Kibbutz Bar’am was founded in 1949 near the ancient ruins of Kfar Baram, from which it derives its name. Demobilized Palmach soldiers established the secular kibbutz of the Shomer Hatzair movement after the War of Independence.
Kibbutz Bar’am is located in the Galilee Heights on the northern border of Israel and Lebanon. Kibbutz Bar’am has more than 300 members and 250 children, and it is close to the Bar’am National Park, in which is located the ancient ruins of the Bar’am Synagogue.
With its beautiful isolated location on the north part of Israel, Bar’am is a communal kibbutz that has a large number of volunteers, with the average number of 35-45. There is a range of work options for volunteering, such as agricultural work, assistance in the Elcam factory work, and services to the community such as the dining room.
Bar’am cultivates a large system of orchards where apples, pears, nectarines, plums, and kiwi are grown. The fruit is sorted, packed and kept in cold storage in a modern Packing Plant until sent to domestic markets throughout Israel. Bar’am has agriculture in the Hulah Valley. There are more than 2,000 dunams for the growing of corn, peanuts and sunflower seeds.
The main source of income of Bar’am is derived from the factory for the manufacture of plastics for medical purposes: Elcam Medical. As a world-class producer of precision injection-molded disposable medical devices, Elcam Medical is a provider of innovative solutions for specialized flow control needs.
Bar’am is also known as the home of the Bar David Museum of Jewish Art and Judaica. The Bar David Museum is located in the kibbutz and spreads over three storeys. The museum exhibits various views such as exhibitions from the collection of paintings and Jewish ritual objects, changing exhibitions of fine art, sculpture and photography, and Archeology Room with objects from the region, ceramic and glass artifacts, jewelry and statuettes.
Facilities of the kibbutz include a communal dining room, a swimming pool, a pub, and a movie theatre.