The Regional Council of Yoav Photo: Lotem Friedland | Design: KachalD

Tourism Our Vision Hot Springs > Hamei-Yoav Hot Springs is a natural thermo mineral spa. A Municipality composed of multi-generational communities Bet Guvrin > a large national park, which encompasses the sites of an that prosper and renew themselves, maintaining a quality of ancient agricultural settlement of Maresha, and the ancient town of Bet life which guards their specific rural essence, lead by local Guvrin, including many historical caves. Caves of Maresha and Bet Guvrin leadership. recently has inscribed on the World Heritage list by UNESCO. Tending our open spaces and countryside, nature, and the Iron Age sites > One of the largest Iron Age sites in Israel is located in heritage that is special to the Yoav area. Kibbutz Revadim. More than 100 ancient oil presses were discovered there, Excellence in education, fostering culture and social welfare as well as an inscription that clearly identifies the site as Philistine Ekron. services for our residents. Tel Zafit > located inside Tel Zafit National Park. Recent ongoing excavations The joint responsibility of our population and communities for at this Biblical site have produced substantial evidence of siege and security, ecology, and quality of life. subsequent destruction of the site in the late 9th century BC. Fulfillment of our economic potential, and providing quality Sightseeing > Yoav’s magnificent landscapes provide the perfect setting for employment through the development of agriculture, a wide range of leisure activities, such as cycling, hiking, climbing, wine infrastructures, and country tourism, in cooperation with our tasting, gourmet and popular dining, and various festivals such as the neighbouring municipalities renowned Biblical festival.

Dr. Matti Sarfatti Harcavi October 2015 Mayor, Regional Council of Yoav, Israel 972-8-8500702 | [email protected] | www.yoav.org.il General information Agriculture and related industry and resources Yoav is a green rural region covering an area of approximately 55,000 acres. One of the major occupations in Yoav is agriculture: field crops, orchards, It is bordered on the north by central Israel, and by the Negev to the meat and dairy cattle, chickens, greenhouses for growing flowers and winter south. vegetables. The Yoav Regional Council was established in 1952 and has to date around The region supports these efforts with various industries involved in 8,400 inhabitants. agricultural research, processing, packing and distribution of the produce, The origin of the name: The late Yitzhak Dubno, (nicknamed “Yoav”) was such as: the first commander of Kibbutz Negba in the War of Independence, and Mishkei Hadarom > Mishkei Hadarom Credit & Acquisition Joint Agricultural died in its defense. Corporation Ltd. Yoav today has a network of national infrastructures: roads and railways, Mishkei Hadarom Holdings Joint Agricultural Corporation. oil, water and gas pipe lines. Olive Oil > production of high quality Virgin and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, from Sources of income for the local population include agriculture, industry, growing and pressing the olives to bottling and marketing. services, tourism and small businesses. Many of the inhabitants commute Ganir > a manufacturer and exporter of citrus and other fruit products, for to work outside their own communities. production of juices, nectars and soft drinks. Zeraim Gedera > breeds, produces, and markets hybrid vegetable seeds. Our Communities Lachish Extension Service of the Ministry of Agriculture > Research and The communities in the Yoav Regional Council area include: studies of orchards, crop yields, irrigation techniques and purification of waste. 8 kibbutzim: Beit Guvrin, Beit Nir, Gal’on, Gat, Kefar Menahem, Negba, Revadim & Sede Yoav Industry 3 moshavim: Kefar Harif, Nahala & Segula Over the past twenty years, our communities, with the help and support of the 1 communal village: Vardon Regional Council, have developed side by side with agriculture growing and 1 youth village: Kedma expanding plants and factories such as: metal works, laminating processes 1 Arab community: El Azi and others. Yoav contains two power stations that help to provide more than 10% of Our Education the national consumption, and quarries providing basic building materials The children of the Yoav Regional Council attend either the Sedot Yoav countrywide. primary school in Kibbutz Gat or Haela Primary school in Kibbutz Kefar Menahem. The Regional High school Zafit is also located in Kibbutz Kfar Menahem. Families that prefer a religious education send their children to state religious schools in the nearby city Kiryat Gat. Schools that are part of the Regional Council have organized transport and are supervised by the regional authority.

Our Economy Agriculture: 25% | Industry: 24% | Tourism: 8% | Services and Education: 43%