KIBBUTZ DALIA

Kibbutz Dalia, courtesy, Marc's Words

Dalia is a very small kibbutz in northern Israel. Located approximately 18 ½ miles southeast of Haifa, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. Dalia is one of those few places in Israel that does not seem to be mentioned in the Bible as a place (will someone correct me if I’m wrong). It is, however, mentioned four times as a given name, and as “Delaiah”. These are:

1. A son of Elioenai in the Davidic genealogy (I Chron. iii. 24). The sons of Delaiah are mentioned in the long post-exilic list of those who returned from captivity under Zerubbabel (Ezra ii. 60; Neh. vii. 62). They were, however, unable to trace their descent.

·         2. Son of Mehetabeel and father of Shemaiah, who tried to persuade Nehemiah to seek refuge at night in the Temple, which caused Nehemiah to suspect him of spreading false alarms at the instigation of Sanballat (Neh. vi. 10).

·         3. Son of Shemaiah, a prince during the régime of Jehoiakim; one of those to whom Micaiah related the reading of the prophecy of Jeremiah by the prophet's scribe Baruch (Jer. xxxvi. 12).

·         4. A priest who headed the twenty-third of the twenty-four priestly divisions in the reign of David (I Chron. xxiv. 18).

The modern Kibbutz Dalia was founded by members of two Jewish groups affiliated with the socialist Hashomer Hatzair movement who moved to Mandatory Palestine in 1933. The first group was called "Ba-Ma'ale" and was composed of Romanian Jews. The other group was called "Ba-Mifneh" and was composed of German Jews. The Kibbutz Artzi network of Hashomer Hatzair decided to unite the groups and the two were symbolically united on May 1^st – May Day. That same day 50 members, 25 from each group, arrived at a parcel of land owned by the Jewish National Fund, next to the Arab village of Daliat-El-Ruha (from where Dalia took its name) and established a kibbutz and Tower and Stockade settlement for the protection of the Jewish inhabitants on that site and in the surrounding area. The first permanent building was a nursery day care center and the first industry was a small soap factory.

The 1940s saw major developments in the kibbutz. Between 1940 and 1943 a stable, cowshed, pen, cheese factory, textile factory, chicken coop and beehive were built. The kibbutz also showed its cruel side by establishing a rabbit farm, which was the main source of meat during the austerity period of World War II. A road was paved by the members from nearby kibbutz Ein HaShofet, connecting it to the rest of the country's transportation system.

Cultural and communal activities flourished in the kibbutz. A folk-dancing festival organized by Gurit Kadman in 1944 was held at the "Khan" on the kibbutz during the festival of Shavuot. The Book of Ruth was the theme of the festival, and residents of the various settlements in this region took part. Among the participants was Sara Levi-Tanai, who founded the Inbal Dance Theater company in 1949. The festival lasted for two days, with 200 dancers and 3,000 viewers. Three years later, in 1947, a second dance festival was held in the natural amphitheater beside the kibbutz. At this festival, several hundred dancers participated, watched by some ten thousand people from all over the country. Kibbutz theatre director Shulamit Bat-Dori directed the last two dance festivals held at Kibbutz Dalia, in 1958 and 1968. The 1958 production spotlighted 1,500 dancers, while the 1968 festival featured 3,000 dancers and attracted 60,000 audience members.

In 1944, youth from Dalia organized a group, which later joined the Palmach militia. In 1947, the kibbutz housed a nationwide squad leader course for the Palmach. During the War of Independence, Dalia helped the war effort by donating its only truck, and also put at the disposal, the local facilities, to help Israel's military industries. In a separate incident, an Egyptian plane was shot down nearby, its pilot caught and put in the kibbutz cowshed, which drew children's attention.

Other kibbutz sites include: the Community Garden in the heart of the kibbutz. The kibbutz terraces. The Chess Club.