Beit HaEmek

Beit HaEmek (Hebrew: בֵּית הָעֵמֶק, lit. 'House of the Valley') is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the western Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council. As of 2022 it had a population of 743.^[1]

Beit HaEmek בֵּית הָעֵמֶק‎
Kibbutz dining room
Etymology: House of the Valley
Beit HaEmek Show map of Northwest Israel Beit HaEmek Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 32°58′16″N 35°8′42″E
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Council	Mateh Asher
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Founded	1949
Founded by	British Jews
Population  (2022)[1]	743

History

Beit HaEmek archaeological park

Kibbutz Beit HaEmek was established in 1949, in part by members of the British Habonim movement.^[2] Its name is derived from that of the nearby village of Amqa and the Biblical city of Beth-emek "included in Asher tribal allotment"^[3] mentioned in the Book of Joshua 19:27,^[4] which was located 5 kilometres north-east of the kibbutz. The kibbutz was built on the land of the depopulated Palestinian village of Kuwaykat.^[5][6] In addition to agricultural activities, the kibbutz has scientific industry activities, such as Biological Industries, one of the world’s leading and trusted suppliers to the life sciences industry.^[7][8] In 2007 the kibbutz voted to privatize itself.^[9]

Neta'im school

In 2018 a public elementary school, Beit Hinukh Neta'im, opened in Beit HaEmek, which serves as a regional school for Mateh Asher Regional Council alongside the Ma'ayanot school in Kabri