Kabri
Encyclopedia
Kabri is a kibbutz
in northern Israel
. Located in the Western Galilee
about four kilometers east of the Mediterranean
seaside town of Nahariya
, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council
. In 2006 it had a population of 751.
This city is known to archaeologists as Tel Kabri
, though its Canaanite name is not known, was a city-state in the heart of which was placed the palace of the ruling monarch. The two-story palace was decorated with colorful frescoes and ornaments in Minoan
style. Residents of the city (their number is estimated at 5,000) earned their living through agriculture and international commerce. Leftover bits and pieces of merchandise whose origins lay in Egypt
, Turkey
and Crete
were found in the ruins and in graves during the excavations. The city was connected to a port on the coast, apparently the one under Achziv. The city-state was completely abandoned around the year 1600 BCE for unknown reasons.
mercenaries, as well as an extremely rare bowl, in which was prepared the color purple, the Phoenicians' main export. That settlement survived from the 9th century BCE until the end of 7th century, at which time it was destroyed by the Babylonians.
existed at the site from the post-Crusader
period until 1949. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris
, a Haganah
attack led to the flight of most of the villagers, while others were killed in what became known as the al-Kabri massacre
. The Haganah planned to "destroy and burn" Al-Kabri and neighboring villages in the western Galilee. Later, Al-Kabri was among villages razed to ensure that indigenous residents "could and would never return." (Morris, Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947-9, 1st. ed, p. 125)
In 1949 a new kibbutz was founded on the site of the village by displaced members of kibbutz Beit HaArava
and young refugees from the Youth Aliyah
. Beit HaArava was located along the Jordan River near Jericho
, and had been evacuated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
, was subsequently destroyed by the invading Jordan
ian forces. Beit HaArava's children and noncombatant women members had been evacuated to kibbutz Shefayim
during the War of Independence. The members subsequently divided in 1949 into two groups. One became the founding members of Kabri and the other joined Gesher HaZiv
, another kibbutz in the Western Galilee.
im of Ben Ami
and Nativ HaShayara. There are also two archeological sites within its boundaries: Tel Kabri and a Byzantine
well and mosaic
floor. It commands a view of the Mediterranean and is within sight of the Lebanese
border.
plantation and avocado
groves, a metal
and wax
casting factory (Cabiran), a plastic
s factory (Ri'on), a restaurant, regional auditorium, and a vacation village.
taught at both schools.
There is also a childcare system for infants, toddlers, and kindergartners, and adult education with a range of cultural activities.
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 northern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located in the Western Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
about four kilometers east of the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
seaside town of Nahariya
Nahariya
Nahariya is the northernmost coastal city in Israel, with an estimated population of 51,200.-History:Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants from the Fifth Aliyah in the 1930s...
, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council
Mateh Asher Regional Council
The Mateh Asher Regional Council is a regional council in the western Galilee of northern Israel. It is named after the Tribe of Asher which had been allotted the region in antiquity according to the Book of Joshua . It was founded in 1982 as a merger of three regional councils: Ga'aton, Na'aman...
. In 2006 it had a population of 751.
Prehistory
The area of Kabri springs was first settled 16,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period. Permanent structures appeared around the year 10000 BCE. Archaeological digs uncovered the remains of an ancient city. The city was built around the year 2500 BCE and its territory ranged over 32 hectares, which were surrounded by dirt embankments 7 meters high and 35 meters thick, on which were built guard towers.This city is known to archaeologists as Tel Kabri
Tel Kabri
Tel Kabri is an archaeological site on the grounds of Kibbutz Kabri, near the city of Nahariya, Israel.Tel Kabri is notable for its Minoan-style frescoes, the only such frescoes ever discovered in Israel....
, though its Canaanite name is not known, was a city-state in the heart of which was placed the palace of the ruling monarch. The two-story palace was decorated with colorful frescoes and ornaments in Minoan
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans...
style. Residents of the city (their number is estimated at 5,000) earned their living through agriculture and international commerce. Leftover bits and pieces of merchandise whose origins lay in 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...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
were found in the ruins and in graves during the excavations. The city was connected to a port on the coast, apparently the one under Achziv. The city-state was completely abandoned around the year 1600 BCE for unknown reasons.
Ancient history
After a few generations, the Phoenicians established next to the abandoned city a fortress town on 1.5 hectares, in which were found the weapons and kitchen equipment of GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
mercenaries, as well as an extremely rare bowl, in which was prepared the color purple, the Phoenicians' main export. That settlement survived from the 9th century BCE until the end of 7th century, at which time it was destroyed by the Babylonians.
Modern history
The Arab village of al-KabriAl-Kabri
Al-Kabri was a Palestinian Arab town in the Galilee located northeast of Acre. It was captured by the Israel Defence Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. In 1945, it had a population of 1,520 and a total land area of 28,729 dunams. It is near the site of Tel Kabri.-History:Al-Kabri was known...
existed at the site from the post-Crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
period until 1949. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris
Benny Morris
Benny Morris is professor of History in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel...
, a Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
attack led to the flight of most of the villagers, while others were killed in what became known as the al-Kabri massacre
Al-Kabri massacre
The al-Kabri incident refers to a military operation carried out by the Israeli army during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War in retaliation for the ambush of the Yehiam convoy. On May 20, 1948, the Israeli Carmeli Brigade captured al-Kabri , an Arab village in the northwest corner of the region of the...
. The Haganah planned to "destroy and burn" Al-Kabri and neighboring villages in the western Galilee. Later, Al-Kabri was among villages razed to ensure that indigenous residents "could and would never return." (Morris, Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947-9, 1st. ed, p. 125)
In 1949 a new kibbutz was founded on the site of the village by displaced members of kibbutz Beit HaArava
Beit HaArava
Beit HaArava is an Israeli settlement and kibbutz in the West Bank. Located near the Dead Sea and Jericho at the eponymous Beit HaArava Junction, the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 90, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megilot Regional Council...
and young refugees from the Youth Aliyah
Youth Aliyah
Szold was initially skeptical about the merits of Freier's proposal, as she believed that Germany offered better educational opportunities for Jewish children than Palestine. However, Hitler's rise to power convinced her otherwise. The Nuremberg Laws were enacted in 1935 and on 31 March 1936 German...
. Beit HaArava was located along the Jordan River near Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
, and had been evacuated 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...
, was subsequently destroyed by the invading Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
ian forces. Beit HaArava's children and noncombatant women members had been evacuated to kibbutz Shefayim
Shefayim
Shefayim is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located 17 km north of Tel Aviv along the Mediterranean coast, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof HaSharon Regional Council...
during the War of Independence. The members subsequently divided in 1949 into two groups. One became the founding members of Kabri and the other joined Gesher HaZiv
Gesher Haziv
Gesher HaZiv is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Situated in the Western Galilee on the coastal highway between Nahariya and the Lebanese border, opposite the Akhziv National Park, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council...
, another kibbutz in the Western Galilee.
Geography
The kibbutz is situated near four natural springs, which provide water to it and the neighboring moshavMoshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
im of Ben Ami
Ben Ami
Ben Ami is an agricultural settlement in the Matte Asher Regional Council in the North District of Israel, next to Nahariya. The moshav was founded in 1949 by demobilized soldiers on the lands of the Palestinian village of Umm al-Faraj....
and Nativ HaShayara. There are also two archeological sites within its boundaries: Tel Kabri and a Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
well and mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
floor. It commands a view of the Mediterranean and is within sight of the Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
border.
Economy
The kibbutz supports itself from a successful bananaBanana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
plantation and avocado
Avocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
groves, a metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
and wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...
casting factory (Cabiran), a plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
s factory (Ri'on), a restaurant, regional auditorium, and a vacation village.
Educational institutions
Two schools are located on the kibbutz grounds—the "Maayanot" regional elementary school and the "Manor-Kabri" regional high school—in which children and youth of the kibbutz and nearby settlements receive their education. The high school particularly emphasizes education in the arts, offering majors (Grades 10-12) in music, visual arts, drama, and cinema/video. Owing to the educational programs offered in the performing arts along with academic subjects from the state curriculum, it attracts pupils from all over the area. Former Knesset member and Kabri resident Daniel RosolioDaniel Rosolio
Daniel Rosolio was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment between 1977 and 1983.-Biography:Born in Tel Aviv during the Mandate era, Rosolio attended the Shalva high school...
taught at both schools.
There is also a childcare system for infants, toddlers, and kindergartners, and adult education with a range of cultural activities.