Sde Eliyahu (, lit. Eliyahu Field) is a religious kibbutz in northern Israel. Located five kilometres south of Beit She'an, it falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council. In it had a population of .
History
Sde Eliyahu was founded on 8 May 1939 by Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany as a tower and stockade settlement. It was named after the 19th-century Rabbi Eliyahu Guttmacher, one of the early leaders of Religious Zionism.Hareouveni, Emanouel (1974). The Settlements of Israel and Their Archaeological sites (in Hebrew). Israel: Hakibbutz Hameuchad. p. 311 It was part of a cluster of religious kibbutzim that includes Ein HaNatziv, Shluhot and Tirat Zvi.Judaism and Human Geography, Yossi Katz
The population of the kibbutz grew from 60 in 1937 to 208 by 1948.Katz, Yossi (2007). The Religious Kibbutz During the Mandate Period (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Bar-Ilan University. p. 177.
After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Sde Eliyahu began to farm land near the former depopulated Palestinian village of Arab al-'Arida.
Economy The kibbutz produces dates, olives, grapes, pomegranates, spices and field crops, as well as dairy cattle and poultry. Organic farming methods and non-pesticide management are used.
BioBee was established in 1983 as the Sde Eliyahu Biological Control Insectaries.Under a Veil of Secrecy, an Army of Carnivorous Spiders Is Being Raised in Northern Israel, Haaretz The company mass-breeds and sells insects that are natural enemies of pests, sterile males of the Mediterranean fruit fly for pest control using the sterile insect technique, and bumblebees for pollination in greenhouses and open farmfields. In 2021, BioBee's use of persimilis, a predatory mite, to replace chemical pesticides, won the Bernard Blum Award from the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association in Basel, which named it the leading biocontrol solution of the year.Under a Veil of Secrecy, an Army of Carnivorous Spiders Is Being Raised in Northern Israel, Haaretz
Education "Shaked" is a regional religious school located on the kibbutz. The kibbutz also operates a beit midrash, an ulpan and a volunteer program; Students work three days a week and study three days a week, and are provided with their own dormitories, break room, and living area.
Climate
Notable people
Moshe Unna, former member of the Knesset
References
Further reading
Katz, Yossi (2007). The Religious Kibbutz During the Mandate Period (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Bar-Ilan University. p. 11–44, 77–109, 177-185.
External links Official website