District Northern Affiliation Kibbutz Movement Website www.nir-david.org.il Local time Tuesday 6:12 AM | Council Valley of Springs Population (2015) 663 Founded 1936 | |
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Founded by Hashomer Hatzair founders Weather 10°C, Wind N at 2 km/h, 84% Humidity | ||
Nir David (Hebrew: נִיר דָּוִד, lit. David's Meadow) is a kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley in northern Israel. 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. In 2015 it had a population of 663.
Contents
Map of Nir David, Israel
History
The Nir David pioneering group was formed in the city of Ramat Gan in 1932. Its first members were founders of the local chapter of Hashomer Hatzair Zionist youth movement. In 1933, the group united with kibbutz "Massad" from Poland (no connection with the Massad city from the Lower Galilee, nor with the "Massad" group which founded nearby kibbutz Kfar Ruppin, since that one consisted of refugees from Germany and Austria who arrived in 1933-1934; "Massad" means "foundation" in Hebrew). 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 revolt began on the night of 20 April 1936, the kibbutz's first wheat crop was burned and its plants and seedlings uprooted.
The pioneers 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 after Kfar Hittin. During the next three years of troubles from the 1936–39 Arab revolt, some 52 such settlements were built overnight.
In the 1940s, the kibbutz was renamed Nir David in honor of David Wolfsohn, second president of the World Zionist Organization. The communal dining room and two children's homes were designed by Zeev Rechter, architect of some of Israel's most iconic buildings.
Economy
The kibbutz's main income is from agriculture, e.g., field crops, orchards, and fish. Nir David Fish Breeding Farms has developed Tilapia strains with unique properties. The kibbutz's "Nirotek" factory produces self adhesive and carbonless copy paper, and a metal factory exports horticultural vehicles and tools.