The village was formerly inhabited by Arabs, when it was known as Kh el Menarah.[2] In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it as "ruins of a modern Arab village, several rock-cut cisterns, and one wine-press"[3]
The kibbutz was established in 1943 by members of the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed youth group and young immigrants from Germany and Poland. Leon Uris used an incident from the history of the kibbutz in his novel, Exodus. The scene of the night hike with the children from Gan Dafna as the kibbutz faced attack was based on the war-time transport of the children of Kibbutz Manara from the mountaintop to what was presumed to be a safer place on the valley floor.[5]
In June 1948 the kibbutz requested land from the newly depopulatedPalestinian village of Qadas, as it was "suitable for winter crops."[6]
Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's sister Rachel Ya'akov was a founding member.[7]
As Manara lies less than 100 metres from the Lebanese border, problems have arisen during fighting between the two countries. The Menara bypass project was completed in 2005 to provide safe access to the kibbutz.
Manara is boasted to be 888 metres above sea level and is a rare style for a kibbutz, with apartments providing the accommodation, due to the limited space.[citation needed]
Manara's main industries are agriculture (primarily cotton fields, apples and chickens), tourism to the scenic cliffs via its cable cars descending from the Upper Manara Cliff down to Kiryat Shmona in the valley below,[10] and a technical glass manufacturing plant.
