Kibbutz Lotan, the youngest kibbutz in the Arava, was established in 1983 with the ideal of establishing a community with a renewed Jewish lifestyle.
Today, Lotan is an eco-Jewish community celebrating the holidays of Israel at a joint synagogue where men and women sit together, receiving Shabbat together, weddings and Bar Mitzvah celebrations.
Income is generated by growing Medjool and Dekel Noir dates, dairy cows for milk and goats for cheese production, member’s incomes from work throughout the region and eco-tourism including bird-watching and holistic health – in particular watsu – water shiatsu – treatments and courses.
Visit Kibbutz Lotan
Kibbutz Lotan’s Center for Creative Ecology is an environmental education, research and conservation institution. The Center offers academic programs in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts Amherst and certification courses in permaculture, sustainable design and training. Facilities include an interactive park for organic and urban agriculture, natural building and solar energy demonstrations as well as the energy-efficient EcoCampus, a neighborhood constructed from earth-plastered straw bales.
Photos: Kibbutz Lotan
