Eyal
Encyclopedia
Eyal is a kibbutz
in the Centre District
of Israel
close to the Green line
. It is under the jurisdiction of the Drom HaSharon Regional Council
, and west of the settlement of Tzur Yigal. To its north-west is the Israeli Arab city of Tira, and to its south is the Palestinian city of Qalqilyah
.
Eyal was established in 1949 by Nahal
volunteers. Israel sought to establish security settlements along its borders, and Eyal was established on what was then the Jordanian border. It is just north of the West Bank
town of Qalqilyah
.
Like many kibbutzim, Eyal welcomed volunteer workers from around the world. Volunteers provided much needed help at harvest time, and also added to the workforce in the refet (dairy farm), chicken houses as well as the children's house.
The collapse of a viable future for kibbtzim as agricultural communities, meant that kibbutzim, like Eyal, had to turn to small industry as the means to avoid economic collapse. The Government of Israel, which had provided tax breaks to the agricultural communities, and which owned much of the land occupied by the kibbutzim, had to rewrite the definition of a kibbutz in order to support the shift from farming to industry and outside employment.
With the economic upheaval suffered across the kibbutz movement, Eyal underwent dramatic adjustments. Approximately 35% of the roughly 250 members of Eyal now make their living outside the kibbutz, and they established new businesses in the community.
Industries in the kibbutz include an optical factory, an electronics firm, an engineering consultancy and a winery.
Saslove Winery has a temperature-controlled barrel room, a lab, and an open space where the club meetings and wine seminars are held.
In a field not far from the kibbutz sits a small domed structure, traditionally the burial place of Simeon
, son of the patriarch Jacob.
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
in the Centre District
Center District (Israel)
The Central District of Israel is one of six administrative districts, including most of the Sharon region. The district capital is Ramla. It is further divided into 4 sub-districts: Petah Tikva, Ramla, Sharon and Rehovot. The district's largest city is Rishon LeZion. Its population as of 2008 was...
of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
close to the Green line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
. It is under the jurisdiction of the Drom HaSharon Regional Council
Drom HaSharon Regional Council
The Drom HaSharon Regional Council is a regional council in the Sharon region in central Israel. Its offices are located on Highway 40 near Neve Yarak.-List of settlements, moshavim, kibbutzim and villages:*Adanim*Einat*Elishema*Eyal*Gan Haim...
Geography
Eyal is located in central Israel within the green line in the central Sharon region, and just to the east of Highway 6. It is approximately 6 km north-east of the town of Kfar Sava. Just to its north-east is the settlement of Kokhav Ya'irKokhav Ya'ir
Kokhav Ya'ir-Tzur Yigal is a town in the Center District of Israel. Kokhav Ya'ir and the neighboring town of Tzur Yigal merged in November 2003. Together, the population in 2008 was 11,050.-History:...
, and west of the settlement of Tzur Yigal. To its north-west is the Israeli Arab city of Tira, and to its south is the Palestinian city of Qalqilyah
Qalqilyah
-Bibliography: p. -External links:**...
.
History
Nahal
Nahal is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Historically, it refers to a program that combines military service and establishment of new agricultural settlements, often in outlying areas...
volunteers. Israel sought to establish security settlements along its borders, and Eyal was established on what was then the Jordanian border. It is just north of the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
town of Qalqilyah
Qalqilyah
-Bibliography: p. -External links:**...
.
Economy
The kibbutz initially grew citrus fruits, avocados, bananas, alfalfa, mangos, guavas, peanuts and cotton. They also raised chickens and dairy cows. The banana trees were ploughed under, the guava and mango trees as well, and the sharp drop in world cotton prices forced Eyal, like many other kibbutzim, to stop growing cotton. As profitability for Israeli citrus export is negligible, the kibbutz has significantly reduced its investment in their groves. Eyal still grows field crops, and maintains dairy cows.Like many kibbutzim, Eyal welcomed volunteer workers from around the world. Volunteers provided much needed help at harvest time, and also added to the workforce in the refet (dairy farm), chicken houses as well as the children's house.
The collapse of a viable future for kibbtzim as agricultural communities, meant that kibbutzim, like Eyal, had to turn to small industry as the means to avoid economic collapse. The Government of Israel, which had provided tax breaks to the agricultural communities, and which owned much of the land occupied by the kibbutzim, had to rewrite the definition of a kibbutz in order to support the shift from farming to industry and outside employment.
With the economic upheaval suffered across the kibbutz movement, Eyal underwent dramatic adjustments. Approximately 35% of the roughly 250 members of Eyal now make their living outside the kibbutz, and they established new businesses in the community.
Industries in the kibbutz include an optical factory, an electronics firm, an engineering consultancy and a winery.
Attractions
Keren Sahar Vintage Auto Museum houses a collection of vintage cars, featuring British automobiles from the 1930s and 40s.Saslove Winery has a temperature-controlled barrel room, a lab, and an open space where the club meetings and wine seminars are held.
In a field not far from the kibbutz sits a small domed structure, traditionally the burial place of Simeon
Simeon (Hebrew Bible)
According to the Book of Genesis, Simeon was, the second son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Simeon. However, some Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an etiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite...
, son of the patriarch Jacob.
External links
- Official website
- The Kibbutzim / Qassams, terrorism don´t cow kibbutzim article written by Eli Ashkenazi, 11/08, 2004, for Haaretz. The article describes how Kibbutz Eyal had become a prime example of a kibbutz absorbing new people in order to recover from its sagging social and economic situation.
- From Russia with Jews article written by Yossi Melman and Amiram Barkat, Haaretz, Edition Thursday, November 9, 2006; The story of Zvi Magen, former head of Nativ, who immigrated to Israel in 1960, lived on Kibbutz Gan Shmuel as an "external child, and after completing his army service, joined a settlement Kibbutz Eyal.