Nitzanim
Encyclopedia
Nitzanim is a kibbutz
in southern Israel
. Located between Ashkelon
and Ashdod on the Nitzanim dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council
. In 2006 it had a population of 343.
The kibbutz was established after the Jewish National Fund
purchased a 400 acres (1.6 km²) plot of land and a large house known as the "mansion" in 1942. The first residents were immigrants
, some of whom were Holocaust survivors
. It later absorbed more immigrants from Poland
and Romania
.
The kibbutz was captured by the Egypt
ian army during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
in the Battle of Nitzanim
, but was recaptured by Israeli forces at the end of the conflict, after which the settlement was re-established around four kilometres south of the original location. In 1949, Nitzanim Youth Village was established on the original site. The youth village
closed in 1990, and during the 1990s the communal settlement
of Nitzan
was founded on the site.
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 southern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located between Ashkelon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
and Ashdod on the Nitzanim dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council
Hof Ashkelon Regional Council
Hof Ashkelon Regional Council is a regional council in the Southern District of Israel.The council is bordered to the north by Be'er Tuvia Regional Council, to the east by the Be'er Tuvia, Lakhish, Shafir and Yoav Regional Councils, to the south by Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council and the Gaza...
. In 2006 it had a population of 343.
The kibbutz was established after 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...
purchased a 400 acres (1.6 km²) plot of land and a large house known as the "mansion" in 1942. The first residents were 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...
, some of whom were Holocaust survivors
Sh'erit ha-Pletah
Sh'erit ha-Pletah is a biblical term used by Jewish survivors of the Nazi Holocaust to refer to themselves and the communities they formed following their liberation in the spring of 1945....
. It later absorbed more immigrants 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...
and Romania
Romania
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...
.
The kibbutz was captured by the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian army 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...
in the Battle of Nitzanim
Battle of Nitzanim
The Battle of Nitzanim was a battle fought between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Army in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, on June 7, 1948...
, but was recaptured by Israeli forces at the end of the conflict, after which the settlement was re-established around four kilometres south of the original location. In 1949, Nitzanim Youth Village was established on the original site. The youth village
Youth village
A youth village is a boarding school model first developed in Mandate Palestine in the 1930s to care for groups of children and teenagers fleeing the Nazis...
closed in 1990, and during the 1990s the communal settlement
Communal settlement (Israel)
A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....
of Nitzan
Nitzan
Nitzan is a religiously observant communal settlement in southern Israel. Located among the Nitzanim sand dunes north of Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 3,000...
was founded on the site.