For five years Racheli (Lee) Schwartz followed the collapse and disintegration of her home, Kibbutz Hulata, located in the Upper Galilee. The kibbutzim have played a central role in Israel’s culture, in its security, economy and politics. Kibbutznikim have taken on responsibilities far greater than their numbers in Israel’s military, economy and political movements and ideologies. But the functions met by the kibbutz have changed as the state has changed. One of the most important roles of kibbutzim was the establishment of safe, defended borders for the people living in Israel and that is now met by the Israel Defense Forces, though the kibbutz members participate in the effort. Another was the provision of farm products, and gradually private enterprise has replaced that function. Those kibbutzim that have not been able to accommodate these changes in the supply of security, food and manufactured goods at competitive prices, have dissolved. Flashbacks to photos from the 1930s on make clear how much has changed in other areas of kibbutz life. The film follows a number of members, each deeply influenced by the imminent death of their home.

Born in Israel in Kibbutz Hulata in the Upper Galilee, Racheli (Lee) Schwartz now lives in Tel Aviv making documentaries with her son Gal.

Producer: Gal Schwartz Cinematographer: Roni Katzanelson, Eyal Zehav Editor: Yael Perlov