Avshalom, Israel
Encyclopedia
Avshalom is a communal settlement
and regional centre in southern Israel
. Located near the Egypt
– Gaza Strip
border, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council
. In 2006 it had a population of 264, around a third of which are retirees.
Founded in 1990, the settlement was named after Avshalom Feinberg
, a member of the Nili
spy ring who was killed in 1917 on his way to rendezvous with British forces
in the northern Sinai, not far from the village's location. It was initially a caravan site for immigrants from the former Soviet Union
who wanted to be absorbed into the Hevel Shalom
settlements. In 1997, as these settlements refused to absorb them, it became a permanent settlement, with most of the residents working in nearby settlements.
Next to Highway 232, about 3 km west of Avshalom junction, lies the Ugdat HaPlada Monument, commemorating the casualties of the 84th Armored Division who died during the Six-Day War
. The monument, designed by the architect Israel Gudovich, was erected at Yamit
in 1977. After the Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai it was rebuilt at its present location using the same design.
Communal settlement (Israel)
A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....
and regional centre in southern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located near the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
– Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
border, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council
Eshkol Regional Council
The Eshcol Regional Council is a regional council in the north-western Negev, in Israel's Southern District. The regional council's territory lies midway between Ashkelon and Beersheba, bounded on the west by the Gaza Strip while the eastern border abuts the territory of the Bnei Shimon Regional...
. In 2006 it had a population of 264, around a third of which are retirees.
Founded in 1990, the settlement was named after Avshalom Feinberg
Avshalom Feinberg
Avshalom Feinberg was one of the leaders of Nili, a Jewish spy network in Ottoman Palestine helping the British fight the Ottoman Empire during World War I....
, a member of the Nili
Nili
Nili of Israel will not lie") was a Jewish espionage network which assisted the United Kingdom in its fight against the Ottoman Empire in Palestine during World War I.-Establishment:...
spy ring who was killed in 1917 on his way to rendezvous with British forces
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in the northern Sinai, not far from the village's location. It was initially a caravan site for immigrants from the former Soviet Union
Aliyah from the Commonwealth of Independent States in the 1990s
Russian Jewish immigration to Israel began en masse in the 1990s when the liberal government of Mikhail Gorbachev opened the borders of the USSR and allowed Jews to leave the country for Israel.-History:...
who wanted to be absorbed into the Hevel Shalom
Hevel Shalom
Hevel Shalom is an area in the western Negev desert close to Israel's border with the Gaza Strip and Egypt's Sinai. This area was elected to be substitutive area for evacuees from Yamit.-Villages:...
settlements. In 1997, as these settlements refused to absorb them, it became a permanent settlement, with most of the residents working in nearby settlements.
Next to Highway 232, about 3 km west of Avshalom junction, lies the Ugdat HaPlada Monument, commemorating the casualties of the 84th Armored Division who died during the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
. The monument, designed by the architect Israel Gudovich, was erected at Yamit
Yamit
Yamit was an Israeli settlement in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula with a population of about 2,500 people .The settlement was established during Israel's occupation of the peninsula from the end of the 1967 Six-Day War, until that part of the Sinai was handed over to Egypt in 1982 as...
in 1977. After the Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai it was rebuilt at its present location using the same design.
External links
- Merkaz Avshalom Negev Information Centre