In Hebrew, the word for man 'Adam' and the word for earth 'Adama' come from the same root.
The Forest Stage
The Forest stage is a beautiful, multilevel outdoor proscenium style venue suitable for a wide variety of performances and productions. In the heart of Sha'ar La'Adam you will find a breath-taking artistic sanctuary because we believe stagecraft is an opportunity for Humanity to open its heart. When we open ourselves to one another we can recognize the humanity in the other that is stripped away by years of conflict and mistrust. The Forest Stage hosts the yearly Galilee Breeze/Shavuot Festival, Kibbutz Harduf's theatre school productions, and is home to the Coexistence Theatre Project.
Theatre Studies
This initiative sees artistically gifted Arab and Jewish Youth from the region working together to create bilingual, challenging and exciting theatre. By cooperating to tell relevant stories, they learn to overcome obstacles together and mutually reveal and recognize their humanity.
The Community
To live with the other we must first learn to live with ourselves. The Forest Community was established to give a select group the opportunity to experience building community together. Their job is simply to make our forest a home, creating the warm spirit of mutual cooperation that facilitates true interaction. The Community consists of the tent village, home mainly to students of the anthroposophical school, and the Project Ten Campus.
Project Ten
Project Ten is a group of volunteers from Israel and the Jewish diaspora who have dedicated themselves to living here, building the centre and contributing to local society. 'Ten' means give in Hebrew. The Project Ten volunteers work to develop and maintain the centre, teach English in neighbouring Ka'abiyye, and work in Beit Elisha, a home for adults with special needs in Harduf. They also develop skills in biodynamics and theatre in aid of the centre's mission.
The Seminar Centre
The forest hosts educational retreats for small and large groups. Participants sleep in our group tents or under the stars. They have access to our outdoor group kitchen, the fire-pit and the stage to facilitate coexistence, theatre or ecological education. When not booked for a seminar, the facilities are made as open and available as possible to Shvil Israel hikers, small groups of campers, and anyone who would like a taste of our mission.
The Biodynamic Garden
Biodynamic Agriculture is a sustainable, ecological set of gardening principles that works in harmony with the earth and it's systems to live ethically off the land. By working the land together, by being guardians of the earth, Arab and Jew develop a connection to what binds them and redefine their relationship to the earth and to each other.