The early 1950's in Israel were marked by rapid national development and the absorption of mass immigration. Tens of thousands of Jews arrived on the shores of the newly established state, and transit camps sprang up in cities, rural settlements, and designated development areas.
Ein Sarid was established in 1950 by immigrants from diverse Jewish communities.
The first settlers - approximately 60 families - were directed to Ein Sarid by the Absorption Department of the Mapai party (The Workers’ Party of the Land of Israel). At the founding celebration, Haim Rokach, then secretary of Mapai’s Absorption Department, announced that a “moshav ovdim” (workers’ cooperative settlement) would be established at the site.
However, according to the first residents, they soon realized that the Moshav Movement did not recognize them as an official moshav, and the Jewish Agency refused to acknowledge Ein Sarid as an “immigrant housing project.” The settlers found themselves in a state of limbo - unsure whether they were living in a moshav or a housing complex. This ambiguity would shadow the settlement for many years.
From its inception, Ein Sarid faced numerous challenges, among them a critical shortage of water.
A contemporary article in the newspaper Omer (29 July 1952) vividly described the scene:
“The jeep struggled through deep sand, its driver maneuvering the steering wheel like an acrobat. It halted suddenly near a desolate stone structure. ‘This is the well,’ the guide declared. The passengers disembarked, trudging through the sand. Inside the building, silence reigned. The engine was silent. The well was dry. Disappointed, the passengers wandered about - no one in sight, save the barking of chained dogs, the only signs of habitation.”
A year later, another article in Omer (22 July 1953), headlined “Ein Sarid Thirsts for Water”, stated:
“The well on site became clogged due to sandstorms or lack of maintenance. Cleaning the filter cost around 1,000 lira, but there is still no water. A new well is needed. After great effort, the Ministry of Labor finally approved a budget of 6,000 lira for drilling - but no drilling has begun. Who is to blame? Ein Sarid’s residents blame the regional council, and the council blames the residents. Meanwhile, the water shortage persists.”
In light of ongoing municipal neglect, the residents of Ein Sarid formed a local committee to advocate for their basic needs. On April 1, 1954, the committee sent an impassioned letter to the Minister of the Interior describing the residents’ dire situation and the heavy taxes they were forced to pay - far exceeding those in comparable localities.
An excerpt from that letter:
“We settled on the land in early 1950. Mapai’s Absorption Center sent us here to establish a moshav. The Moshav Movement said we are not a moshav. The Jewish Agency said we are not an immigrant housing project. To this day, we do not know what we are - but we do know this: we are close to the border and lack water. After intense debates and strikes, the regional council agreed to drill a well, on the condition that each family pay 50 lira. We sold our belongings to pay. Some families, brought in without our approval, did not pay. The well was drilled, and we were blessed with water. But then the council halted operations, claiming that not all residents had paid. Must we bear responsibility for families who entered without our consent? Despair has overtaken our community. Some are leaving the country, others moving to the city. One family even converted to Christianity. The government and the Jewish Agency claim to fight emigration - let them come and see the conditions in our border settlement, where even water is denied us. We call on the Ministry of the Interior to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for our hardship.”
(Omer, 26 February 1954)
In parallel correspondence, the secretary of the “Hefer Valley” regional council wrote to the district administration in Ramla:
“The Jewish Agency and the government insist that Ein Sarid is a housing project. The Agency’s Absorption Department handles matters contrary to the council’s stance. The council proposed expanding Ein Sarid by 60 units to make the community viable and support water infrastructure.”
(From: Gush Tel Mond Documentation Archive, Ein Sarid File, 24 March 1954)
The council secretary believed that the key to stabilizing Ein Sarid was to allocate 6,000 lira for a water reservoir connected to the Ein Vered pumping station, and to expand the population by 60 housing units. This would both enable full utilization of the well and create a sustainable tax base. However, the founding agencies denied responsibility, and no action was taken.
Despite these challenges, 32 additional families - approximately 204 individuals - immigrated from Morocco and joined Ein Sarid in 1956. In preparation for their arrival, 45 two-family huts were hastily built to accommodate 90 more families expected to arrive soon.
With the population growth, the Hefer Valley Regional Council and the Ministry of Labor began allocating funds to the community, and a road connecting Ein Sarid to nearby Ein Vered was paved.
In 1957, Ein Sarid and the neighboring settlements of Azri’el and Porat officially joined the Hefer Valley Regional Council.
Source: Cohen, Moshik (1995). The Development of Ein Sarid.