About Nes Ammim

Nes Ammim is a Christian community in Western Galilee in Israel, founded in 1963; a place where people from different backgrounds live, work, learn, and connect in daily life.

The community continues to value its original commitment to fostering understanding between Christians and Jews, while broadening its strategy to remain relevant in the current context.

Nes Ammim offers a lived experience of a shared community, harmony and dialogue. By focusing on learning, working, and connecting, it contributes to understanding and relationships in a complex and diverse society.

History of Nes Ammim

The development of Nes Ammim is closely connected to the history of the Jewish people and the state of Israel. About 15 years after the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, a group of Christians in Europe decided to live in Israel, to show solidarity and to contribute to the state of Israel.

Nes Ammim was founded in 1963 and has always been a place where volunteers from Europe meet both Jews and Arabs. They come to find out firsthand how people in Israel live and work together.

Center of Learning and Dialogue for Peace

Learning and Dialogue – both intercultural and interreligious – are important pillars of this community. In the Center of Learning and Dialogue (CLD) these pillars come into practice. The center organizes dialogue activities, local dialogue groups use the facilities of both the center and the hotel for seminars and workshops, and a study program is organized for the European volunteers. Also, Palestinian Arab Christians come to the Nes Ammim Hotel for community building activities.

The aims of Nes Ammim

Nes Ammim aims to contribute to a more connected and understanding society by:

• fostering peaceful living together of people with different ethnic and religious backgrounds in Israel, as a grassroots community;
• promoting deeper knowledge and understanding of the complex reality of Israel among international volunteers.

A logo that tells a story

The sign of the village is a symbol of agriculture with a Christian background. The ear of wheat represents an agricultural community, of which most of Israel was dependant on when the pioneers built Nes Ammim. The fish is the ancient symbol of the Christians. The ear of wheat and the fish overlap: Israelis and Christian volunteers meet in Nes Ammim.

Living in Nes Ammim

Nes Ammim is a community of christian volunteers from different countries. and of variuous ages. They live in Nes Ammim for a period of three months to several years. Due yo the history of the village many of them are Dutch or German citizens, but Nes Ammim welcoms volunteers of any nationality.

While everyone has their own room, pavilion or house, the volunteers like living together in a vivid community. They share communal meals in the dining hall, go on (study) trips together or work together in the village. Everybody is invited to join the ecumenical church services, which take place every Sunday evening and on special holidays. Festivities, the weekly bar evenings, and other spontaneous activities offer plenty of opportunities for encounter and celebrations together.

In 2014, Nes Ammim extended to a village: around 90 local families started to move into newly built houses, turning the unique Christian village into an Israeli community with a population of Jews, Arabs and Europeans.