Har Halutz

Har Halutz ( _he. הר חלוץ, lit. "Pioneer Hill"), officially known as Halutz ( _he. חלוץ, "Pioneer") is a communal settlement in the central Galilee in northern Israel. Har Halutz is located in the rocky terrain of Gush Tefen and belongings to the Misgav Regional Council.

Har Halutz is a communal village designed for "free enterprise" living (as opposed to collective economic organization found in kibbutzim and moshavim). For livelihood, members work in nearby towns or create new employment opportunities on or near the site. Har Halutz has two office buildings with small offices that it rents to members requiring office space. The community synagogue provides services, festival activities and lifecycle celebrations.

Communal life at Har Halutz centers around holiday celebrations. Families take turns organizing the holiday activities and are given a free hand to create a memorable event for the entire community.

History

Har Halutz was originally settled by a gar'in (dedicated group) that was established in the U.S. during the early '80s under the auspices of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (Reform Movement). The nine families who moved up to the Har in 1985 consisted of a mix of English speaking immigrants and native Israelis. Through the years Har Halutz has continued to attract an interesting mix of families from around the world, although the majority of new families are native Israelis.

The Master Plan for Har Halutz calls for 330 single family detached homes located in approximately six neighborhoods. These neighborhoods surround a core service center that currently includes a day care center, kindergarten, two office buildings, a youth center and a combined synagogue/community center. As of May 2007, there are around 80 families living in the settlement.

Just west of the town is the hill named Har Halutz. Archaeologists say that the mountain hasn't had a permanent settlement since the days of the Second Temple. Nearby, an ancient earth-filled stone wall was found.