Kfar Rafael

Kfar Rafael (Hebrew: כפר רפאל) is a therapeutic community located on the outskirts of Be'er Sheva in southern Israel. It was founded in the early 1970s as an initiative of parents whose children with special needs were living at the anthroposophic institution Beit Eliyahu in Be'er Sheva. Inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), the community follows the principles of curative education and social therapy, building a shared life for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, foster families, and young volunteers from Israel and abroad. The village is operated by a public association (amuta) and is supervised and largely funded by the Ministry of Welfare's Administration for Disabilities. The community is home to 51 residents aged 18 to 75, 12 families with 27 children, and about 30 volunteers living on site — roughly 130 people in total. Kfar Rafael spreads over 120 dunams, of which 40 are designated for construction and the rest for agriculture. Residents live in nine "extended family" units across five buildings, and work in a variety of workshops: gardening, beekeeping and candle-making from beeswax, paper recycling, bakery, food production, weaving, laundry, and cooking. The village also offers a wide range of therapies, including therapeutic riding, art therapy, music therapy, curative eurythmy, speech and drama, animal-assisted therapy, physiotherapy, Chinese medicine, and rhythmic massage. Kfar Rafael was established on a barren desert plot in Be'er Sheva. In 1979, a significant donation from the estate of Henrietta Polak, a Dutch Jewish woman who lost her family in the Holocaust, enabled construction to begin. The cornerstone for the first buildings was laid on 4 April 1979. In 1981, the first three families moved in, followed by the first eight residents on 18 May 1981. Over the years the village has grown and developed, and in 2020 it received the Ben-Gurion Award from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev for its unique healing community in the heart of the Negev. Today Kfar Rafael continues to operate as a living community, combining residential care, meaningful work, cultural and therapeutic activities, and volunteer service. Its vision is to build a community designed around the optimal development of its members, offering a diverse and stimulating social environment while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The initiative to establish Kfar Rafael was born in the early 1970s, when a group of parents of children with special needs who had been living since 1969 at the anthroposophic curative education institution Beit Eliyahu in Be'er Sheva began to think about their children's future as they grew up. They were encouraged by the founders and directors of Beit Eliyahu, mainly Jerusalem anthroposophists led by Chava and Michael Levi, who had worked administratively to establish Beit Eliyahu together with Ruth Muziman from Switzerland, who brought her training as a curative educator acquired from Fried Geuter in Ravenswood, England. The initiative was realized when three young families, who encountered anthroposophy and became acquainted with Beit Eliyahu, took an interest in the parents' initiative and decided to train themselves to establish a healing village. The initiative was pioneering in Israel, so their training took place mainly in Sonnenhof, Switzerland, and in Ireland. Only in 1978, after seven years of searching, and with the help of the Ministry of Welfare, was the site found: a barren, desert area in Be'er Sheva. In 1979, through Keren Hayesod, a significant donation was received from the estate of Henrietta Polak, a Jewish woman from the Netherlands who had lost her entire family in the Holocaust. This donation made it possible to begin building the village. On 4 April 1979, the cornerstone for the first buildings was laid, with the participation of many friends and representatives of government authorities. At the same time, the area was prepared for orchards and a vegetable garden using biodynamic cultivation. A few years later, at Passover 1981, the first three families with their children entered the village. On 18 May 1981, the first eight residents entered Kfar Rafael, and over the years the village grew and developed. In 2020, Kfar Rafael received the Ben-Gurion Award from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, awarded on Ben-Gurion Day to representatives of Kfar Rafael, who established a unique healing community in the heart of the Negev, in recognition of their deep dedication to promoting a diverse, open, and tolerant society that offers a real opportunity to every person.

• 2020

  Kfar Rafael receives the Ben-Gurion Award from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

• 1981

  First three families enter the village at Passover; first eight residents enter on 18 May 1981.

• 1979

  A significant donation from the estate of Henrietta Polak enables construction to begin; cornerstone laid on 4 April 1979.

• 1978

  After seven years of searching, a barren desert plot in Be'er Sheva is found with the help of the Ministry of Welfare.

• 1970

  Parents of children at Beit Eliyahu begin discussing their children's future, initiating the idea of a healing village.

• 1969

  Children with special needs begin living at the anthroposophic institution Beit Eliyahu in Be'er Sheva.

Anthroposophic curative education and social therapy community for adults with intellectual disabilities

• Residential care for adults with intellectual disabilities

• Therapeutic workshops (candles, bakery, weaving, laundry, paper recycling, food processing)

• Organic biodynamic agriculture (orchards, vegetable garden)

• Therapies: therapeutic riding, art therapy, music therapy, curative eurythmy, speech and drama, animal-assisted therapy, physiotherapy, Chinese medicine, rhythmic massage

1. 1כפר רפאל | קהילת מרפאkrafael.org.il
2. 2אודותינו | כפר רפאלkrafael.org.il
3. 3Kfar Rafaelwikidata.org
4. 4כפר רפאלhe.wikipedia.org