Middle Class Farming in Israel - Nahariya

If you and your family are seriously thinking of settling in Israel…
If you have between five and ten thousand dollars to invest…
If you would live to won a family-size farm which would provide a comfortable income…
If you are seeking a pleasant, friendly community with good schools for your children, modern conveniences, an active social life, fine recreational facilities…
Then, you should consider Nahariya, one of Israel's fastest growing towns and the center of a new area of Middle Class Agricultural Settlement.

Where is Nahariya?
Nahariya is located on Israel's northwest coast, facing the Mediterranean Sea. It is about a half hour's drive from Haifa, Israel's main seaport and industrial center.

Nahariya Past and Present
Nahariya was founded in 1934 as a small holders' village, i.e. a community of small, privately owned and privately operated farms. It is still based on the concept of private enterprise and individual initiative.

Twenty years ago, Nahariya was a lonely outpost, the first Jewish settlement in Western Galilee. It was the advance base from which pioneer colonists went out to establish other Galilee settlements such as Chanita, Shavei Zion and Regbah.
Today Nahariya is a bustling town of 15,000 and the most popular seaside resort in Israel. The verdant farms of many of the original settlers are to be seen along the tree-shaded fringes of the town, testifying to its prosperity and development over the years.

Who Lives in Nahariya?
The original settlers numbered about 100 families mostly immigrants from Germany and Austria and mostly middle-aged, Hitler's first victims. They worked hard to make the transition from professionals and shop-keepers to farmers.

During the later 1930's they were joined by Middle Class families from Czechoslovakia, Rumania and other countries of Eastern Europe. Some went into business or practiced professions, most became farmers.

In recent years, the town has attracted many settlers from the United States and Canada, Great Britain and South Africa. The atmosphere is cosmopolitan. Americans and other Westerners have no difficulty adjusting to life in Nahariya, even if they are city-born and bred.

About seven years ago, a group of Russian Jews came to Israel from Shanghai, one of the most teeming and polyglot cities of the world. They were mainly small shop-keepers and traders. They had no farm experience. They were unwilling to forego many of the amenities they had known, yet they felt that they could make their way in Israel only as farmers.
Nahariya was the answer for them. Today they are among its most prosperous citizens.

Nahariya's Doors Are Still Open
Nahariya is a town of new opportunities. Its doors are open. It is welcoming families from all parts of the world. Middle Class families like yourself and your neighbors.
At this moment, twenty-five new farms are being laid out and build by "RASSCO" (Rural and Suburban Settlement Company, founded and controlled by the Jewish Agency), on a hillside overlooking the town and the blue Mediterranean. Perhaps one of them will be your future home.

Questions and Answers for Future Farmers of Nahariya

Q. What will I have to invest to own a farm in Nahariya?
A. First and foremost, a sincere desire to live in Israel, to contribute to its growth and become part of its life.
Secondly, a moderate capital investment such as would be required by a similar venture at home. A Nahariya farm will cost about $12,000, with a down payment of $3,500 required.
The balance may be obtained through a 20-year loan provided by the Jewish Agency for Palestine. You should have a cash reserve of about $1,000 after making your down payment.

Q. What will my investment buy?
A. You will receive a house of 3.5 rooms, plus bath room, separate lavatory (blueprint of the house available on request), equipped with electricity and running water. You will receive 25 dunams of good land. One dunam equals a quarter of an acre. Your farm, therefore, will measure 6 1/4 acres. Ten dunams (2.5 acres) will be located adjacent to your house, the remaining 15 dunams (3 3/4 acres) nearby.

Q. What type of farming will I engage in?
A. The Nahariya area is best suited for small-scale mixed farming based on poultry-raising and the cultivation of fruit and garden vegetables. Of course, you may introduce any other suitable crops or livestock that you wish.

Q. I understand that Nahariya farmers belong to a cooperative. What is it and will I have to join?
A. The cooperative is really a farmer's service organization. Nahariya farmers, like most other small holders settlements in Israel, formed a cooperative, because certain problems such as water supply, purchasing, marketing, transportation and the acquisition of heavy agricultural equipment are best handled on a cooperative basis in Israel. The cooperative provides you with many necessities and takes care of many problems which the individual farmer could not hope to cope with by himself. It provides instruction, training and advice which are invaluable for the beginner farmer.
The cooperative does not interfere with the running of your farm. That is your responsibility. Profits or losses are your own affair.

Q. My wife and I are in our forties, with no previous farm experience. Is it possible for people like ourselves to be successful in this venture?
A. Yes. The majority of the settlers in Israel's 40 Middle Class agricultural settlements were in the same position when they started yet they became good farmers. In addition to your farm, fully equipped and ready to be worked, you will get expert guidance in every branch of farming from the Instruction Service of the Jewish Agency's Colonization Department, friendly assistance from your neighbors who are veteran settlers and the services of your farm cooperative, as mentioned above.

Q. Suppose I am not used to heavy work; suppose my children are too young to help out. May I hire outside labor or is that forbidden in Israel?
A. There is no law against the employment outside labor in Middle Class settlements, although Nahariya and similar communities believe that the farmer and his family should be the backbone of every farm. Farm help is available and is frequently used in harvest seasons.

Q. I have heard that many agricultural colonies in Israel are affiliated with political movements. Will I have to join a party to be a farmer at Nahariya?
A. Certainly not. Middle Class settlements are in no way connected with political parties. Political affiliations are your own private affair.

Q. As a farmer in Nahariya, what facilities will I have for religious observance?
A. You will find a synagogue, a mikveh, a shohet, kosher butchers, religious schools in Nahariya. Your participation in congenial congregational life will take place on a voluntary basis.

Q. Suppose that after several years of farming I see that Nahariya offers opportunities in the line of business that I was formerly engaged in at home. Could I sell my farm in order to open a shop? Would I lose on my farm?
A. No one would object to the sale of your farm, provided that the buyer is a bona fide farmer. And, of course, you may enter any type of legitimate business enterprise hat your wish.
Whether you lose or make money on the sale of your farm will depend entirely on how you have managed it and how much you have invested in labor and improvements. For example, you are free to enlarge your house, add rooms, facilities, gardens, landscaping etc, which may increase its value beyond what you paid for it.

Q.I cannot afford a $12,000 proposition. I have between $2,000 and $3,000. Moreover, I would prefer an inland area to the seashore. Do you have any suggestions?
A. There are 40 Middle Class Agricultural Settlements located in all parts of Israel, from the hills of Upper Galilee where you can raise sheep and grow apples to the Shefelah in the South where you can grow oranges, rear chickens, cotton and peanuts. The investment required in many of these areas is within your range.

Published by the Aliya Dept.
Jewish Agency

1955