Zippori Commune | A groundbreaking year of service in the Zippori River area
In the 2024-2025 academic year, the Kishon Drainage and Streams Authority launched a unique initiative: the first service year of its kind within the framework of a drainage authority in Israel.
As part of it, six youths from the “resilience” core of the Moshavim movement were recruited for a significant year of service in the Nahal Zippori area under the name “Zippori Commune”.
The commune is a pioneering force in the field of environmental education, working to develop and enrich educational activities in the area. Furthermore, it serves as an innovative model for other bodies and organizations that wish to promote an environmental service year in the areas of streams and the surrounding area.
Training the education officers to lead the education programs in the PA
Commune members undergo certified training for teaching in all education systems, as part of the “Standard Certificate” course. The course includes developing teaching skills, planning lesson plans, and deepening professional environmental knowledge in the fields of ecology, stream restoration, nature conservation, and more.
Upon completion of the training, the members of the commune of that year begin to lead the training and educational activities of the Kishon Drainage and Streams Authority. Within this framework, they operate in a wide variety of educational programs and projects, as well as assisting in ongoing operations of stream area management:
- Leading educational tours to schools in the river basin
- Maintenance of river sections
- Leading educational trips for youth from the river basin and beyond
- Facilitating workshops in various communities
- Guided tours for the general public
- Participation in various events of the Kishon Drainage and Rivers Authority
Significant expansion in the 2025-2026 school year
In light of the success and excitement of the pilot year, the scope of activity expanded.
In 2025-2026, 11 young men and women were recruited through the “Hechaluts” movement, founded by the Midrashah in Oranim. The movement works to build social leadership in the spirit of the pioneers, Zionism, and humanistic Judaism, and strives to create a society in which values of social justice, mutual responsibility, equality, and democracy are upheld – values that are consistent with the concepts of the Kishon Drainage and Rivers Authority.
For the first time, 4 youth from Arab society were also recruited for a year of national service. This is a significant and groundbreaking achievement.
Together, the youth formed the “New Zippori Commune” – and, like the previous group, underwent a standard course for tour guiding. This year, too, the expanded ‘commune’ is leading all educational activities throughout the Kishon Basin and Zippori.
The members of the ‘commune’ live in the Harduf settlement, in the “Shar’a La’dam” center, which is a home and base for meaningful activity and shared social life.
This year is a formative and significant year for these young men and women who have chosen to dedicate their time to social-environmental service, and to become active, leading, and influential citizens in all systems of Israeli society.