Zohar, Israel

Zohar (Hebrew: זֹהַר‎, lit. Brightness) is a moshav in southern Israel. Located near the city of Kiryat Gat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lakhish Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 350.[1]

Zohar

זוהר, זֹהַר‎
زوهر
Zohar
Coordinates: 31°35′43″N 34°41′32″E
CountryIsrael
DistrictSouthern
CouncilLakhish
AffiliationAgricultural Union
Founded1956
Founded byAlgerian and Tunisian Jews
Population
 (2019)
350[1]
Name meaningBrightness

A large lake that serves as a reservoir lies near the town.

History

The moshav was founded in 1956 by Jewish refugees from Algeria and Tunisia on land, that had belonged to the Arab village of al-Faluja,[2] as part of the effort to settle Hevel Lakhish.

According to Walid Khalidi, Zohar is founded on the land belonging to the depopulated Palestinian village of Burayr.[3]

Its name signifies the desire of the inhabitants to be quickly absorbed in what was then a remote frontier region. In later years, new immigrants from Iraq, Russia and Hungary settled there.

In the 1950s and 1960s the moshav was a target for Palestinian fedayeen who infiltrated into Israel from Gaza.

References
  1. "Population in the Localities 2019" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.485, ISBN 965-220-186-3
  3. Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. p. 92. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
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