Zikim

This article is about the Israeli kibbutz. For the Israel Defense Forces base nearby, see Bahad 4.
Zikim
Zikim
Coordinates: 31°36′28.44″N 34°31′18.47″E / 31.6079000°N 34.5217972°E / 31.6079000; 34.5217972Coordinates: 31°36′28.44″N 34°31′18.47″E / 31.6079000°N 34.5217972°E / 31.6079000; 34.5217972
District Southern
Council Hof Ashkelon
Affiliation Kibbutz Movement
Founded 1949
Founded by Romanian Hashomer
Hatzair members
Population (2015)[1] 625
Website www.zikim.org.il
Kibbutz Zikim in 1956

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 2015 it had a population of 625.

History

The kibbutz was established in 1949 on land that had belonged to the depopulated Arab village of Hiribya,[2] by a group of young Romanian Jews who belonged to Hashomer Hatzair before their arrival in Mandatory Palestine in 1947. 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. The actor Bob Hoskins worked as a volunteer in Zikim in 1967.

In 2006 a Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza hit a mattress factory in Zikim. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.[4] In July 2014, five armed Palestinians attempted to cross into Israel via the beach at Kibbutz Zikim. They were killed by IDF gunfire.[5]

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.

Notable residents

References

  1. ↑ "List of localities, in Alphabetical order" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Past Perfect Haaretz
  4. ↑ Kassam hits factory in Kibbutz Zikim The Jerusalem Post
  5. ↑ "WATCH: IDF kills 5 Hamas terrorists attempting to infiltrate from the sea". Jerusalem Post. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
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