By Zion Rajouan
From: Our Sharon Plain – The Tel Mond Bloc, published by the Hefer Valley Regional Council, 1972
A group of families from Turkey and Persia organized at the immigrant absorption center in Pardesiya and prepared to establish a moshav.
On the eve of the Shavuot holiday in 1950, the first 25 families arrived here, joined later by 25 additional families from Romania. A year later, it became clear that this would become a workers’ housing project (shikun ovdim). Some of the original settlers left, and families from Yemen who had been living in the Galilee came to join us. A few years later, families from Morocco also arrived. In this way, immigrants from various diasporas came together here to build a home.
At first, we found only a few duplex houses and some abandoned Arab homes (a few still remain as historical reminders). We were sent by the Labor Office to work in agriculture. In 1964, permanent houses were built to replace the temporary huts.
Today, Ein Sarid is home to about 100 families, most of whom make a living from agriculture and external employment. Most of the younger generation works in industry. Each house has an adjacent plot of land designated for a small agricultural holding (mashk ezor), and several families also maintain citrus orchards.
There is a large youth population in the village seeking places to be active, and many young couples looking for a place to build their homes.