Shluhot
| Shluhot | |
|---|---|
 Shluhot
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| Coordinates: 32°28′18.83″N 35°28′52.32″E / 32.4718972°N 35.4812000°ECoordinates: 32°28′18.83″N 35°28′52.32″E / 32.4718972°N 35.4812000°E | |
| District | Northern |
| Council | Valley of Springs |
| Affiliation | Religious Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founded by | Former Bnei Akiva members |
| Population (2015) | 473 |
| Website | www.shluhot.org.il |
Shluhot (Hebrew: שִׁלוּחוֹת, lit. Branches) is an Orthodox kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley in northern Israel. Located about three kilometres south of the city of Beit She'an, it falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council. In 2015 it had a population of 473. As of January 1 2016, the members of Kibbutz Shluhot voted for it to lose the status of "Kibbutz".
Shluhot was founded in 1948 by former members of the Bnei Akiva Zionist youth movement on the land that had belonged to the depopulated Arab village of al-Ashrafiyya. Initially, a temporary joint camp was set up with a group from the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement. Shortly thereafter, when each group received land to build separate kibbutzim, the secular members of the group formed the adjacent kibbutz of Reshafim. The kibbutz is one of four religious kibbutzim that are located in a cluster south of Beit She'an stretching from Shluhot at the base of the Mount Gilboa through Ein HaNatziv and Sde Eliyahu until Tirat Zvi adjacent to the Jordan River.
Today, the kibbutz population numbers about 120 families, including 350 people.
In the early years of the kibbutz, virtually all activity was centred on the various agricultural branches. In the last few decades though, talented kibbutz members have initiated new endeavours in order to vary revenue sources, as well as providing different employment options. Today the kibbutz employs mainly kibbutz members and kibbutz youth (after school and during the summer), residents who are not members, residents of Beit Shean and surrounding areas, and temporary volunteers. The kibbutz revenues come from agriculture, light manufacturing, and tourism.
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