Grid position 160/236 PAL Affiliation Kibbutz Movement Local time Friday 2:52 AM | District Haifa Founded 1935 | |
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Council Zevulun Regional Council Founded by Romanian and Yugoslavian immigrants Weather 14°C, Wind S at 3 km/h, 98% Humidity | ||
Sha'ar HaAmakim (Hebrew: שַׁעַר הַעֲמָקִים, lit. Gate of the Valleys) is a kibbutz in northern Israel associated with the Hashomer Hatzair movement founded in 1935. Located near Kiryat Tiv'on, it falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council. In 2015 it had a population of 687.
Contents
- Map of Shaar HaAmakim Israel
- Antiquity
- Crusader era
- Ottoman era
- British Mandate era
- State of Israel
- Economy
- References
Map of Sha'ar HaAmakim, Israel
Antiquity
Human habitation in the area dates at least as far back as the Hellenistic period.
Crusader era
In 1283, during the hudna ("truce") between the Crusaders based in Acre and the Mamluk sultan al-Mansur Qalawun, this location was named el Harathiyah and was described as part of the domain of the Crusaders.
Ottoman era
During the Ottoman era, a Muslim village at the site was called el Hâritheh. The village appeared as El Harti on the map of Pierre Jacotin compiled in 1799. In 1859, the population was recorded as 120 with tillable land of 12 feddans. In 1875, Victor Guérin reported about 40 houses. In 1882, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described it as an adobe hamlet.
British Mandate era
In 1925 a Zionist organisation purchased 50 feddans in Hartieh from the Sursock family of Beirut. At the time, there were 60 families living there. From 1931, and lasting several years, the Jewish Agency struggled to evict the Arab tenant farmers from Hartiya. According to Avneri, Hartiya land was to become Sha'ar HaAmakim. According to the Department of Statistics, however, Sha'ar HaAmakim had previously been part of Sheikh Bureik.
Kibbutz Sha'ar HaAmakim was founded in 1935 by immigrants from Romania and Yugoslavia. Its name was derived from the nearby confluence of the Jezreel and Zevulun valleys. By 1945 it had a population of 360, all Jews.
State of Israel
Sha'ar HaAmakim hosted volunteers from around the world, including France and the United States, who worked at the kibbutz and participated in cultural exchanges. In the 1960s, there were up to 100 volunteers each year. Bernie Sanders, who later became a U.S. Senator, worked at the kibbutz for several months in 1963.
Economy
According to a 2016 report, the kibbutz derives most of its income from its solar water heater factory. It also makes money from agriculture, including dairy farming. For over five decades, the kibbutz has produced and processed sunflower seeds which it markets under its name both in Israel and for export. It also has a fish pond and orchards producing apples, peaches, and pears.