Located in the Jezreel Valley near Afula, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gilboa Regional Council.

The kibbutz was established in August 1948 by demobilised Palmach soldiers in the remains of the depopulated Palestinian village of Zir'in.

It was one of the first kibbutzim to abandon the system of children sleeping in communal houses, instead allowing them to live with their parents.

[3] It was named after the ancient city of Jezreel, which was located in the area allotted to the tribe of Issachar (Joshua 19:18).

[4][citation needed] A major branch of the kibbutz economy is Maytronics, which manufactures a robot swimming pool cleaner exported to over 34 countries.