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Ramot Menashe

Ramot Menashe

Ramot Menashe, רָמוֹת מְנַשֶּׁה‎ is a kibbutz is located in the Menashe Heights which is where the kibbutz gets it named. Sited on the Menashe plateau between the Carmel mountains and the Jezreel Valley. In 2019, it had a population of 1,159. It falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council.

In 1946 Holocaust survivors from Austria and Poland was established boarded a ship in La Spezia, Italy along with 1,400 other Jewish holocaust survivors, but the British discovered the ship and prevented it from sailing. The citizens of La Spezia sent food and aid to the ship and put pressure on the British to allow the ship to sail to Palestine. On 18 May 1946, they arrived in Palestine. They wanted to settle in the Negev, but were sent to Ein HaShofet and Dalia for training and founded a kibbutz, numbering 64. They cleared the land and planted trees and lived in barracks and tents without running water and electricity. In November 1948, the kibbutz adopted the name Ramot Menashe. In the early years they immigrants from South America, Chile and Uruguay.

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In the 1980s the kibbutz was restricted due to economic difficulties. A recovery plan was adopted with unprofitable sectors being closed. The kibbutz traditional collective structure was changed and some of the kibbutz’s assets were privatized.

In the 2000s, the kibbutz built 138 new homes. The new residents are not members of the kibbutz, but enjoy the kibbutz’s community services. The maximum number of households in the kibbutz was limited to 400 until 2020.

The main income now comes from industrial activities with some agricultural sectors still active, such as cowsheds, Avocado groves and field crops. Tourism and entertainment have also been developed. The Arad factory was opened in the 1980’s. The kibbutz owns part of the Arad Ltd which manufactures water-meters. The company is run by the kibbutz in partnership with Kibbutz Dalia. The Kibbutz also has 32 guest rooms for vacation rental. The kibbutz used to operate a night club called The Terminal which was closed in 2010.