Kibbutz Dalia's Sculpture Park Israel

Kibbutz Dalia is famous for dance, art, and sculpture. Kibbutz resident Nathan Ezra Yenuka created a sculpture garden focusing on art in motion to express the spirit of the place. The 24 pieces are of various sizes, mostly portable, and are made of marble, polyester, local rock and other materials. The sculptures deal with the history and life of the kibbutz.

Mural in Kibbutz Dalia Photo: Dr. Avishai Teicher

Sculpture in Kibbutz Dalia Photo: Dr. Avishai Teicher

The Sculpture Park

This public park and garden is child friendly. The site is accessible. Parking is free. Open Hours: Unlimited.

1958 Dance Conference at Kibbutz Dalia

Israeli folk dance emerged as an amalgam of Jewish and non-Jewish folk dance forms from many parts of the world. While in other countries folk dance is fostered to preserve old rural traditions, in Israel it is a constantly developing art form which has evolved since the 1940s, based on historic and modern sources as well as on biblical associations and contemporary dance styles.

THE “Bnot Yereushalayim” Fold Dance Troupe Performing at Kibbutz Dalia

Folk dance manifests itself both through individual participation and stage performances. Public enthusiasm for folk dancing has led to the emergence of the professional dance leader and to thousands of people participating regularly in dance activities as a recreational outlet.

The convention at Kibbutz Dalia was a symbol for us; it was an important and central milestone in the development of folk dancing. It is true that subsequently there have been several festivals, but the festival at Dalia was the first and as such it will always remain extremely significant. The festival at Dalia is very important as it continues to preserve the folk dancing heritage; therefore we attach great importance to it. It is worth pointing out that the dancers participate and arrive in droves from all over the country. There is something magical and exciting in the atmosphere of the place. The dancers’ high spirits and the experience of the event speak for itself. We have plans to expand the gathering at Dalia and to combine it with other events, but I will speak more about this some other time.

Choreographer Yonatan Karmon created the Karmiel Dance Festival to continue the tradition of Gurit Kadman’s Dalia Festival of Israeli dance, which ended in the 1960s.

Kibbutz Dalia – Shlomo Meir Amen

Kibbutz Dalia

Kibbutz Dalia was founded by members of two Jewish groups affiliated with the Hashomer Hatzair movement who moved to British Mandatory Palestine in 1933. The first group was called “Ba-Ma’ale” (במעלה”‎) and was composed of Romanian Jews. The other group was called “Ba-Mifneh” (“במפנה”‎) and was composed of German Jews. The two were symbolically united on 1 May (International Workers’ Day) in 1939.