About
From Maagan Michael - מעגן מיכאל
When we began to settle the present site of the kibbutz on August 25, 1949 we numbered 154 members and 44 children. The original site was a windswept treeless sandstone hill located on the coastal plain 30 km South of Haifa and 70 km North of Tel Aviv with Mount Carmel to the East and the Mediterranean Sea to the West. Most of the land occupied by the kibbutz is located on reclaimed Kebara swamplands. We have since grown and prospered into the largest kibbutz in Israel with a current population of 1,412 consisting of 791 members and candidates for membership, 383 children, and there are also non-member residents, soldiers, and ulpanists.
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[edit] The origin of the name
“Ma’agan” means an anchorage in Hebrew as the first settlers intended to make a living from the sea. “Michael” was named by PICA (Palestine Immigrant Colonization Association) the organization that allotted us the land, and who wished to honor a potential donor called Michael Polak.
[edit] How it all began
In 1942, a group of members of the Scout Movement (“Tsofim Aleph”) got together with the intention of forming a new kibbutz. We were soon followed by other groups from the Scout Movement who subsequently founded several other kibbutzim: Be’eri, Hatzerim, Palmahim, Ra’im, Yiron, HaOn, Tel-Katzir and Gonen. Our group was originally based in a temporary Jewish Agency camp in Pardess Hanna while we prepared to learn the essentials skills needed to create an independent settlement with communal kibbutz values.
We worked in various agricultural jobs including citrus groves. We had a cow, a small flock of sheep, chickens, and, also the first 10 babies were born. We were joined by a relatively large group of youngsters, who had immigrated without their parents from Germany and Austria (Youth Aliyah), and were undergoing preparatory training at Kibbutz Ein Gev on the banks of the Lake of Galilee. These additional members had our ideals and social values and also wanted to participate in a Jewish revival of sea fishing as a livelihood. We stayed in Pardess Hanna until the end of World War II. Several members were sent abroad as emissaries; others joined the Jewish Brigade, the Palmah or worked in other kibbutzim. Some members also worked in the Dead Sea Works at Sdom, in kibbutz Ashdot-Yaakov and in the newly established Military Industries.
Our group joined the United Kibbutz Movement (HaMeuhad) and through its auspices began making contacts with the settlement authorities to find a suitable place to establish the kibbutz. We were offered land belonging to PICA on the drained Kabarra swampland. The choice was popular owing to its location by the sea and the potential for fishing. We also acquired our first fishing ship. When World War II ended, it was abundantly clear that we would face several hard years ahead. In 1946, the HQ Staff of the Hagana asked our group to set up a new, temporary settlement in Rehovot, which later was known as “Kibbutz Hill”. Our settlement was to serve as cover for an illegal secret underground factory, constructed to manufacture 9 mm bullets for “Sten” submachine guns. Our underground small arms factory produced more than 2 million bullets and these played a vital role in the War of Independence. During all this period we were living a double life to keep information of the illicit underground arms factory away from the British Mandatory Forces. In retrospect it is highly likely that our small arms factory may have helped determine the outcome of the War.
During the period in Rehovot our group grew slowly as we could only accept members who received security approval by the Jewish Security Service of those days (SHAI). We absorbed Palmahniks, seamen and also immigrants from Zionist movements sent by our emissaries. Those joining us discovered to their surprise that instead of a life of agricultural work, they had to spend long hours underground in arduous and secret labor. More children were born, new work-branches established, a second fishing boat was bought and like every one else during the war years, many of our members were drafted for military service. In the summer of 1948 the factory was moved to the newly founded Military Industries (TAAS). Since 1987 the site of our settlement at Kibbutz Hill in Rehovot has been preserved as the “Ayalon Museum” and welcomes many visitors, tourists and educational groups, who can visit the underground factory and discover the history of our secret efforts during this critical period.
On August 25, 1949, our first members began settling the present site of Ma’agan Michael. The first buildings on the bare site consisted of wooden huts prepared by our carpenters in Rehovot. During the early years, we took in many disadvantaged youngsters and youth groups (youth aliyah). We also opened a Hebrew Ulpan and many ulpan graduates subsequently joined our ranks. Our ulpan has been very popular and successful over the years and has now completed more than 80 (?) 5-month-long courses with thousands of graduates, many of whom made their first acquaintance with Israel via our ulpan.
[edit] The site
From the hill on which we built the settlement, one can look out in all four directions. To the West, where sand dunes once stretched to the sea, there are now fishponds that extend to the North and meet those of a neighboring kibbutz, Ma’ayan Zvi, and in the South extend to the Taninim Stream (Crocodile Stream). This area to the South is also the site of Roman antiquities and our neighbors to the South are a large Arab village called Jisr-e-Zerka. Mount Carmel, with its prehistoric Kabbara Caves, where Neanderthal remains were discovered, lies to the East. Most of our agricultural land is situated on the former Kabarra swampland, which was drained in the 1920s with money from Baron Rothschild, and labor of Jewish pioneers and local Beduin residents. A small area remains swamplike and is used for pasture for horses and as a nature reserve. The “Timsah Springs” supply one of the local sources of water of the Taninim Stream, which continues to channel the water in a system of canals and pipelines, many of which were laid in the 1920s. These water sources provide a supply of brackish water to the extensive fishponds (1700 dunams) of the kibbutz. The Taninim Nature Reserve to the South of the kibbutz is the site of an ancient Roman dam and aqueduct, and has recently been restored by the Department of Antiquities, the Drainage Authorities, and Nature and Parks authorities. The entire area is popular with Israelis and visitors who come to enjoy the antiquities and view the Timsah stream as it flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
The remarkable geographical location of the kibbutz between the sea and the mountain and its rich vegetation and water sources provides one of the best sites in Israel for bird-watching. We are located on a major seasonal route for migratory birds. Over the years much attention has been paid to preserving the environment. The continuous planting of trees and bushes throughout the kibbutz has resulted in a remarkable “oasis” of greenery and has lead to the richness of the local fauna and flora.
[edit] Maagan Michael's population by age
The founding members are now elderly (over 75 years old), though over the years we have successfully managed to have continuous growth and absorb new members, many of whom were born on the kibbutz. We frequently hold the record for the largest number of kibbutz births, and unlike many other kibbutzim, a very high percentage of our children have remained on the kibbutz to become members.
[edit] Maagan Michael's population by country of origin
Although many of the founding settlers were from Germany or Austria, we successfully absorbed members with origins from all over the world. We have many members who originated from Arab countries (Iraq, Tunisia, Morocco). Together with the Israel-born members, there is a remarkable heterogeneity of origin and mixture of gene sources.
[edit] How we earn our living
The kibbutz derives much of its income from both agriculture and industry.
[edit] Agriculture
Our agriculture includes field crops and orchards. Our field crops are grown on 1600 dunams of the Kabarra. We grow fodder for the dairy cows. For many years the main crop has been cotton. Several varieties of avocado (650 dunams) are grown, especially in our orchards in Tantura. Most of the avocado crop is exported to Europe.
About 1200 tonnes a year of bananas are grown solely for the local market.
Papaya fruit is grown in 40 dunams in greenhouses (organic crop). There are also several new exotic fruits grown. Members enjoy an exotic orchard, with over 80 types of fruit trees (Abraham’s Orchard) on Mount Carmel.
[edit] Animal resources
We produce about 2000 tonnes of poultry a year using advanced methods of free-range intensive breeding. Our chick hatchery produces about 4.5 million day-old chicks a year.
We have a dairy herd with about 300 cows and 200 calves and produce over 3.2 million liters of milk a year.
Our aquaculture branches include about 1600 dunams of fishponds, where we grow a variety of edible fish including: carp, gray mullet, St. Peter’s fish and silver carp. We also have an area for intensive fish production in concrete ponds, which are used to raise almost 300 tonnes of quality fish including: striped bass, Musar, Lavrak. We sell over 1000 tonnes of edible fish a year. Recently we have established a new branch to culture seafish. In addition we have a fish production unit for growing decorative fish for ponds and aquaria. These are exported worldwide and include various varieties of Koi and goldfish.
Our fish hatcheries produce fish hatchlings for the various varieties of fish grown in the ponds. We also have a branch that sells professional fishpond equipment such as aerators or nets. Overall, the fishponds use about 18 million cubic meters of brackish water annually. We have recently established a new branch that recovers seepage water from under the ponds and desalinates this for sale. This includes about 11 million cubic meters per annum.
Agriculture in Israel is undergoing a continuous economic crisis especially owing to the high cost of water. The economics of many crops do not always provide a suitable return on the investment. Despite this the kibbutz has managed to preserve a wide range of agricultural branches.
[edit] Industry
Most of the income of the kibbutz is derived from industry.
[edit] Plasson
Plasson, our plastics factory, was founded in 1963 and is the main source of income and employment for the kibbutz. Annual sales reach about $100 million, with some 85% of the products exported worldwide. The main Plasson factory at Ma’agan Michael employs over 400 workers, half of them members of the kibbutz. About 200 more workers are employed in subsidiaries around the world. Plasson is a world leader in polyethylene pipe-fittings, poultry drinker systems, and also is one of the main producers of toilet flushing systems, mainly for the local market. Plasson has built a reputation as a producer of high quality products with great emphasis placed on quality control and testing of its products. The plastic injection mold department designs, creates and maintains the molds for Plasson products. In recent years, considerable effort has been expended in various fields, such as development of electro-fusion technologies, new drinking systems for poultry and innovative water-saving toilet flushing units. The policy of the factory is to improve work conditions and efficiency by introducing as much automatization as possible.
The factory places strong emphasis on development and acquisition of new technologies with the aim of achieving the best results at reasonable production costs. The Company has full ownership of six marketing companies abroad and holds part ownership in several others. Plasson also holds full or part ownership of 6 production companies in Israel and abroad.
In December 1997 about 20% of Plasson was floated as stocks on the Tel Aviv stockmarket. The public company is called Plasson Industries, Inc. In April 2000, we found a strategic partner for 20% of Plasson in the Swiss company George Fischer.
[edit] Suron
The Suron factory was founded in 1976 and produces precise metal parts using sophisticated photochemical etching and electroforming and also metal plating in gold and nickel. The precision metal parts produced by Suron are used in a range of industrial products and are used in industries involved in electronics, microelectronics, electro-optics, precise mechanics, electronic circuits and medical products. Suron also provides technical photographic service for “high-tech” industries. 30% of production is exported, mainly to Europe and the U.S.A. Suron currently employs about 50 workers, most of them members of the kibbutz.
[edit] How is it all organized?
The kibbutz ideals include a unique collective set of social values based on equality, mutual help, productive labor, and democracy in its purest sense. All members vote on all major decisions in a General Assembly (asefa), which can be viewed on video in members’ homes. There are committees for just about every aspect of our life. These include a general secretariat (“Mazkirut”), and some 50 committees dealing with finance, health, work, education, higher education, social services, absorption, sports, culture etc.
The kibbutz aims to provide social and leisure facilities for its members. These include clubs, pub, sports hall, fitness room, tennis court, swimming pool and of course we enjoy an excellent beach and the sea. We have excellent modern communications including cable TV, video services, intranet and internet communications. We publish a weekly magazine (“alon”) and video program.
The Hof HaCarmel Regional Junior and High Schools are located amidst of the fishponds. Our health services include a clinic, a doctor, nurses, physiotherapists, a dental clinic, cosmetician, hairdressers, and a geriatric home. Our elderly, senior but active parents, are catered for in a Golden Age Club. The kibbutz has libraries for adults and children with thousands of books, disks and videotapes. Musical activities include choral groups and instrumentalists who perform to our pleasure especially at holidays and Shabbat evenings. There are many studios for artists to express themselves in their free time.
[edit] A time for a change?
The kibbutz as a communal group is continuously evolving. Over the years our standard of living has continuously improved. This is seen in major changes in our way of life. Our children now live at home with their parents rather than in communal children’s homes. Our apartments are larger and much more luxurious. The carpool has grown enormously. The desire for change is based on the feeling that members should have greater choice in their decisions and their budgets: greater privatization and less dependence on others. Much of this change is inevitable. Recently a decision was adopted with regard to the dining room and increasing options by paying for food. All these changes are being approached slowly and deliberately in order to try and preserve the communal values of more than 50 years whilst thinking about the future and what it means for all members of the population. Many workshops are being conducted to see what change will mean for the community and to see how the kibbutz can survive while maintaining its special values. This continuous evaluation needs to take into consideration all aspects of work, mutual responsibility and involvement, and to provide social and financial security for all the varied population of the kibbutz. In part we have been lucky so far in view of our successful history, continuous expansion, excellent economic basis and successful mixture of inhabitants.
(Author: Yehudit Ayalon)