Mr. Lederberger is a member of one of Israel's communal settlements, most of which are agricultural, but some of which combine agriculture with industry. The communities are democratic in the extreme, and have to be nearly as possible self-supporting, although in the aggregate the new republic has commenced a flourishing trade abroad. This has often had to entail sacrifices among the people, and conditions of living are still hard. Nevertheless the fact that food prices are going down indicates a rising standard of living.

A suggestion that the communal enterprises were run on the principles of Communism was hastily denied. The Jews, he said, were an innately socialistic people, and they were held together in the common ownership, control, joy and suffering of the new Israeli community life, by the strong bond of their national spirit. Nationalism pervaded every aspect of living.