Joseph Busel

Joseph Busel was a Zionist-Socialist pioneer; one of the originators of the idea of the kevu?ah (see *kibbutz movement) and among its founders in Ere? Israel. Busel was born in Lachowicze, Minsk Region (Belorussia). Before he went to Ere? Irael in 1908 he worked in an agricultural settlement established by *PICA in the Kherson province in the Ukraine. In Ere? Israel he joined the group cultivating land at the settlement of Kinneret, where he evolved the idea of the independent agricultural collective group. In 1910 Busel, together with members of his "commune of ?aderah," settled at Um-Juni (*Deganyah), which became the first kevu?ah. He played a major role in formulating and implementing the principles on which the kevu?ah was founded, e.g., equal burden of work for men and women and communal child care. Busel was a leader of *Ha-Poel ha-?air, and during World War I was active in the general institutions of the yishuv in Ere? Israel. He drowned while crossing Lake Kinneret from Tiberias to Deganyah. His wife, HAYYUTA BUSEL (1890–?), was an educator and agriculturalist. She was born in Lachowicze, settled in Ere? Israel and married Joseph in 1917. She was a leading member of the *Histadrut and women's labor movement, and of I?ud ha-Kevu?ot *ve-ha-Kibbutzim. She settled in Deganyah.

Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.