Beit HaShita

Infobox_Kibbutz
kibbutz_name = Beit HaShita
foundation = 4 December 1928
founded_by = Kvutzat HaHugim/Tnuat HaMahanot HaOlim members
region = Eastern Galilee
industry = Agriculture
affiliation = Kibbutz Movement
website = [http://www.bethashita.org.il/ www.beithashita.org.il]

Beit HaShita ( _he. בֵּית הַשִּׁטָּה, lit. "House of the Acacia") is a kibbutz between Afula and Beit She'an, Israel founded on 4 December 1928 by members of "Kvuzat HaHugim" and members of "Tnuat HaMahanot HaOlim" from Haifa and Jerusalem. The kibbutz was named after the biblical town of the same name. It is under the jurisdiction of Gilboa Regional Council.

The kibbutz has been privatized and today has a population of approximately 1,000. Many of the member families of the kibbutz are secular, therefore the kibbutz is defined as a secular kibbutz.

Eleven kibbutz members fell during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the largest number as a percentage of the population than any other town in Israel.

Beit Hashita served as the basis for the 1981 English language book "Kibbutz Makom", which described the kibbutz society.

Between 1985 and 2002, the kibbutz hosted the American Class, a year-long program of High School in Israel for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders from abroad.

Geography

Beit Hashita is located 50 meters below sea level.

Bibliography

* Amia Lieblich, "Kibbutz Makom: Report From an Israeli kibbutz", Pantheon Books, 1981 (ISBN 0-394-50724-X).

External links

* [http://www.bethashita.org.il/ Official website]