Ein Dor
Encyclopedia
Ein Dor is a kibbutz
in northern Israel
. Located in the Lower Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council
. In 2006 it had a population of 688.
youth movement. The founders were from Israel, Hungary
and the United States
, and were joined later by members from South America
.
The kibbutz is named for Endor
, a village mentioned in the Bible
- an accordance with the common Zionist
practice of bestowing Biblical names on modern communities and towns. After the death of prophet Samuel, King Saul
comes to Endor to meet a woman medium (the Witch of Endor
) who helps him to contact the spirit of Samuel. The prophecy he receives is that his army will be vanquished and that he and his sons would die in battle. (Samuel
28:3-19). However, it is by no means certain that the kibbutz's location is anywhere near to where the Biblical village stood. An archeological museum located close to the main dining hall includes pre-historical findings from the kibbutz area.
Ein Dor members voted in 2003 to privatise the kibbutz. This meant moving the ideological approach of the kibbutz away from its original socialist principles of equality, collectivism and the Marxist ideal of "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need", which the kibbutz started up with. Instead, Ein Dor now holds mostly capitalist ideals, such as profit motivation and private ownership, and social equality now generally takes a back seat to improving the financial standing of the average person.
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
in northern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located in the Lower Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council
Jezreel Valley Regional Council
Jezreel Valley Regional Council is a regional council in northern Israel that encompasses most of the settlements in the Jezreel Valley. It includes 15 kibbutzim, 15 moshavim, 6 communal settlements and two Bedouin villages...
. In 2006 it had a population of 688.
History
Ein Dor was founded in 1948 by members of the Hashomer HatzairHashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
youth movement. The founders were from Israel, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and were joined later by members from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
The kibbutz is named for Endor
Endor (village)
Endor was a Canaanite city which is listed in the Book of Joshua as one of the cities with its dependencies that the Israelites failed to dispossess. It is located between the Hill of Moreh and Mount Tabor in the Jezreel Valley....
, a village mentioned in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
- an accordance with the common Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
practice of bestowing Biblical names on modern communities and towns. After the death of prophet Samuel, King Saul
Saul the King
According to the Bible, Saul was the first king of the united Kingdom of Israel. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel and reigned from Gibeah. He commited suicide to avoid arrest in the battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, during which three of his sons were also killed...
comes to Endor to meet a woman medium (the Witch of Endor
Witch of Endor
The Witch of Endor, sometimes called the Medium of Endor, was a woman who called up the ghost of the recently deceased prophet Samuel, at the demand of King Saul of the Kingdom of Israel in the First Book of Samuel, chapter...
) who helps him to contact the spirit of Samuel. The prophecy he receives is that his army will be vanquished and that he and his sons would die in battle. (Samuel
Books of Samuel
The Books of Samuel in the Jewish bible are part of the Former Prophets, , a theological history of the Israelites affirming and explaining the Torah under the guidance of the prophets.Samuel begins by telling how the prophet Samuel is chosen by...
28:3-19). However, it is by no means certain that the kibbutz's location is anywhere near to where the Biblical village stood. An archeological museum located close to the main dining hall includes pre-historical findings from the kibbutz area.
Economy
The kibbutz's main source of income is the Teldor Cables and Wires factory. Other sources include agriculture, a pet clinic for injured dogs and cats in need of treatment, Dorli, the Refet (cow farm) and the Stables, which houses several horses.Ein Dor members voted in 2003 to privatise the kibbutz. This meant moving the ideological approach of the kibbutz away from its original socialist principles of equality, collectivism and the Marxist ideal of "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need", which the kibbutz started up with. Instead, Ein Dor now holds mostly capitalist ideals, such as profit motivation and private ownership, and social equality now generally takes a back seat to improving the financial standing of the average person.