Traditional revolution: The issue of marriage on religious kibbutzim, 1929–1948 – a comparative view

Abstract

This article compares marriage patterns in the formative years of the religious kibbutz movement (1929–1948) with those in secular kibbutzim at that time. It explores how members of religious kibbutzim, who adopted many of the revolutionary values embraced by secular kibbutzim, dealt with the issue of marriage while maintaining their religious way of life. This problem serves as a case study for understanding the unique complexities that arise when revolutionary ideas are combined with traditional values. The issue of marriage on religious kibbutzim had distinctive features in relation to both religious society and the secular kibbutz. At the same time it shows that in practice, the patterns of behavior on both types of kibbutzim were fairly similar.