Neot Smadar ( he, נְאוֹת סְמָדַר, lit. ''Oasis of blossoming vines'') is a
kibbutz in southern
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. Located in the
Arava Desert
The Arabah, Araba or Aravah ( he, הָעֲרָבָה, ''hāʿĂrāḇā''; ar, وادي عربة, ''Wādī ʿAraba''; lit. "desolate and dry area") is a loosely defined geographic area south of the Dead Sea basin, which forms part of the borde ...
, it falls under the jurisdiction of
Hevel Eilot Regional Council
Hevel Eilot Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית חבל אילות, ''Mo'atza Azorit Hevel Eilot'') is a regional council in the Southern District of Israel, near the city of Eilat. It is the southernmost regional council in Israel.
...
. Its area is 80 hectares. In it had a population of .
History
Neot Smadar is located in the southern
Negev
The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...
about 70 km. north of
Eilat. The kibbutz was established in 1989, on the grounds of an abandoned kibbutz, Shizafon. Neot Smadar is as an organic community featuring architecturally unique buildings with passive cooling towers. The Art Center houses 14 workshops for
Stained glass,
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
s,
textile
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
,
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
and
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
s. The building is insulated with mud bricks, with "air conditioning" supplied by a desert cooling tower.
Economy
The economy is based on agriculture, with 500
dunams of organically cultivated vineyards (origin of the place name), deciduous trees, olives, date plantations and an herb garden.
Rising from nothing in the desert, idealists now work amid water, orchards, gardens and fish
The New Farm Olive oil is produced in a cold press set up with assistance from ICA and Israel's Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2001. The high-quality oil has been conferred the highest grade by Israel's Olive Council.
The kibbutz operates a boutique organic winery and produces a variety of cheeses from fresh goat milk. Its roadside restaurant, Pundak Neot Smadar, offers vegetarian food and sells the kibbutz's organic products.
File:NeotSmadarMar172022 01.jpg, Neot Smadar - West
File:NeotSmadarMar172022 04.jpg, Neot Smadar - East
File:Neotsmadar.jpg, Neot Smadar arts center
File:NeotSmadarMar172022 03.jpg, Neot Smadar arts center - from above
References
External links
Official website
http://neot-semadar.com/?lang=en English
{{Authority control
Kibbutzim
Kibbutz Movement
Populated places established in 1989
Populated places in Southern District (Israel)
1989 establishments in Israel