Sdot Yam

Sdot Yam
Founded	1936 (in the Kerayot) 1940 (current location)
Founded by	Scouts
Region	Sharon plain
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Coordinates	32°29′26.51″N 34°53′34.43″E
Sdot Yam
Website	www.sdot-yam.org.il

Sdot Yam (Hebrew: שְׂדוֹת יָם‎‎, lit. Sea Fields) is a kibbutz in the Haifa District of Israel on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.

It was founded in 1936 and moved to its present site at the southern border of the ancient city and archeological ruins of Caesarea, in 1940. The kibbutz falls under the jurisdiction of the Hof HaCarmel Regional Council, and had a population of 682 in 2006.

History

Dahn Ben-Amotz in Sdot Yam, 1946

Sdot Yam was established in 1936, in the region, just north of Haifa, called the Kerayot. It was founded at the urging of David Ben-Gurion during the period when the British were refusing to allow Jews to enter Palestine. It was ostensibly based on fishing, but was, in reality, a base for Palyam, for smuggling in then-illegal immigrants. Yossi Harel, famous for the Exodus and three other such ships, is buried at Sdot Yam.

In 1940 the kibbutz was moved to its present location to the south of Caesarea. Its new residents were gar'in from the HaMehanot HaOlim youth group.

Economy

The kibbutz originally based its economy on fishing, but today concentrates on land-based agriculture. It manages a banana plantation, avocado trees, and a herd of dairy cattle. The big income producer is a factory which manufactures "Caesar Stone", a tile made of sand and polymers.

The kibbutz also makes money from tourism. The Hannah Szenes house is a study center founded in the name of Hungarian-born Hannah Szenes and the paratroopers who left Mandate Palestine for war-torn Europe in 1944 to save Hungarian Jews.

Notable residents

Gal Fridman

• Hannah Szenes
• Aharon Megged
• Gal Fridman, Olympic gold-medal-winning windsurfer

External links

• Official website (Hebrew)
• Hannah Senesh House