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Shalem Farm

Shalem farm is located at the entrance to Ariel Sharon Park, adjacent to Salame Road, which historically connected the village of Salame to Jaffa. The name Shalem Farm suggests this connection and is reminiscent of the name Salame. The farm was established in 1949, and acted as an agricultural commune of the “Zera” Cooperative Agricultural Association, which was engaged in growing, developing and producing seeds for agriculture in Israel. The farmlands of the “Zera” company were established on the land of the Arab village of Al-Khiriya, which was occupied as part of Operation ‘Chametz’ in April 1948. The farm dwellers, all experienced farmers from various kibbutzim were entrusted with the essential task of supplying seeds for the emerging agriculture of the young country.

Shalem Farm operated during the first decades of the establishment of the state and became a representative model of an agricultural development in which families of the workers and their children resided and worked. Over the years, broader social and cultural changes coupled with the development of nearby residential settlements, led to a significant decrease in residential use. In its last years, the farm buildings were used as the offices of the “Zera” company, until the final closure in 2012.

Address
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Shalem Farm, Israel
Constructed
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1949
Renewed
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2015
Documented
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2014
Client
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Ariel Sharon Park
Photographer
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Avira
Chief architect
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Latz + Partner
Master planners
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Moaria Architects
Development planning
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A.B. Planners Ltd.
Engineer
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Ilan Ben David Engineers Ltd.
Project manager
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Idan Yitzhaki Initiation, Engineering and Project Management Ltd.