AMIRIM

AMIRIM (Heb.אֲמִירִים; meaning "summits," referring to the beautiful local scenery), moshav in northern Israel, near Mt. Meron in Upper Galilee. Amirim was founded in 1950, and taken over in 1956 by a group of vegetarians and naturalists (Israeli-born and others). Amirim had no livestock but grew fruit (apples, apricots, peaches, various kinds of nuts) and vegetables, supplying the settlers' dietary requirements. The moshav offered the public a wide array of alternative health cures, from reflexology to holistic massage as well as restaurant and vacationing facilities. Amirim's population was approximately 380 in the mid-1990s, growing to 458 in 2002. (Efraim Orni / Shaked Gilboa (2nd ed.)