The Moshe Novomeysky Visitors Center at the Dead Sea Works in Sodom
It was the vision, engineering skills and political acumen of a Jewish Siberian mining engineer called Moshe Novomeysky who brought the Palestine Potash Company into existence. Novomeysky realized that mineral extraction from the Dead Sea could create economic self-sufficiency for a future Jewish state. His company subsequently become a main exporter from Palestine during the British Mandate, and then exporter of potash and bromine for the State of Israel. It is very appropriate, therefore, that the story of this visionary should be told by his grandson in movies at the Visitors Center at the Dead Sea Works.
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Novomeysky first arrived at shores of the Dead Sea in 1911 and he began experimenting and furthering his political ideas. in 1929, he received concession from the British to extract potash, bromine and magnesium from the Dead Sea. He subsequently developed the evaporation-based extraction methods still in use today and showed that large-scale differential precipitation of the various minerals in evaporation pools was technically and economically feasible.
As managing director of this enterprise, he promoted a two-site strategy. Early production and workforce housing was begun in Kalia at the northern end of the Dead Sea. Because of its limited size, he also planned and instituted long-term expansion at Sodom at the southern end of the Dead Sea. This turned out to be fortunate planning.
During the War of Independence in 1948, Kalia became isolated and vulnerable. Jordan’s Arab Legion was advancing, and its Jewish residents and workers were evacuated by boat across the Dead Sea before it fell under Jordanian control. Meanwhile Sodom, deep in the Negev desert, was cut off from the rest of Israel. Nevertheless, the workers and Palmach/IDF units defended the plant and were supplied by difficult desert convoys and occasional air drops. As a result, the plant remained in Jewish hands throughout the war. Sodom’s retention enabled Israel to strengthen its claim to the southern Dead Sea region up to Ein Gedi.
The company was reconstituted as the Dead Sea Works Ltd. It eventually became state-owned and later privatized. Novomeysky, aging and disillusioned by the loss of Kalia, withdrew from active leadership. The company is now a core subsidiary of Israel Chemicals Ltd (ICL).
The shallow southern part of the Dead Sea has been converted into large evaporation pools and water is pumped from the deep northern part of the lake via a channel. Another channel allows the processed water to flow back to the northern section by gravity. The ecological consequences of this process are considerable, especially in a lake that continually loses water from sun evaporation and has a negligible input of river water.
Directions: Enter “Moshe Novomeiski visitors center” and click on “ מרכז המבקרים על שם משה נובומייסקי ים המלך.
Admission: The visitor center is open 9.00 to 5.00 p.m. every day of the week, except Friday and holiday eves when it is open 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. A guided tour lasts 1½ hours. With prior arrangements this can be in English. The tour is accessible to people with mobility issues. There is a café and restrooms. Admission is 30 NIS for adults, 25 NIS for children 5 to 18 years, 20 NIS for seniors and 19 NIS for students. Their phone number is08-300 9199. Ticket purchase is through their website.
Public transport: There is no close bus stop.
The reconstructed Workers Camp in the Visitors Center
The Visitors Center has reconstructed the workers camp as it was from 1934 until the early 1950s. A guided tour takes you through the camp buildings, which show short movies or exhibits.
In the Dead Sea Model Hall is an impressive model illustrating how the African Syrian Rift Valley formed. In the reconstructed camp dining room, you are introduced to Moshe Novomeysky by his grandson. Further along, with the help of VR (“Virtual reality”) goggles, you enter the workers camp and mingle with the workers in this very deserted part of Israel. The heroic handling of the War of Independence by the camp staff a is shown. The tour concludes with an introduction to the important minerals produced from the water of the Dead Sea and their use in modern day living, current activities of the Dead Sea Enterprises, and the dilemma of preservation versus development. [Potash is potassium bearing salts, mainly potassium chloride, and is used as a fertilizer].
Model of the formation of the African Syrian Rift Valley
Your screen tour guide — the grandson of the visionary Moshe Novomeysky