- Shluhot
Infobox_Kibbutz
kibbutz_name = Shluhot
foundation = 1948
founded_by = FormerBnei Akiva members
region =Beit She'an Valley
industry = Agriculture, light manufacturing, tourism
affiliation = nowrap|Religious Kibbutz Movement
website = [http://www.shluhot.org.il/ www.shluhot.org.il]Shluhot ( _he. שלוחות, lit. "Branches") is a Orthodox
kibbutz in theBeit She'an Valley in northernIsrael . Located about threekilometres south of the city ofBeit She'an , it falls under the jurisdiction ofBeit She'an Valley Regional Council .History
Shluhot was founded in 1948 by former members of the
Bnei Akiva Zionist youth movement . In the beginning, a temporary joint camp was set up with a group from theHashomer Hatzair youth movement. Shortly thereafter, when each group received land to build separate kibbutzim, the secular members of the group formed the adjacent kibbutz ofReshafim . The kibbutz is one of four religious kibbutzim that are located in a cluster south of Beit She'an stretching from Shluhot at the base of theMount Gilboa throughEin HaNatziv andSde Eliyahu untilTirat Zvi adjacent to theJordan River .Today, the kibbutz population numbers about 120 families, including 350 people.
Economy
In the early years of the kibbutz, virtually all activity was centred around the various agricultural branches. In the last few decades though, talented kibbutz members have initiated new endeavours in order to vary revenue sources, as well as providing different employment options. Today the kibbutz employs mainly kibbutz members and kibbutz youth (after school and during the summer), residents who are not members, residents of Beit Shean and surrounding areas, and temporary volunteers. The kibbutz revenues come from
agriculture , lightmanufacturing , andtourism .The majority of Shluhot's revenues come from various agricultural branches,
produce andlivestock , due to the expertise of kibbutz members and continuing improvement in efficiency and productivity. Thedairy farm ,poultry (turkey andchicken coops), date farming, fish farming,orchard s, andproduce farming are still an important part of the kibbutz revenues and kibbutz employment opportunities. Shluhot also has a newcarrot processing factory and enjoys a significant minority market share in the local carrot market. In 2007, a cow from the dairy farm broke the Israeli record for most births, 14. [cite web
title = Kibbutz cow breaks Israeli record for most births
publisher =The Jerusalem Post
date = 2007-10-08
url = http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1191257247275&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
accessdate = 2007-10-15 ]The kibbutz has a number of factories; one of the oldest is Microvue which produces
microfilm readers/scanners, mostly for export. Microvue is one of the few microfilm reader manufacturers left in the world. Sheletron, founded in 1996, produces electronic display solutions through text, pictures, video, and animation on LCD screens. Remote control of the displays is possible through unique software developed in the company development centre.In the early nineties, the kibbutz renovated a small former residential apartment building and turned it into a
bed and breakfast , mainly geared for the OrthodoxJew ish market. The kibbutz has since added a wider variety of rooming accommodations, now ranging from single rooms to multiple-room housing units. In the 1997, several formerimmigrants (olim ) fromNorth America founded asummer camp called "Kayitz Bakibbutz", (in Hebrew "Summer on the kibbutz"), based on the typical 'American' sleepawaysummer camp experience geared toward youth, something virtually unheard of in Israel at that time. The camp provides multiple week sessions based on overnight rooming, and includingsports ,swimming ,arts and crafts and various other activities.The kibbutz also has a
metalwork shop, which designs and produces a variety of machines mainly for agricultural use.References
External links
* [http://www.shluhot.org.il/ Official website] he icon
* [http://www.kayitz.com/ Kayitz Bakibbutz Summer Camp]
* [http://sheletron.com/index_flash.html Sheletron]
* [http://www.microvue.co.il Microvue]
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