History

Ketura was founded by a small group of young North Americans, graduates of the Young Judaea Yearcourse (a gap year program), at the close of the Yom Kippur War in November 1973.

The first years of the kibbutz's existence were marked by great difficulties and frustrations, leading many of the founders to leave. In time, the core group who remained were joined by other Young Judaeans, a variety of immigrants, and graduates of the Israeli Scout movement: the Tzofim.

As Ketura grew, a more stable lifestyle was created, and the members began raising families in this, their new home.

Today, Ketura has grown to be the second largest settlement in the region, with 150 members and candidates and over 155 children. We can claim 40 grandchildren as well – though not in residence. One-third of the members are native Israelis; just less than half the members come from English-speaking countries, with the rest from Europe, South America and the former USSR. Hebrew is our common language and the language of all daily activity in Ketura, but while walking around one might hear many other languages including French, Spanish, Russian, and even Catalan.