Zohar, Israel

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Zohar
זוהר, זֹהַר‎
زوهر
Zohar is located in Ashkelon region of Israel
Zohar
Zohar
Coordinates: 31°35′43″N 34°41′32″E / 31.59528°N 34.69222°E / 31.59528; 34.69222Coordinates: 31°35′43″N 34°41′32″E / 31.59528°N 34.69222°E / 31.59528; 34.69222
CountryIsrael
DistrictSouthern
CouncilLakhish
AffiliationAgricultural Union
Founded1956
Founded byAlgerian and Tunisian Jews
Population
 (2019)
350[1]
Name meaningBrightness

Zohar (Hebrew: זֹהַר‎, lit. Brightness) is a moshav in southern Israel. Located near the city of Kiryat Gat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lakhish Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 350.[1]

A large lake that serves as a reservoir lies near the town.

History[]

The moshav was founded in 1956 by Jewish refugees from Algeria and Tunisia on land, that had belonged to the Arab village of al-Faluja,[2] as part of the effort to settle Hevel Lakhish.

According to Walid Khalidi, Zohar is founded on the land belonging to the depopulated Palestinian village of Burayr.[3]

Its name signifies the desire of the inhabitants to be quickly absorbed in what was then a remote frontier region. In later years, new immigrants from Iraq, Russia and Hungary settled there.[citation needed]

In the 1950s and 1960s the moshav was a target for Palestinian fedayeen who infiltrated into Israel from Gaza.[citation needed]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Population in the Localities 2019" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. ^ Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.485, ISBN 965-220-186-3
  3. ^ Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. p. 92. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
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