Meet Our Supplier: Kibbutz Neot Semadar
| Welcome to Kibbutz Neot Semadar best known for its array of organic products. |
Neot Semadar, an ecological collective community, is more than just a kibbutz with a weird, colorful tower in the middle of the desert.
The kibbutz community that was started by a group of friends in 1989 is one of the last such rural collectives still run as an equalized cooperative. It is a community dedicated to “life as it really is”.
Organic farming allows for a variety of fields and crops to be grown without the use of toxic chemicals, weaving an aesthetic and ecological tapestry, an oasis that spreads over hundreds of acres of desert land.
The most eye-catching aspect of the kibbutz is the Arts Center known as the Taj Mahal of the Middle East. There are amazing desert views and a sensory experience of taste and smell.
Today there are 90 adult members (families and singles), 70 children of various ages, and about 50 volunteers of all ages from Israel and from abroad.
Volunteers have the opportunity to learn to milk goats, pluck organic dates or pack organic olives while learning Hebrew on an individual basis.
One of the most interesting aspects of their daily life is the fact that most of them hold several very different jobs at the same time. This way, work doesn’t become boring routine.
So what does an average day at Neot Semadar look like?
By 6:00 a.m. people are trickling into the dining hall for tea or coffee in silence before heading off to work which is interrupted by breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Lunch is between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. and supper is later in the day.
Once a week there is also structured self expressive dancing to live music; everybody living at the kibbutz is invited to partake in it. The members regard these dances as an important part of their mutual communication. Groups are formed so participants can sing together. Additionally, courses in the arts are offered, weaving being one example.
