Nir David (, ''lit.'' David's Meadow) is a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...

in the

Beit She'an Valley The Beit She'an Valley ( or ) is a valley in Israel. The valley lies within the Beit She'an rift, part of the Afro-Syrian Rift (Jordan Rift Valley), which opens westwards to the Harod Valley. It is a middle part of the Jordan Valley. The valle ...

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 ...

. Founded on 10 December 1936 as Tel Amal, the first of the tower and stockade settlements, it falls under the jurisdiction of

Valley of Springs Regional Council Emek HaMa'ayanot Regional Council (, ''Mo'atza Azorit Emek HaMa'ayanot'', lit. ''Valley of the Springs Regional Council'') is a regional council (Israel), regional council in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel that encompas ...

. In it had a population of .

History

Nir David was founded on the 10 December 1936, under the name of Tel Amal. It was established as the first tower and stockade settlement (and the first kibbutz) in the Beit She'an Valley. In the 1940s, the kibbutz was renamed Nir David in honor of

David Wolffsohn David Wolffsohn (; ; 9 October 1855 in Darbėnai, Kovno Governorate – 15 September 1914) was a Lithuanian-Jewish businessman, prominent early Zionist and second president of the Zionist Organization (ZO). Biography David Wolffsohn was ...

, second president of the

World Zionist Organization The World Zionist Organization (; ''HaHistadrut HaTzionit Ha'Olamit''), or WZO, is a non-governmental organization that promotes Zionism. It was founded as the Zionist Organization (ZO; 1897–1960) at the initiative of Theodor Herzl at the F ...

. The communal dining room and two children's homes were designed by

Zeev Rechter Ze'ev Rechter (; 1899–1960) was a pioneering architect of Mandatory Palestine and later Israel, who designed many of Israel's iconic buildings. He migrated to Palestine from the Russian Empire. He is considered one of the three founding fathers ...

, architect of some of Israel's most iconic buildings. A group of

Holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universall ...

joined the kibbutz in the 1940s. In the 1990s, Nir David developed a tourism industry based around the Asi river (a.k.a. ), which flows through it. Around 2010, the kibbutz fenced off the community and installed a locked steel gate at the entrance, after protest from people, who wanted access to the scenic Asi river. In 2021, the kibbutz claimed that 40% of its population was

Mizrahi ''Mizrachi'' or ''Mizrahi'' () has two meanings. In the literal Hebrew meaning ''eastern'', it may refer to: * Mizrahi Jews, Jews from the Middle East and North Africa * Mizrahi (surname), a Sephardic surname, given to Jews who got to the Iberia ...

. File:מגדל שמירה בניר דוד בעמק בית שאן-JNF034490.jpeg, Nir David 1936 File:היבול בשנה הראשונה בניר-דוד-JNF004552.jpeg, Nir David 1937 File:ניר דוד - טוחנים את התבואה לפי שעה באופן פרימיטיבי-JNF029128.jpeg, Nir David 1937 File:ניר דוד - היבול הראשון-JNF029125.jpeg, Nir David 1938 File:ניר דוד - פרופסור חיים ויצמן-JNF010724.jpeg, Nir David visit by

Chaim Weizmann Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( ; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born Israeli statesman, biochemist, and Zionist leader who served as president of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization and later as the first pre ...

1944 File:ניר דוד - מראה כללי-JNF034822.jpeg, Nir David permanent houses 1945 File:AN AERIAL VIEW OF KIBBUTZ TEL AMAL IN THE BEIT SHEAN VALLEY. צילום אוויר של קיבוץ תל עמל (ניר דוד) בעמק בית שאן.D828-018.jpg, Nir David, 1946 File:Tel Amal.jpg, Members of

Yiftach Brigade The 11th Brigade (also known as the Yiftach Brigade) is a reserves unit in the Israel Defense Forces, composed mainly of fighters that completed their compulsory service in the Egoz Unit, Unit 621 – 'Egoz'. History In the 1948 Arab–Israeli ...

, "C" Company, at Tel Amal, 1948

Economy

The kibbutz's main income is from agriculture, e.g., field crops, orchards, and fish. Nir David Fish Breeding Farms has developed

Tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically mos ...

strains with unique properties. The kibbutz's "Nirotek" factory produces

self adhesive Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA, self-adhesive, self-stick adhesive) is a type of nonreactive adhesive which forms a bond when pressure is applied to bond the adhesive with a surface. No solvent, water, or heat is needed to activate the adhesive ...

and

carbonless copy paper Carbonless copy paper (CCP), also known as non-carbon copy paper or NCR paper ('no carbon required'—a backronym derived from its creator, National Cash Register), is a type of coated paper designed to transfer information written on the top shee ...

, and a metal factory exports

horticultural Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

vehicles and tools.

Landmarks

* " Gan Hashlosha" - A semi-natural water park (formerly known by its

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

name, ''Sachne''). * - Australian zoo, which features Australian

marsupial Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a r ...

wildlife such as

kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

s and

koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...

. * Village Inn - Lodging in Nir-David on the banks of the Asi river. *

Guest ranch A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agrotourism. History Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...

- a relatively large horse ranch offering horseback training for children and adults, from basic riding to competitive, and occasionally hosts

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

competitions. * Holtzer Sport Center - A modern sport complex which includes a 25 m. swimming pool, basketball court and a multipurpose sports auditorium.

Notable people

Shlomo Gur Shlomo Gur (Gerzovsky) (; 1913–2000), founding member of Kibbutz Tel Amal, is credited with creating and then managing the construction of 57 ''homa u'migal'' (tower and stockade settlements) during the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine. Fo ...

(1913-2000), founding member. *

Gabi Teichner Gabriel "Gabi" Teichner (; born November 21, 1945) is an Israeli former basketball player. He spent his club career playing in the Israeli Premier League, and he also represented the Israeli national team. Club career Teichner, who is 2.03 m (6 ...

(born 1945), basketball player.

References

External links