Discover Sde Nehemia

A wooden building, a museum and a stained-glass window offer a tangible way to explore Sde Nehemia’s kibbutz history. The Green Barrack was inaugurated in 1951 and served as the kibbutz’s first children’s house. It housed a museum with objects from Sde Nehemia’s early years. If you are planning a visit, check in advance what visiting options are available.

Buildings and Kibbutz History

The dining halls are also part of the history of the place. Built in different phases, they bear witness both to kibbutz architecture and to the social significance of the dining hall. Two distinct aspects of kibbutz life therefore sit side by side: a building that served as a children’s house, and communal spaces whose significance extends beyond architecture. If you are interested in the connection between building history and community, you will find several concrete points of interest here.

The large stained-glass window in the dining hall was inaugurated in August 1979—before the inauguration of the kibbutz’s new dining hall. After restoration was completed, people visiting the dining hall were able to view the artwork. If you specifically want to see the window, check the dining hall’s visiting options in advance.

Waterways and Picnics Nearby

The streams that form the Jordan River converge near Sde Nehemia. There are many suitable picnic spots along the stream near the Eucalyptus car park. These offer different ways to explore the surroundings: the confluence is a notable geographical point, while the spots along the stream offer opportunities for a break outdoors. In this way, nature adds to the story of the kibbutz buildings without sharing the same focus.

Archaeological Sites in the Wider Northern District

In the broader travel destination of the Northern District, Tel Hazor and Tel Megiddo offer a further historical perspective. These archaeological sites are distinct from the kibbutz history of Sde Nehemia.

Tel Hazor is a biblical tell with significant remains of a city associated with the Bible. The visit focuses on the Upper City. Its archaeological remains include Solomon’s Gate, with six chambers and two towers dating to the 10th century BCE, as well as a Canaanite palace used by the kings of Hazor in the 14th and 13th centuries BCE. The Late Bronze Age palace is described as the most elaborate in Israel and one of the most significant in the Levant.

Its water engineering also makes Tel Hazor a distinct historical subject: the significant remains of an underground water-collection system are considered an ingenious engineering achievement, adapted to the geography to store water. The excavated vertical shaft is 45 metres deep, with steps three metres wide carved into its walls. To reach Tel Hazor National Park, take Route 90 from the north or south towards Ayelet Hashahar. Check your navigation before setting out.

Tel Megiddo is one of three tells preserving significant remains of cities associated with the Bible and closely linked to biblical events. The Early Bronze Age temple complex is exceptional for the number of its temples, the continuity of its cultic activity and its documented ritual practices. The orthogonal city plan dates from the Iron Age and has few parallels in the Levant. Together, these examples show how varied the archaeological sites in the Northern District are.

Choose the Right Focus

When looking for a holiday apartment, you can first decide what you want to focus on: would you like to centre your trip on Sde Nehemia itself, with its kibbutz history and nearby nature spots, or would you rather focus your travel plans on the archaeological sites of the wider Northern District? The local buildings, the confluence and the picnic spots give the area its own distinct character; Tel Hazor and Tel Megiddo offer a different historical perspective.

Discover more destinations: Sde Yoav, Sde Yitzhak, Kefar Aharon, Geva Binyamin, Gornot Hagalil, Nahariyya, Ma'ale Gamla, Ramot Naftali.

Go to the main travel overview: Israel.