A lot of my newfound understanding came from simply living with others.
Life on Campus
Students live in spacious, air-conditioned dormitories on the main campus, with separate units for males and females. The dormitories consist of apartment units and caravans; each unit has four rooms and a shared kitchenette. Typically, up to eight students live in a unit, with two students sharing a bedroom and bathroom. The campus also has a large common space, equipped with a kitchen, for group study sessions, social events, and meetings.
Daily life on campus includes engaging around differences in nationality, language, religion, age and social norms. Guided by the campus life staff, roommates decide on their household policies regarding halal/kosher food, Sabbath observance, Muslim alcohol prohibitions, vegan needs, composting, water use, cleaning responsibilities and how to celebrate different religious and national holidays.
Dormitories are within walking distances to classrooms, Arava Institute offices, the dining hall, laundry services, sports facilities, and the library.
Students eat in the kibbutz dining hall with community members, staff, volunteers, and visitors. They use kibbutz facilities, such as communal laundry and recycling, and participate as volunteers in the dining hall once a semester. Students are invited and encouraged to take part in kibbutz events and holidays.
Friends and family love to visit you at the Arava Institute. We welcome your guests, but we must keep in mind the issues of food, lodging, and atmosphere:
Remember that meals in the Dining Room are not free (the Institute pays for them and must account for your guests). Also consider the atmosphere on campus. Respect each others’ needs for quiet, privacy, and academic work space.
Guidelines
*All requests must be approved by the Campus Life Coordinator*
- Please notify the CLC about guests as early as possible. There is a limit to how many guests we can have on kibbutz at one time, and they must be approved ahead of time.
- If guests are coming for a weekend, you must get them approved by Tuesday at the latest to secure them a space in the dining hall on Friday night.
- Students may have no more than two guests at a time.
- Student guests can stay for no more than two nights/three days.
- Guests should eat NO MORE THAN 6 meals in the Dining Hall. Keep track of how many and which meals your guests eat. All meals must be reported to the CLC immediately after the visit. Additional meals must be paid for to the CLC in the Campus Life office.
- Each student is allowed to have guests a maximum of three times in a semester.
- You are responsible for hosting your guests in your room or unit – this must be acceptable to all unit members and roommates. Alternatively, your guests may opt to stay at Keren Kolot, Kibbutz Ketura’s guest house or other accommodation in the area. Please ask about rates in the Keren Kolot lobby.
- NO PETS are allowed to visit!
