The kibbutz is an original and unique Israeli creation – a multi-generation, rural settlement, characterized by its collective and cooperative community lifestyle, democratic management, responsibility for the welfare of each adult member and child, and shared ownership of its means of production and consumption. The first kibbutz, Degania, was founded by a group of a dozen, young pioneers in 1910, along the banks of the Sea of Galilee. Since then, 273 kibbutzim (half of them prior to the establishment of the State of Israel) have spread across the face of the country and, to a certain extent, have defined its borders.