Kibbutzim, according to a Israel National News article, could be the answer to the housing crunch in Israel.
Titled Kibbutzim Offer Solution to Housing Prices, "Kibbutzim (cooperative communities) have offered themselves as a solution to high housing prices, in response to a student sit-in protest for more affordable housing."
The housing crisis, which hits young adults and new olim hardest, may reverse the decline in kibbutz membership and impact Israeli politics.
Once the bastion of almost everything Israeli, kibbutz' communism - about the only place true "communism" ever existed - gave way to the socialism of the moshav and the capitalism of the cities.
At the height of kibbutz popularity, most of Israel's left-of-center politicians and military leaders had a "kibbutz connection."
Kibbutzim played a major role in helping the state absorb olim - by hosting work/study ulpans (a win-win for the kibbutz) and by accepting a selected few for membership.
Kibbutzim went from agriculture to industry, sometimes to include both (as at Netzer Sirini near Beer Yakov).
Over time many kibbutzim became less and less "communal" and more "individual." Some kibbutzim allowed their members to work outside the kibbutz as long as the member's outside compensation went into the communal treasury.
In return, kibbutz members "enjoy a variety of services that give them and their families a high quality of life,” Kibbutz Movement head Zev Shor told the Hebrew-language daily Maariv.
The trick for those considering kibbutz life is to find one that has the candidate's political and communal philosophy, understand that overtime this may change.
For all that, the housing troubles may cause a resurgence in kibbutz popularity, and with that, who knows.
