Simon says: "Let's meet Tilapia/ Amnon/ (אמנון), St. Peter's Fish"
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In 1941, the first fish ponds were dug at Kibbutz Dan in the Upper Galilee, to raise carp & tilapia. In 1946, 2 more ponds were added, fed by the waters of the river Dan.
What began as a modest food-growing initiative for a pioneering community, later evolved into something extraordinary.
Founded in 1939, Kibbutz Dan was named after the ancient Israelite city of Dan mentioned in Genesis 14:14 & 1 Kings 12:29, as it sits in the territory of the ancient Tribe of Dan, at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Hula Valley.
The tilapia raised in those early ponds carry a remarkable story of their own. In Israel it is known as amnon (אמנון), & to Christians around the world "St. Peter's Fish". The name comes from the Gospel of Matthew (17:24–27), where Jesus tells Peter to go fishing in the Sea of Galilee, promising that the first fish he catches would have a shekel coin in its mouth to pay the Temple tax.
The Bible doesn't name the species, but tilapia is the fish found in the Sea of Galilee, & the dark spots on its sides are said by legend to be St. Peter's fingerprints .
Every year thousands of Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land enjoy this fish grilled or fried at restaurants around the Sea of Galilee.
Today in modern Israel, the fish which starred in the well-loved biblical miracle that 2 fish & 5 loaves of bread fed 5,000 men (plus women & children), is commercially important in aquaculture.
Fast forward to 1992 when kibbutz aquaculturists Yigal Ben-Tzvi & Avshalom Hurvitz made a business trip to Russia to buy prized Osetra fertilised sturgeon eggs.
For 10 years, they raised the sturgeon purely for meat.
At the time, the Caspian Sea dominated the global caviar market & in 2003 the price surged; in 2006, the UN banned the export of wild sturgeon caviar from the Caspian & Black Seas. The timing was perfect. The sturgeon being raised on the kibbutz were reaching maturity & by 2009, Karat Caviar – produced in the Galilee – began conquering the world!
Today, the product is a favourite of Michelin-starred restaurants including Le Bernardin & Daniel in Manhattan. At $468 per 50 grams, the harvest is worth more than $32 million annually!
The story of Kibbutz Dan is the story of Israel itself: small, & determined, turning challenging circumstances into world-class excellence. From 1941's simple fish ponds to supplying the world's finest restaurants, it's a testament to what happens when vision meets perseverance.
This is Israel's story. From the sources of the Jordan to the finest tables of New York. 💙🤍
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