Kibbutz Ketura was founded in 1973 in the Arava Desert, on the Jordanian border about 50 km north of Eilat. The kibbutz was founded by a seed group from the American Zionist youth group Young Judaea, and over half of the current members are immigrants from English-speaking countries.
Businesses include desert agriculture, educational tourism, technical writing, Web publishing, an agricultural research station, a graduate-level ecological studies program, and a variety of individual entrepreneurial projects.
Ketura is the only kibbutz in Israel which has a kosher dining hall, and public observance of the Shabbat and holidays, without being formally affiliated with any religious movement. As a result, it has attracted members with a wide variety of religious backgrounds, and garinim from the Israeli Scouts, which has a similarly pluralistic policy. It also hosts groups from Noam, the Masorti (Conservative) youth group.
Sites 4
Loading new listings for you to review...
- Kibbutz Ketura Offers information for volunteers, visitors, and potential members about this kibbutz located 50 kms north of Eilat.
- Marla Slott Original oil paintings and watercolors of Israeli desert landscapes by an artist from Kibbutz Ketura.
- The New Farm: Seeking life in the desert, on the desert's terms Account of a week spent working with Elaine Solowey in her experimental orchard, working to find practical solutions for sustainable small-scale agriculture in marginal conditions.
- Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) M.S. and M.A. in Desert Studies. Promoting professional cooperation in the Middle East. Describes year program, masters program, faculty, research, student life, field study trips, special programs.