Amirim (, ''lit.'' Treetops) is a

moshav A moshav (, plural ', "settlement, village") is a type of Israeli village or town or Jewish settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 and 1 ...

in northern

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Located 550

metres above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level v ...

on a hill overlooking the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee (, Judeo-Aramaic languages, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ), also called Lake Tiberias, Genezareth Lake or Kinneret, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth ...

, it embraces

organic farming Organic farming, also known as organic agriculture or ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2024 on organic production and labelling of ...

and

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

. In it had a population of .

History

Early attempts by

Moroccan Jewish Moroccan Jews (; ; ) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman times. Jews began immigrating to the region as early as 70 CE. They were much later met by a second wave of migrants fro ...

immigrants to establish a settlement in the 1950s were not successful. The original name was ''Shefa Bet.'' In 1958, a group of people of various backgrounds banded together to create a moshav based on a vegetarian, vegan, and organic lifestyle and ideology. The founders of Amirim were among the pioneers of the vegetarian movement in Israel.Israel News : Jerusalem Post Internet Edition
/ref> A group of Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventist families under the leadership of Ben and Lois Roden moved to Amirim in 1958 and established "The Branch Organic Agricultural Association," which encouraged organic agriculture. They had difficulties in cooperating with the requirements of the moshav, however, causing friction with other residents, and the group soon moved to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

Spiritual Orientation

Amirim is mostly a secular Jewish community, but there are some religious Jewish vegetarian families who live there. Its residents have been described as "spiritually oriented."

Tourism

One of the moshav's main sources of income is tourism. The moshav runs guesthouses and restaurants featuring vegetarian and vegan food. In the early 1960s, the Jewish Agency helped 10 families build the first ''zimmerim'', as the guest chalets are known. The moshav has a sculpture garden which displays 20 statues belonging to the

Israel Museum The Israel Museum (, ''Muze'on Yisrael'', ) is an Art museum, art and archaeology museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world's leading Encyclopedic museum, encyclopa ...

collections. The works are made by Israeli and international artists, including a steel statue by David Palombo.

Arts

The moshav has been noted for its sculpture garden, which features sculptures donated by the Israel Museum, as well as for its music. Regular musical events include Friday evening performances by two of its residents, the couple Miki Shaviv and

Mika Karni Mika Karni () is an Israeli pop singer and trained violinist. Discography * ''Mika Karni'' (1997) * ''Sipur Amiti'' ("A True Story") (2000) * ''Another World'' (2001) * ''Mi'rega Le'rega'' ("Minute by Minute" / "Moment by Moment") (2002) * ''Li ...

Notable residents

Jonathan Skjöldebrand Jonathan Skjöldebrand (; born August 2, 1983) is a former Swedish-Israeli professional basketball player. Early life Skjöldebrand was born in Amirim, Israel to Swedish parents, he played for Hapoel Sasa and Hapoel Galil Elyon youth teams. His d ...

, Swedish-Israeli basketball player

References

External links

Amirim
{{Merom HaGalil Regional Council Moshavim Vegetarian communities Populated places established in 1958 1958 establishments in Israel Populated places in Northern District (Israel) Moroccan-Jewish culture in Israel Jewish vegetarianism