Nir David

Nir David
250px
Founded	1936
Founded by	Hashomer Hatzair founders
Region	Beit She'an Valley near the city of Jenin
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Website	www.nir-david.org.il

Nir David - The early days (1946)

Nir David (Hebrew: נִיר דָּוִד‎‎, lit. David's Meadow) is a kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley near the city of Jenin in northern Israel. Founded on 10 December 1936 as the first of the tower and stockade settlements under the name Tel Amal, it is under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council

History

The community of Nir David was formed in the city of Ramat Gan in 1932. Its first members were founders of the Hashomer Hatzair Zionist youth movement in Israel. In 1933 the group united with kibbutz Massad from Poland. In 1934 the community sent a group to the Beit She'an Valley to cultivate the land that the Jewish National Fund had purchased for future settlements in the region. The kibbutz members began farming around Tel Shuk, where the kibbutz would later be established. When Arab riots began on the night of 20 April 1936, the kibbutz's first wheat crop was burned and its plants and seedlings uprooted.

The members of the community were determined to return to their land, despite the dangers involved. Faced with Arab terror and British opposition, they devised a plan for a fortified settlement that could resist attack from its first night of existence. On 10 December 1936 Tel Amal was established as the first tower and stockade settlement (and the first kibbutz) in the Beit She'an Valley, and the second in all of Mandate Palestine. During the next three years of troubles from the 1936-1939 Arab riots, some 52 such settlement were built overnight.

In the 1940s the kibbutz was renamed Nir David in honor of David Wolfsohn, the second president of the World Zionist Organization. The kibbutz today has over 650 adult members and children. Current kibbutz secretary is Amichai Geller.

Economy

The Asi river

The Asi River

The kibbutz's main income is from agriculture, e.g., field crops, orchards, and fish. The kibbutz's "Nirotek" factory produces self adhesive and carbonless copy paper, and a metal factory exports horticultural vehicles & tools.

Called by many "Israel's most beautiful kibbutz", Nir David has in recent years started using its natural assets to attract local tourism:

• "Gan Hashlosha" - A semi-natural water park (formerly known by its Arabic name, Sachne).
• "Gan-Guroo" - Australian zoo, which features Australian marsupial wildlife such as kangaroos and koala
• Village Inn - Lodging in Nir-David on the banks of the Asi river.
• Guest ranch - a relatively large horse ranch offering horseback training for children and adults, from basic riding to competitive, and occasionally hosts equestrian show jumping competitions.
• Holtzer Sport Center - A modern sport complex which includes a 25 m. swimming pool, basketball court and a multipurpose gymnastics hall.

External links

• Official website
• Nir David Metal Works (Hebrew)
• Nir David Tourism (Hebrew)
• Tower and Stockade museum
• Gan Hashlosha

Coordinates: 32°30′13″N 35°27′26″E / 32.50361°N 35.45722°E / 32.50361; 35.45722