Beit Alfa
Encyclopedia
Beit Alfa is a kibbutz
in the Northern District
of Israel
, near the Gilboa
ridge.
volunteers. The first members came from Poland
. In 1940 some of the members, affiliated with Hashomer Hatzair, moved to Ramat Yohanan
kibbutz, in exchange for supporters of Mapai
from Ramat Yohanan. According to the Jewish National Fund
, this move was prompted by an ideological split.
On the 1st of April 1948 the kibbutz was attacked by Arab mortar fire. The Arabs withdrew as a platoon from the 1st parachute battalion of the British 6th Airborne Division approached.
The Kibbutz dairy
was the first Israeli dairy to use robotic milking technology.
The Beit Alfa Synagogue
National Park, located at the nearby kibbutz Heftziba, contains an ancient Byzantine
-era synagogue
, with a mosaic
floor depicting the lunar Hebrew months as they correspond to the signs of the zodiac
.
. Officials from Beit Alfa have defended the sale of their equipment to human-rights abusing regimes, on the grounds that compared with live ammunition, water cannons save lives of demonstrators who otherwise might be shot dead with live ammunition.
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 the Northern District
North District (Israel)
The Northern District is one of Israel's six administrative districts. The Northern District has a land area of 4,478 km², which increases to 4,638 km² when both land and water are included...
of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, near the Gilboa
Gilboa (ridge)
Mount Gilboa is a ridge above the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. The formation extends from southeast to northwest, bordering the highlands of the West Bank and the Beit She'an valley. The Green Line between Israel and the West Bank runs south and west of the ridge...
ridge.
History
The kibbutz was founded in 1922 by 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...
volunteers. The first members came from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. In 1940 some of the members, affiliated with Hashomer Hatzair, moved to Ramat Yohanan
Ramat Yohanan
Ramat Yohanan is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located near Kiryat Ata, it falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 751....
kibbutz, in exchange for supporters of Mapai
Mapai
Mapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...
from Ramat Yohanan. According to the Jewish National Fund
Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
, this move was prompted by an ideological split.
On the 1st of April 1948 the kibbutz was attacked by Arab mortar fire. The Arabs withdrew as a platoon from the 1st parachute battalion of the British 6th Airborne Division approached.
The Kibbutz dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
was the first Israeli dairy to use robotic milking technology.
The Beit Alfa Synagogue
Beit Alfa Synagogue
The Beit Alfa Synagogue is an ancient Byzantine-era synagogue located in Heftziba, at the foot of Mount Gilboa in northern Israel. It was constructed in the 6th century CE and is famous for its mosaic floor which was uncovered in 1928.-Dimensions:...
National Park, located at the nearby kibbutz Heftziba, contains an ancient 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...
-era synagogue
Beit Alfa Synagogue
The Beit Alfa Synagogue is an ancient Byzantine-era synagogue located in Heftziba, at the foot of Mount Gilboa in northern Israel. It was constructed in the 6th century CE and is famous for its mosaic floor which was uncovered in 1928.-Dimensions:...
, with a 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 depicting the lunar Hebrew months as they correspond to the signs of the zodiac
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
.
Controversy
One of Beit Alfa's main industries is riot control equipment that has been the subject of some controversy. The equipment has been sold to regimes that some accuse of abusing human rights. During the 1980s, Beit Alfa sold water cannon to the apartheid regime in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Officials from Beit Alfa have defended the sale of their equipment to human-rights abusing regimes, on the grounds that compared with live ammunition, water cannons save lives of demonstrators who otherwise might be shot dead with live ammunition.
