Ma'abarot, Israel

Infobox_Kibbutz
kibbutz_name = Ma'abarot
foundation = 1933
founded_by = Romanian Hashomer Hatzair members
region = Hefer Valley
industry = Agriculture, manufacturing
affiliation = Kibbutz Movement
website = [http://www.maabarot.org.il www.maabarot.org.il]

Ma'abarot is a kibbutz in Israel. Founded in 1925 and settled in 1933, today it has a population of approximately 850 people, and is under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council.

Beginnings

Ma'abarot was the third kibbutz established by the Kibbutz Artzi federation and is located in the Sharon Plain, near the old road from Petah Tikva to Haifa. It was founded by graduates of the left-wing Hashomer Hatzair Zionist youth movement in Romania who organized themselves as a settlement group, and immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1924.

Upon their arrival in Palestine, the group had to wait several years until land for settlement was made available, and they worked as hired laborers in the meanwhile. In 1932, a large stretch of land the Hefer Valley area was acquired by the Jewish National Fund of which a small part was given to the settlement group, ten members of which established an initial presence on the land, constructing housing and farm buildings, and making a start in land amelioration, while the rest of the group continued its communal life in Hadera until they, too, moved to the site of Ma'abarot. Over the following years, the kibbutz membership was augmented by additional Hashomer Hatzair groups, from Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany (of which most members where Russian), and Chile.

Economy

Ma'abarot farms approximately 3,000 dunams (3 km²) of land. Cotton is the major cash crop, and other branches include subtropical orchard, fish-breeding ponds and a dairy barn. The kibbutz also operates two pharmaceutical factories:
* "TRIMA", which produces medical supplies; and
* "Ma'abarot Products", which manufactures veterinary medical supplies and feed additives for livestock, among them "BONZO" dog food and "LaKet" cat food.

In addition, Ma'abarot runs a state of the art spray drying plant, which dehydrates foods of every variety. Foremost among these is "MATERNA", an infant formula which is the leading baby-formula in Israel, and the only product of its kind which is wholly-manufactured in Israel.

Culture

Members of the kibbutz were very much involved in the artistic and musical life of the country. The composer Nissim Nissimov, leading figure in the musical activities of the Labor movement, organized in the year 1944 a famous musical show inspired by "The Song of the Songs". In 1955 the well-known French cellist
Paul Tortelier, impressed by the ideals of the kibbutzim, settled and worked here for a year, with his family. He then composed an "Israeli Symphony", based on his experiences in living at the kibbutz.

Archeology

Burial caves and artifacts from prehistoric settlements have been found on the grounds of the kibbutz.

External links

* [http://www.maabarot.org.il Official website]