What is a social pub? A social pub is a community gathering place run by volunteers from the community itself – a bar and meeting space where neighbors meet, talk and celebrate together. It is not run for profit: any surplus goes back into the pub. In the Western Negev, social pubs have become cultural and social hubs that help communities rebuild after October 7th, and since 2024 New Land Now has accompanied their establishment in 12 communities.
After October 7th, evacuated Western Negev communities found themselves meeting in hotel lobbies. Surprisingly, a living, meaningful space was born there. And a simple, painful question came up from the field: “Where will we meet when we come home?”
Since 2024, New Land Now has accompanied 12 Western Negev communities that built themselves an answer: a social pub – a volunteer-run place where neighbors meet, talk and celebrate together.
Where the model comes from
I am part of the leading team of the social pub in Mazkeret Batya, which has hosted about 150 people every Thursday evening for almost three years. When we told residents they could bring chairs from home, they arrived with beach chairs. They simply did not want to miss being together.
What makes a social pub last?
Instead of asking “how do we keep customers”, the teams asked what makes a neighbor want to come back again and again. Three things turned out to matter most:
- A team connected by meaning. Without a salary, the only engine is personal commitment, good chemistry and a sense of value. The best way to lead volunteers is to make room – to give each person a stage and real influence in their area.
- Economic sustainability. A social pub is not a business for profit, but it must be run with business tools. A small surplus is not the goal – it is the oxygen that lets the pub reinvest, upgrade equipment and stay stable for years.
- A space for all generations. When soldiers, young parents and long-time residents sit together, formality disappears. Fair prices, a professional bar, the right music and a warm atmosphere make everyone feel at home.
Our role: the frame, not the spirit
In the Western Negev, our role was to provide a supporting frame – from financial management training to a bartending course, together with leadership and volunteer-management tracks for the pub teams. The bartending course was led by mixologist Mor Koral, founder of Salt & Spirit.
But the spirit came from the people themselves. The communities did not wait for a big program – they simply needed a place to meet.
From the field and the press
The pubs have been covered by Israeli media. A few moments from the coverage:
- Zikim and Or HaNer (Maariv, June 2025). In Zikim, the “Grove Pub” opened in a eucalyptus grove at the kibbutz entrance, with a food truck from the evacuation period as its kitchen. Shachar Goldenberg of the kibbutz management said: “The pub will be a platform for various community events.” In Or HaNer, residents opened the “Farm Pub” to keep alive the friendships formed in the hotel lobby. Read the article
- The bartending course (News08, May 2025). The network opened with a professional bartending course for pub leaders. Mor Koral organized it as a volunteer and recruited leading bartenders to teach, with the support of the Merage Foundation’s Negev Wineries Club and Euro-Standard. “This is not just volunteering,” she said. As I told News08, these are community spaces that connect residents who went through a shared trauma. Read the article
- Channel 13 (January 2025). A video report on the social pub network in the Western Negev:
Why it matters for resilience
A social pub is much more than a beer at the end of the day. It is community glue – a shared project that connects people of every age around something they build together. When a community feels a place is truly its own, it takes care of it. Together with the Hebrew University, we conducted field research on the pubs, completed in 2026.
Frequently asked questions about social pubs
Who runs a social pub?
Volunteers from the community. Usually a core team shares the work – the bar, events, finances and recruiting new volunteers – and gives every volunteer a real role.
Is a social pub a business?
No. A social pub is not run for profit, but it is managed with business tools. A small surplus is reinvested in the pub so it can stay stable for years.
How does a social pub strengthen community resilience?
It creates regular, informal meetings, a sense of belonging and a space shared by all generations. For many volunteers, especially those facing trauma, building and running the pub together gives purpose and meaning.
How did New Land Now support social pubs in the Western Negev?
Since 2024 we have accompanied 12 communities: training for the pub teams in bartending (led by mixologist Mor Koral of Salt & Spirit), leadership, volunteer management and finances, and field research on the pubs with the Hebrew University, completed in 2026.
Want to learn more? Read about what community resilience is, see our projects and the media coverage, or read my personal account in Hebrew.
Looking for a healing and resilience workshop for your group? See our wellness workshops in the Western Negev.
