Kibbutz Shamir
Encyclopedia
Shamir is a kibbutz
in Upper Galilee
area of Israel
. Located on the western slopes of the Golan Heights, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council
. In 2006 it had a population of 608.
n immigrants
. The first-generation settlers were members of the Marxist Zionist youth movement Hashomer Hatzair
.
Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
the UN
-established border between Israel
and Syria
was drawn to run only a few hundred yards east of the kibbutz.
Judi Sinton, a volunteer from New Zealand, on her way back to the apiary after breakfast, was shot by a terrorist and killed. The members of the kibbutz seized their guns and ran in the direction from where gun fire was heard. In the gun battle that followed all four terrorists were killed.
Later that year, Judy's boyfriend Jonathan arrived from New Zealand on Shamir and planted three pine trees in commemoration of Judy and the other two kibbutz members.
Edna was 28 years old, Shoshana 58 and Judi 19.
The terrorists' aim was to take Israeli hostages in return for 100 jailed terrorists. Their written message ends: "We love to die, as you love to live.". The artist Avraham Eilat
who was at that time a member of the kibbutz documented the event.
.
The kibbutz also earns money from tourism; it offers views of Mount Hermon
to the north and the Hula Valley below the kibbutz. A relatively rare phenomenon can be observed from Shamir – a "sunrise in the west." As the kibbutz is nested in the steeply-rising western slopes of the Golan, when the sun rises, its first rays at daybreak illuminate the peaks of the Ramim mountain range across the valley to the west of Shamir. As the sun climbs progressively higher, more of Ramim is bathed in sunshine, which can then be observed progressing from west to east, down the slopes of Ramim, across the valley and up the slopes of the Golan before reaching the kibbutz.
Of notable interest in the kibbutz are some 3rd century border stones with Greek
inscriptions and several dolmen
s in the vicinity of the kibbutz.
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 Upper Galilee
Upper Galilee
The Upper Galilee is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period, originally referring to a mountainous area overlapping the present northern Israel and southern Lebanon, its borders being the Litani river in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Beit...
area of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located on the western slopes of the Golan Heights, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council
Upper Galilee Regional Council
The Upper Galilee Regional Council is a regional council in Israel's Upper Galilee region.The area has a population of 15,500 and has been headed for 14 years by Aharon Valenci. Its headquarters are located in Kiryat Shmona, an independent city not included in the council's jurisdiction.-Regional...
. In 2006 it had a population of 608.
History
The kibbutz was established in 1944 by a small group of mainly RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n immigrants
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
. The first-generation settlers were members of the Marxist Zionist youth movement Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer 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...
.
Following 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...
the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
-established border between Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
was drawn to run only a few hundred yards east of the kibbutz.
Terror attack
On Thursday, June 13, 1974, four PF-GC terrorists snuck through the Lebanon-Israel border and invaded Kibbutz Shamir. They entered one of the buildings shooting Edna Mor (who was Pregnant) and Shoshana Galili. Edna left behind a child and husband who moved out of the kibbutz shortly after. The terrorists continued shooting at random.Judi Sinton, a volunteer from New Zealand, on her way back to the apiary after breakfast, was shot by a terrorist and killed. The members of the kibbutz seized their guns and ran in the direction from where gun fire was heard. In the gun battle that followed all four terrorists were killed.
Later that year, Judy's boyfriend Jonathan arrived from New Zealand on Shamir and planted three pine trees in commemoration of Judy and the other two kibbutz members.
Edna was 28 years old, Shoshana 58 and Judi 19.
The terrorists' aim was to take Israeli hostages in return for 100 jailed terrorists. Their written message ends: "We love to die, as you love to live.". The artist Avraham Eilat
Avraham Eilat
Avraham Eilat is an Israeli artist, educator and curator. He graduated from the Hebrew Gimnasium Herzliya in Tel Aviv, and was enrolled in Hashomer Hatzair youth movement for nine years since the age of 9 . After military service in 1960 he joined in Kibbutz Shamir, situated on the western slopes...
who was at that time a member of the kibbutz documented the event.
Economy
As of 2006, Shamir is one of the most prosperous kibbutzim in Israel, producing honey, toiletries, and advanced optical products. The optical enterprise, Shamir Optical Industry, is a fully incorporated stock company and is quoted on NASDAQNASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
.
The kibbutz also earns money from tourism; it offers views of Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at 2,814 m above sea level, is the highest point in Syria. On the top there is “Hermon Hotel”, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied...
to the north and the Hula Valley below the kibbutz. A relatively rare phenomenon can be observed from Shamir – a "sunrise in the west." As the kibbutz is nested in the steeply-rising western slopes of the Golan, when the sun rises, its first rays at daybreak illuminate the peaks of the Ramim mountain range across the valley to the west of Shamir. As the sun climbs progressively higher, more of Ramim is bathed in sunshine, which can then be observed progressing from west to east, down the slopes of Ramim, across the valley and up the slopes of the Golan before reaching the kibbutz.
Of notable interest in the kibbutz are some 3rd century border stones with Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
inscriptions and several dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s in the vicinity of the kibbutz.