fit for the tough physical work expected at the kibbutz. Golda argued ferociously, she thought they didn't have the right to make such assumptions, they ought to be given an opportunity to prove what they meant. They could get permission and went to Merhavia, initially, all had a suspicion, but ultimately the suspension was proved to be wrong. Golda's sister stayed in Tel Aviv, though it was difficult to manage the flat alone, she did not allow them to change the plan. Sheyna decided to find work, her husband had not yet arrived in Palestine.
Golda described tha at present Merhavia is a developed settlement with a high school known in the valley. It had an industry with agriculture too, and had a factory of plastic pipes and a printing press, Golda noted. People had a quality life though they still worked hard. It had attractive rooms,a fully mechanised kitchen, and a common air-conditioned dining space, but the basic principles did not change. All had 8 hours of work, but they were trained to do what they were good at, still, all took turns for the cores, and all participated in the major decisions. Children are brought up together, they sleep and study together, she noted in her book. Kibbutz treats all as human beings with intrinsic value.
There were all sorts of people with some flaws, they were not the ideal individuals, but they shared everything. They certainly contributed to the nation far more than their numbers. She noted in her book that there were some 230 kibbutzim in Israel then. The nation cannot be imagined without them. Her daughter belonged to one such kibbutz but Golda could not return to kibbutz life due to her obligations of public life. She regretted it throughout her life, and by the time she could afford time she was too old to accommodate herself.
Merhavia in 1921 had few houses and just a cluster of trees, no orchards, or meadows, no flowers, just wind and rocks. It was very different from what was imagined.
Initially, some trial period was granted, to undertake any work would require a lot of physical labour. After many years when Golda wrote about the Merhavia kibbutz, the scenario changed completely, the hard work of all paid. ( The book was written in 1975 after the war ended successfully ) Life then was far away from being luxurious,' there was very little to eat ' and it tasted ' dreadful ', sour cereals and unrefined oil which was bought from the Arabs and it used to be terribly bitter.
When Golda was given the kitchen duty, she started reorganising it and introduced oatmeal which would be hot and nutritious. Everyone liked the idea of dropping bitter oil and gradually adjusted to the novelty. The concept of coffee and cookies were introduced, and she made them available on Friday nights and Saturday morning.
Women members wanted the kind of work men were given, they were true fighters for real equality.
The kibbutz was always short of working hands. In summer all used to be at work by 4 am, every season had its own hardships. Everything was to be shared at a kibbutz,so what was possible for all was accepted, Golda could understand the reason behind but Morris was not happy with the lack of privacy and limitations to his intellectual life. At the kibbutz the priority was different, Morris described the way of thinking as 'a one track mind and narrow '. A little flexibility was something that he expected, but no kibbutz could afford it then in the 1920s.
Golda enjoyed her kind of people with similar political and social views, every problem was debated seriously,but Golda enjoyed it totally. These things pleased her the most but Morris thought them impossible. The conditions at the kibbutz were very primitive. A girl from Merhavia once went to say goodbye to a poet who worked in Palestine and was returning to America, held her work-worn hand for a shake, he said,' In America, it was a pleasure to hold your hand. Now it is an honour '. Kibbutz women aged rapidly as compared to women in cities.
Golda could meet many significant people in that week and kept associated with all. This inspired her immensely.
Morris became physically ill and frequently contracted malaria, the food and the hard physical work to be put in, was difficult in spite of his efforts. The two-and-a-half-year time they spent in Moravia. She was very involved with the group,but Morris had to struggle to a great extent to adjust to everything. Due to his poor health, they had to leave Merhavia. His mother and sisters begged him to return to America. They shifted to Tel Aviv, first Golda found a job, and later after the recovery Morris too worked. They had an opportunity to work in Jerusalem, in the autumn their first son was born in Jerusalem. Golda faced her conflict to choose between her duty or family and children, it always turned out to be her duty first always she realised in her life.
