Zikim
Zikim
זִיקִים زيكيم | |
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![]() Kibbutz Zikim in 1956 | |
![]() ![]() Zikim | |
Coordinates: 31°36′28″N 34°31′18″E / 31.60778°N 34.52167°ECoordinates: 31°36′28″N 34°31′18″E / 31.60778°N 34.52167°E | |
Country | ![]() |
District | Southern |
Council | Hof Ashkelon |
Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
Founded | 1949 |
Founded by | Romanian Hashomer HaTzair Members |
Population (2019)[1] | 852 |
Website | www.zikim.org.il |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%AA.jpg/220px-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%AA.jpg)
Zikim (Hebrew: זִיקִים) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the northern Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 852.[1]
History[]
The kibbutz was established in 1949 on land that had belonged to the depopulated Palestinian village of Hiribya,[2] by a group of young Romanian Jews who belonged to Hashomer Hatzair before their arrival in Mandatory Palestine in 1947.[citation needed]
At that time, Jewish settlement in the Negev was very sparse, and each new location was considered to be a "point of light" (zik) in the wilderness. Michael Har-Segor, later an Israeli historian, came up with the name while imprisoned in Romania for his activity in Hashomer Hatzair. He says he translated a quote from Pushkin into Hebrew: "From sparks shall come a flame."[3]
Zikim attracted members of Hashomer Hatzair from around the world, most recently from South America. British actor Bob Hoskins, although not Jewish, worked as a volunteer in Zikim in 1967.[4]
In 2006 a Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza hit a mattress factory in Zikim. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.[5] In July 2014, five armed Palestinians attempted to cross into Israel via the beach at Kibbutz Zikim. They were killed by IDF gunfire.[6]
Economy[]
The main crops are mango and avocado. Zikim also operates one of Israel's largest dairy farms. The main industrial product is polyurethane, produced by the kibbutz factory, Polyrit.[7]
Notable residents[]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Population in the Localities 2019" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- ^ Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. p. 102. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
- ^ Past Perfect Haaretz; accessed 20 May 2018.
- ^ Yaakov, Yifa (May 1, 2014). "Bob Hoskins, kibbutz volunteer". The Times of Israel. Associated Press. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ Katz, Yaakov (April 6, 2006). "Kassam hits factory in Kibbutz Zikim". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ Lappin, Yaakov (July 8, 2014). "WATCH: IDF kills 5 Hamas terrorists attempting to infiltrate from the sea". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ "Contact". Polyron. Polyrit. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zikim. |
- Official website (in Hebrew)
- Hof Ashkelon Regional Council
- Kibbutzim
- Kibbutz Movement
- Gaza envelope
- Populated places in Southern District (Israel)
- Romanian-Jewish culture in Israel
- Populated places established in 1949
- 1949 establishments in Israel