The Garden in the Kerem

The Garden in the Kerem is a cultural, social and environmental center in the heart of Kerem HaTeimanim in Tel Aviv, and a community of about 3,000 members.

Nature, Others and Self

Nature: urban farming, compost, food rescue, second-hand, ecological hygiene, compost toilets, beekeeping and more.

Others: food distribution for people in need, various support groups, activities with the elderly, education for teens, children and toddlers, and more.

Self: personal-development workshops, yoga and meditation, artists' fairs, live shows and more.

The garden is run cooperatively by the community, not for profit and without central management, with an economic model based on free and transparent giving and receiving, and a circular organizational model based on free will. The garden is a citizens' initiative and does not depend on any economic or governmental body.

Within a few months of its founding, the Garden in the Kerem became a central cultural institution in the city, gathering a community of all ages, sectors and socio-economic classes. The garden provides food, clothing, culture, infrastructure, housing and more, free of charge, to hundreds and thousands of residents. The Garden in the Kerem was founded and is run without any monetary budget at all.

The garden's economic and organizational model is an example of healthier economic and governmental systems; it puts into practice the insights I describe in my theoretical work.

I founded the garden in 2019 and led the community for years.

Toward the end, the garden also became the base of a protest movement against the housing crisis, which included squatting, and it ended in a confrontation with the municipality.