Afikim

Afikim
אֲפִיקִים
Afikim
Coordinates: 32°40′46.56″N 35°34′40.08″E / 32.6796000°N 35.5778000°ECoordinates: 32°40′46.56″N 35°34′40.08″E / 32.6796000°N 35.5778000°E
Region Jordan Valley
Affiliation Kibbutz Movement
Founded 1932
Founded by Russian members of Hashomer Hatzair
Population (2011) 1,427[1]
For the bus company, see Afikim (company)

Afikim (Hebrew: אֲפִיקִים) is an Israeli kibbutz affiliated with the Kibbutz Movement located in the Jordan Valley three kilometers from the Sea of Galilee. It is within the jurisdiction of the 'Emeq HayYarden Regional Council. In 2011, it had a population of 1,427.[1]

Etymology

The name Afikim means "riverbeds", and refers to the Jordan River and its tributary, the Yarmuk River.

History

The nurse spends time with kibbutz children in the children's house (1960s).

Russian Jews affiliated with the Hashomer Hatzair movement organised in 1924 and settled in the area of Wazia in the Upper Galilee. In 1932 the group moved to its current location on a tract of land belonging to Degania Bet, where it continued to absorb groups of Zionist social-democratic-oriented European Jews. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Afikim was subjected to frequent shelling by Syrian and Iraqi forces,[2] and was a stronghold of Palmach activity. Afterwards it was a center for training Nahal soldier-farmers. During the split of the Kibbutz Meuhad movement, Afikim, unlike many other kibbutzim, did not split up into two villages. Rather it joined the Mapai-affiliated faction which went on to found the Ihud Kibbutzim. In 1977, Afikim hosted 66 refugees from Vietnam. In 2011, the kibbutz accepted 100 new members.[3]

Economy

Afikim dairy

Afikim grows bananas, date palms, subtropical flora, and grains. It also engages in aquaculture and dairy farming. The kibbutz has 400 cows.[3] It operates SAE Afikim, a dairy equipment company, and Afikim Electric Mobilizers,[4] a producer of electric carts. In the 1980s, Afikim underwent an economic crisis and was partially deprivatized.

In 2010, Afikim announced its partnership in a half-billion-dollar milk production project in Vietnam. The project involves establishing a dairy of 30,000 cows to supply 500,000 liters of milk a day, about 40% of Vietnam's present milk consumption. Afikim will be responsible for all stages of the enterprise, including breeding and preparing land for crops that will be used as feed [5]

Inventions

The first electronic milk meter, which measures how many liters of milk a cow has produced, was invented at Afikim. Other inventions include the pedometer, which counts the number of steps a cow takes, indicating the right time for insemination; AfiFarm, a milking and dairy herd management software program; AfiAct, a fertility detection system; and AfiLab, a device that analyses the components of the milk and detects bacteria.[3]

Notable residents

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Afikim.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Locality File" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  2. ↑ Jewish National Fund (1949). Jewish Villages in Israel. Jerusalem: Hamadpis Liphshitz Press. p. 191.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ben, Coby (2011-06-17). "The secret of Israel's Milky Way". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
  4. ↑ "Afikim Mobility scooters". Afiscooters.com. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
  5. ↑ "Afikim tapped to set up giant dairy in Vietnam". Haaretz.com. 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2013-01-17.