Degania, founded in 1910 on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee, is the first kibbutz. The idea that a group of young people could farm collectively, share everything, and build a new kind of society started here, in a malarial swamp at the edge of a lake, and grew into one of the most influential social experiments of the 20th century.
The Founding
Twelve young pioneers from Kinneret Courtyard established Degania on land purchased by the Jewish National Fund. They rejected private property, elected their leaders, and made every decision collectively. The early years were brutal: malaria, crop failures, and isolation tested the community to its limits. But they survived, and Degania became the model for the more than 270 kibbutzim that followed.
The Tank at the Gate
At the entrance to Degania stands a Syrian tank, knocked out during the 1948 War of Independence when Syrian forces reached the kibbutz gates. The tank is a powerful symbol: the first kibbutz nearly became one of the first communities destroyed in the war. The defenders, armed with Molotov cocktails and a single anti-tank weapon, stopped the Syrian advance at the last possible moment.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Degania tells the story of the kibbutz movement from its first day. Hoshen Tours includes it in Sea of Galilee itineraries that connect pioneering history with the lake’s natural beauty.