Neot Smadar Explained

Neot Smadar
Hebname:נאות סמדר
Arname:نئوت سمدار
Foundation:1989
Founded By:Jerusalemite Jews
District:south
Council:Hevel Eilot
Affiliation:Kibbutz Movement
Pushpin Map:Israel negev mt
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Coordinates:30.0483°N 35.0253°W
Website:www.neot-semadar.com

Neot Smadar (Hebrew: נְאוֹת סְמָדַר, lit. Oasis of grape blossoms) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the Arava Desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Eilot Regional Council. Its area is 80 hectares. In it had a population of .

History

Neot Smadar is located in the southern Negev about 70 km. north of Eilat. The kibbutz was established in 1989,[1] on the grounds of an abandoned kibbutz, Shizafon.[2] The guest rooms' village on a hill nearby was built on the grounds of the abandoned Nahal settlement Ya'alon. Neot Smadar is as an organic community featuring architecturally unique buildings with passive cooling towers. The Art Center houses 14 workshops for Stained glass, ceramics, textile, wood and metals. The building is insulated with mud bricks, with "air conditioning" supplied by a desert cooling tower.

Economy

The economy is based on agriculture, with 500 dunams of organically cultivated vineyards (origin of the place name), deciduous trees, olives, date plantations and an herb garden.[3] Olive oil is produced in a cold press set up with assistance from ICA and Israel's Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2001. The high-quality oil has been conferred the highest grade by Israel's Olive Council.

The kibbutz operates a boutique organic winery and produces a variety of cheeses from fresh goat milk. Its roadside restaurant, Pundak Neot Smadar, offers vegetarian food and sells the kibbutz's organic products. Some cabins are rented to tourists.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Therefore Neot Smadar is the most recently founded kibbutz, only probably followed in the late 2020s by the projected kibbutz near Arad. (Maltz, Judy: In This Stretch of Desert, Israel Plans to Build Its First New Kibbutz in Decades, HaAretz 25th Sep 2022)
  2. "In the spring of 1989 a number of young families and several bachelors from Jerusalem emptied out their apartments, loaded their furniture and other belongings on an old truck ... and moved to one of the truly isolated spots in Israel. ... most of them ... were students in a special school ... for Self-inquiry". (Glucklich, Ariel: Everyday Mysticism. A Contemplative Community at Work in the Desert, New Haven 2017, S. 1)
  3. http://www.newfarm.org/international/israel/nov/index.shtml Rising from nothing in the desert, idealists now work amid water, orchards, gardens and fish