Hatzor (Kibbutz)
Encyclopedia
Hatzor officially Hatzor Ashdod to distinguish it from Hatzor HaGlilit, is a kibbutz
in southern Israel
. Located near Ashdod, it falls under the jurisdiction of Be'er Tuvia Regional Council
. In 2006 it had a population of 545.
members. The group resided in Mishmar HaEmek
for a year, before moving to Rishon LeZion. They eventually remained there for nine years, as suitable land for settlement was sparse under the restrictions on Jewish settlements outlined in the White Paper of 1939
by the Mandate Government. During this time, Bulgaria
n and North America
n Hashomer Hatzair youth groups joined the founding group.
In 1943, a small group of kibbutz members founded Gvulot
, which along with 2 similar settlements, Revivim
and Beit Eshel
, were known as the three lookouts
and were the first Jewish settlements in the Negev
. Gvulot's remote location, however, was considered unsuitable for permanent settlement by a large kibbutz with over 100 members and several dozen children. In 1946 the kibbutz finally settled in it's present location, at the time a barren hill with an abandoned quarry on one side, surrounded by four Arab villages and a Royal Air Force
base (now Israeli Air Force
Base Hatzor
). It was named after a location in ancient Judah
.
From the May to October 1948, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
, the kibbutz was near the front lines of the Egyptian Army
, which had advanced as far as Ashdod, and was repeatedly shelled by artillery fire. The children, as well as livestock, were evacuated to safer places until the Egyptians withdrew, while the remaining members lived in trenches. The kibbutz publication, Al HaTel (lit. On the hill), was renamed to Under the hill during the period. Also during the war, the surrounding Arab villages were abandoned and their residents became refugees in Gaza Strip
. Their land was confiscated by the state of Israel and most of it was leased to the kibbutz.
In the 1950s, another group of Hashomer Hatzair members from France also joined the kibbutz. By the 1970s, the number of kibbutz members had reached around 300, and the total population around 600. These figures are roughly the same these days.
Like other kibbutzim founded by Hashomer Hatzair members, Hatzor was affiliated with the Kibbutz Artzi movement, which in 1990s merged into the Kibbutz Movement
.
Since the 1990s the Kibbutz has undergone a change towards privatization and abandoned many of its original collective habits. The latest step was the switch to "Safety Net" model, which in principle means every member is responsible to earn his own living, with a method of slightly reducing the difference between the "richer" and "poorer".
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
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 Ashdod, it falls under the jurisdiction of Be'er Tuvia Regional Council
Be'er Tuvia Regional Council
Be'er Tuvia Regional Council , is a regional council in the southern Coastal Plain region in Israel.It borders Yoav and Nahal Sorek regional councils in the east; Hof Ashkelon regional council, the Mediterranean Sea, the city of Ashdod and Gan Yavne local council in the west; Gederot, Hevel Yavne...
. In 2006 it had a population of 545.
History
The kibbutz community was established in 1936 by a group of Hashomer HatzairHashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
members. The group resided in Mishmar HaEmek
Mishmar HaEmek
Mishmar HaEmek is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the western Jezreel Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 964....
for a year, before moving to Rishon LeZion. They eventually remained there for nine years, as suitable land for settlement was sparse under the restrictions on Jewish settlements outlined in the White Paper of 1939
White Paper of 1939
The White Paper of 1939, also known as the MacDonald White Paper after Malcolm MacDonald, the British Colonial Secretary who presided over it, was a policy paper issued by the British government under Neville Chamberlain in which the idea of partitioning the Mandate for Palestine, as recommended in...
by the Mandate Government. During this time, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n Hashomer Hatzair youth groups joined the founding group.
In 1943, a small group of kibbutz members founded Gvulot
Gvulot
Gvulot is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 239....
, which along with 2 similar settlements, Revivim
Revivim
Revivim showers) is a kibbutz in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Located around half an hour south of Beersheba, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council...
and Beit Eshel
Beit Eshel
Beit Eshel was a Jewish settlement established in the Negev desert in Mandate Palestine in 1943 as one of the three lookouts, alongside Revivim and Gvulot. It was located two kilometres south-east of Beersheba. According to the Jewish National Fund, the name means "House of the Tamarisk" and...
, were known as the three lookouts
Three lookouts
The three lookouts were three Jewish settlements built in the Negev desert in 1943 on land owned by the Jewish National Fund. The goal was securing the land and assessing its feasibility for agriculture...
and were the first Jewish settlements in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
. Gvulot's remote location, however, was considered unsuitable for permanent settlement by a large kibbutz with over 100 members and several dozen children. In 1946 the kibbutz finally settled in it's present location, at the time a barren hill with an abandoned quarry on one side, surrounded by four Arab villages and a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base (now Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
Base Hatzor
Hatzor Airbase
Hatzor Israeli Air Force Base , also titled Kanaf 4 is an Israeli Air Force military air base, located in central Israel, near kibbutz Hatzor after which it is named...
). It was named after a location in ancient Judah
History of ancient Israel and Judah
Israel and Judah were related Iron Age kingdoms of ancient Palestine. The earliest known reference to the name Israel in archaeological records is in the Merneptah stele, an Egyptian record of c. 1209 BCE. By the 9th century BCE the Kingdom of Israel had emerged as an important local power before...
.
From the May to October 1948, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
, the kibbutz was near the front lines of the Egyptian Army
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian Armed Forces and holds power in the current Egyptian government. It is estimated to number around 379,000, in addition to 479,000 reservists for a total of 858,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1820s, and during the...
, which had advanced as far as Ashdod, and was repeatedly shelled by artillery fire. The children, as well as livestock, were evacuated to safer places until the Egyptians withdrew, while the remaining members lived in trenches. The kibbutz publication, Al HaTel (lit. On the hill), was renamed to Under the hill during the period. Also during the war, the surrounding Arab villages were abandoned and their residents became refugees in 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...
. Their land was confiscated by the state of Israel and most of it was leased to the kibbutz.
In the 1950s, another group of Hashomer Hatzair members from France also joined the kibbutz. By the 1970s, the number of kibbutz members had reached around 300, and the total population around 600. These figures are roughly the same these days.
Like other kibbutzim founded by Hashomer Hatzair members, Hatzor was affiliated with the Kibbutz Artzi movement, which in 1990s merged into the Kibbutz Movement
Kibbutz Movement
The Kibbutz Movement is the largest settlement movement for kibbutzim in Israel. It was formed in 1999 by a partial merger of the United Kibbutz Movement and Kibbutz Artzi.-United Kibbutz Movement:...
.
Since the 1990s the Kibbutz has undergone a change towards privatization and abandoned many of its original collective habits. The latest step was the switch to "Safety Net" model, which in principle means every member is responsible to earn his own living, with a method of slightly reducing the difference between the "richer" and "poorer".