Early Struggles for Membership in Ramat Moshav Documented in Heritage Project

Racheli Goldstein, a longtime resident of the Ramat moshav who originally arrived as a soldier, shared her experiences about the early challenges of joining the community. Her interview is part of the "Documentation of Pioneers and Founders of the Settlement" initiative by the Ministry of Heritage and the Council for the Preservation of Heritage Sites in Israel. The project aims to preserve the stories of the first settlers across various regions including the Jordan Valley, Judea, Samaria, Benjamin, the Golan, and the Galilee through hundreds of interviews conducted by Mordy Krashner and Noam Damski.

Goldstein described Ramat as a very small settlement with about 20 young residents at the time, lacking children and parents, and characterized by unbalanced social decision-making. The community held a vote to grant membership to 15 couples, intending to establish a permanent settlement with all members accepted. However, half of the couples, including Goldstein, were rejected despite being highly capable individuals. When she asked a member why she voted against her, the response was that Goldstein "did not pay attention to the eggs," meaning she did not conform to the preferences of the younger men.

The situation escalated when the community feared losing Goldstein's husband, Dudu, an expert in row crops, as he considered leaving. The moshav called in Danny Kritschman from the Moshav Movement to address the issue. Kritschman proposed that any married couple would automatically gain membership but would only receive voting rights after one year, with the decision applied retroactively from the moshav's founding. This solution was accepted, allowing Goldstein and her husband to remain in the community to this day.

The full interview is available as part of the "The Pioneers" project, which documents the establishment of settlements and preserves the stories of their founders for future generations.