Five little puppies, schnauzers, black, a month old and cute enough to fall in love with at first sight. Davina picks one of them up, while telling me about her own plans. “Right now I am happy doing this, but in the future I’d be interested in becoming a vet,” she says. And she means it.
Davina has lived in Kishorit in northern Israel for five years. She is in her mid-twenties and hails from Manchester, United Kingdom. Her parents live in Paris, France, but she lives with 109 other people in Kishorit, giving her an instant family and social scene.
Each of Kishorit’s residents has a very special story and as you walk around the former kibbutz you find many of them only too willing to tell their tale.
“It’s a home for life for people with special needs,” explains Katrin Tchetchik, Kishorit’s spokeswoman and fundraiser.
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(Katrin Tchetchik, right, with resident Chaya Dichner, 53)
In 1997 the village opened its doors with just four residents. That figure has climbed by some 20 each year, to today’s figure. The long-term aim is for 300-350 people to live in the farm-cum-village.
Special needs is such a catch-all expression. Tchetchik prefers another way to describe the people living at Kishorit. “Special needs in our case is what they call professionally dual diagnosis, meaning it is both organic and mental,” she says. Very often the problems faced by the residents were not noticed at birth or through their formative years. Then as teenagers they suffered mental outbursts and faced hospitalization and medication.
Kishorit caters for adults, aged 18 and up. The principal ethos of the place is one of choice. We give you the options, you decide what you want to do. Outside of the 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. workday, residents can do pretty much whatever takes their fancy. Entertainment includes a weekly visit by famous Israeli singer Sarale Sharon, daily cultural events and courses, and the nearest town, Karmiel, is just a bus ride away, with frequent in-house service. “They just need to tell us if they are going out,” says Tchetchik.
Kishorit is in a magnificent location. Its mountaintop position offers sweeping views down to the Mediterranean, while its inner courtyards house fishponds and organic vegetables, for use in the kitchen. Just walking around the grounds one immediately feels at peace. The 400 goats on the farm, producing organic milk and now cheese, the stables and the dog kennels give an invigorating rural feel.
It was originally hoped that the last of the Kibbutz Kishor members would stay on and help run the village, but as with so many other collective settlements in Israel, the members eventually left. That may have been a negative for the development of the village, but it has also led to employment opportunities for people in the surrounding area. With almost 100 staff members, Kishorit is a large employer in the Misgav region. The village offers the obvious employment opportunities for outsiders: social workers, cooks, cleaners, doctors. But that is by no means the full story.
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(The stables offer both training for residents and income through horseback riding)
The residents of Kishorit are expected to fully contribute to society, both within the confines of the village and further afield. Some of their work is purely therapeutic, but much of it also aims to be money-generating, and hopefully, one day, profitable. So the Pastel Toys factory offers several benefits. The more skilled work is done by people living in the surrounding area, with a manager and staff to deal with production, sales and marketing. In producing fine wooden toys, the residents not only learn about the mechanics and carpentry, but also meet members of the public who purchase the products from the adjoining shop, and that in turn means resident learn about the value of money and how to deal with it.
Vocational training is offered in other parts of the community: in the kennels and kitchen for example.
Mealtimes are a communal affair but the rest of the ‘living’ element of the residents’ life is very much one of independence. There are studio homes for some singles and shared accommodation for others, in two-bedroomed homes.
There are four married couples in Kishorit. While none of them have children, “If they decide they want children, then why not?” says Tchetchik. Some of the residents have chosen to live outside the village, in nearby communities. However, that experiment has not been 100 percent successful. One couple recently returned to Kishorit. The problem for those who try to integrate into ‘normal society’ is that they are “always on the fringe,” as Tchetchik puts it.
As a result, Kishorit sees itself as a home for life. “Nobody is here against their will, they can leave paradise if they want,” says Tchetchik with a wry grin.
But then her face becomes serious.
Many of the parents send their children to Kishorit because they want to know they will be looked after once the parents become incapacitated or die.
Of course all this costs. The annual budget is some $4.5 million. Each resident brings with them a monthly government stipend of $1,400. The Israeli government has also helped on individual projects. While 70% of residents offer no additional revenue, the remainder do pay an initial entrance fee. The rest of the money is the fruit of fundraising.
However, there could be serious financial trouble ahead for Kishorit. The government is implementing a major cut to welfare-benefit payments. That could mean a serious drop in monthly stipends. Kishorit will have to make up the loss somehow, especially if it wants to continue with its expansion.
Kishorit has become something of a regional center, offering various activities for locals and people from further afield. Horseback riding, pensions for dogs and social events are aimed at bringing revenues into the village. But perhaps more importantly they offer residents a chance to mix with other Israelis and probably to realize they are not that different. “After all, we are all different,” adds Tchetchik.
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(Rural idyll)
When Davina says she wants to be a vet, it is not just that she means it, but the staff has confidence in her too. If she can prove herself to be an equal to other Israelis in the field of veterinary science, then why shouldn’t she fulfill her dream? And Kishorit is giving her the chance to do just that.