Mesilot
Encyclopedia
Mesilot is a kibbutz
in Beit She'an Valley near the city of Beit She'an in Israel
. It falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council.
location : under mount Gilboa
in Givat Michael near Ness Ziona
by immigrants
from Poland
(who were members of the "BaMesilah" group from which the kibbutz takes its name) and Bulgaria
(members of the "Bulgaria - Tel Hai
group"), with both groups belonging to the Hashomer Hatzair
movement.
The kibbutz itself was established on 22 December 1938 as a tower and stockade
settlement. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
, the kibbutz was bombed by an Iraq
i aeroplane. One member of the kibbutz was killed in the bombing, and some other members were injured.
On 16 april 1957 two guards of the kibbutz were killed by Palestinian terrorists
who came from the West Bank
, then part of Jordan
Among the illustrous sons of the settlement are the sculptor Nahum Tevet (1946) and the ballet
dancer and choreographer Zvi Gotheiner.
, including livestock: milking cows and flock of chickens, a fishery, an orchard, plantings of olives and dates, and other vegetables.
, Nir David
, Beit Hashita
, Sde Nahum
and Beit Alfa
. Next to the elementary school, based on the donation of Mrs. Yehudit ben Moshe (who was a member of Mesilot and the first principal of its school), a special school was founded for children with autism
. Healthy children from grades 7 through 12 used to be educated at the Gilboa School, which was founded next to the Beit Alfa
kibbutz and was run jointly by Mesilot, Reshafim, Nir David and Beit Alfa. In 2005 this school was closed, so the students of Mesilot transferred to the regional school at Neve Eitan
.
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 Beit She'an Valley near the city of Beit She'an in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council.
location : under mount Gilboa
History
The community was initially formed as an urban kibbutzUrban kibbutz
An urban kibbutz is a form of kibbutz which is located within an existing city. There are currently just over 100 in Israel, totalling around 2,000 members....
in Givat Michael near Ness Ziona
Ness Ziona
Ness Ziona is a city in central Israel founded in 1883. At the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 38,100, and its jurisdiction was 15,579 dunams.-Nahalat Reuben:...
by 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...
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...
(who were members of the "BaMesilah" group from which the kibbutz takes its name) and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
(members of the "Bulgaria - Tel Hai
Tel Hai
Tel Hai is the modern name of a settlement in northern Israel, the site of an early battle in the Arab–Israeli conflict, and of a noted monument, tourist attraction, and a college...
group"), with both groups belonging to the 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...
movement.
The kibbutz itself was established on 22 December 1938 as a tower and stockade
Tower and stockade
Tower and stockade was a settlement method used by Zionist settlers in the British Mandate of Palestine during the 1936–39 Arab revolt, when the establishment of new Jewish settlements was restricted by the Mandatory authorities...
settlement. During 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 kibbutz was bombed by an Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i aeroplane. One member of the kibbutz was killed in the bombing, and some other members were injured.
On 16 april 1957 two guards of the kibbutz were killed by Palestinian terrorists
Palestinian fedayeen
Palestinian fedayeen refers to militants or guerrillas of a nationalist orientation from among the Palestinian people...
who came from the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, then part of Jordan
Among the illustrous sons of the settlement are the sculptor Nahum Tevet (1946) and the ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
dancer and choreographer Zvi Gotheiner.
Economy
As well as agriculture, Mesilot has a large and successful factory, the "Mesilot Cable Factory." Likewise, the kibbutz does various forms of agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, including livestock: milking cows and flock of chickens, a fishery, an orchard, plantings of olives and dates, and other vegetables.
Education
The children of the kibbutz are educated in the regional school within the kibbutz, which also serves children from the nearby kibbutzim ReshafimReshafim
Reshafim is a kibbutz in northeastern Israel. Located two kilometres to the south of the town of Beit She'an in the Beit She'an Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council. The kibbutz has about 270 members, 50 non-member residents, and 100 children.-History:The...
, Nir David
Nir David
Nir David is a kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley near the city of Jenin in northern Israel. Founded on 10 December 1936 as the first of the tower and stockade settlements under the name Tel Amal, it is under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council-History:The community of Nir David...
, Beit Hashita
Beit Hashita
Beit HaShita is a kibbutz between Afula and Beit She'an, Israel founded on 4 December 1928 by members of "Kvuzat HaHugim" and members of "Tnuat HaMahanot HaOlim" from Haifa and Jerusalem. The kibbutz was named after the biblical town of the same name, where the Midianites fled after being beaten...
, Sde Nahum
Sde Nahum
Sde Nahum is a kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley in northern Israel. Located around 4 km northwest of Beit She'an, it falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council...
and Beit Alfa
Beit Alfa
Beit Alfa is a kibbutz in the Northern District of Israel, near the Gilboa ridge.-History:The kibbutz was founded in 1922 by Hashomer Hatzair volunteers. The first members came from Poland. In 1940 some of the members, affiliated with Hashomer Hatzair, moved to Ramat Yohanan kibbutz, in exchange...
. Next to the elementary school, based on the donation of Mrs. Yehudit ben Moshe (who was a member of Mesilot and the first principal of its school), a special school was founded for children with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
. Healthy children from grades 7 through 12 used to be educated at the Gilboa School, which was founded next to the Beit Alfa
Beit Alfa
Beit Alfa is a kibbutz in the Northern District of Israel, near the Gilboa ridge.-History:The kibbutz was founded in 1922 by Hashomer Hatzair volunteers. The first members came from Poland. In 1940 some of the members, affiliated with Hashomer Hatzair, moved to Ramat Yohanan kibbutz, in exchange...
kibbutz and was run jointly by Mesilot, Reshafim, Nir David and Beit Alfa. In 2005 this school was closed, so the students of Mesilot transferred to the regional school at Neve Eitan
Neve Eitan
Neve Eitan is a kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley in northern Israel. Located about 1 km east of Beit She'an and 1 km west of Maoz Haim, it is under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council.-History:...
.