Cultural life on a small, isolated desert settlement is mostly what you make it. In addition to informal social interactions, we invest considerable time and energy in holiday celebrations and "home-grown" cultural activities, which utilize the various talents of those who live here.

There is also a wealth of activity at the regional center, a ten-minute drive from Ketura. The regional auditorium offers a varied schedule of plays, dance performances, movies and concerts by Israel's best-known entertainers, who come from hundreds of kilometers away to perform in our hall. The regional center also sponsors ongoing groups who study ceramics, dance and movement, film, theater, and sports, as well as an outdoors club that spends weekends exploring the hidden wonders of the desert. They subsidize a variety of arts and recreation clubs, and host the annual Israel Independence Day celebration for the entire region.

Back on the kibbutz itself, we have a music room, a darkroom, and a ceramics studio. For recreation we have tennis courts, a swimming pool, a soccer field, and a stable with a small herd of horses available for riding. The Culture Committee sponsors guest lectures and performances within the constraints of its budget. AIES (the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies) also offers lectures and events in English.

Located as Ketura is in the middle of the desert, forty minutes from the nearest town, an active local cultural life is essential. All Jewish holidays are marked with some cultural activities, in addition to the traditional synagogue services. Holidays not appearing on the Jewish calendar, but which are celebrated on Ketura, include: Chag HaMeshek, or the kibbutz's birthday; New Year's Eve; and Ice Cream For Breakfast Day, which falls on the first Shabbat in February.

Ketura's cable TV system features thiry-five Israeli and international channels, as well as a closed-circuit channel that features an electronic bulletin board.

Like most elements of Ketura's cultural life, sports and recreation tends to happen close to home. There are a number of recreational facilities on Ketura, some built with donated funds. These include a basketball court, riding stables, a soccer field, a swimming pool, and a tennis court. There is also a large regional sports complex at neighboring Kibbutz Yotvata.

Click here to find out more about The Sailing Club, an example of an activity supported through the Regional council. The Sailing Club