Gezer (kibbutz)

Gezer (Hebrew: גֶּזֶר) is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah between Modi'in, Ramle and Rehovot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gezer Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 311.[1]

Gezer
גֶּזֶר‎
Gezer is located in Central Israel
Gezer
Gezer
Coordinates: 31°52′31″N 34°55′17″E
CountryIsrael
DistrictCentral
CouncilGezer
AffiliationKibbutz Movement
Founded1945
Founded byEuropean immigrants
Population
 (2021)[1]
311

History

The kibbutz was established in 1945 on land purchased by the Ancient Order of Maccabeans in England,[2] a philanthropic society founded in 1896.[3] The land had traditionally belonged to the Palestinian village of Al-Qubab.[4]

The pioneers were immigrants from Europe, who named the kibbutz after the biblical city of Gezer (Joshua 21:21), identified as a tell (archaeological mound) located nearby.[5]

On 10 June 1948, the day after an attempt to take Latrun was performed by Yiftah and Harel brigades during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, a battalion-size force of the Arab Legion, supported by irregulars and a dozen of armored cars, attacked the kibbutz. This was defended by 68 Haganah soldiers. After four hours of battle, the kibbutz fell. 39 defenders were killed, a dozen escaped, and the remaining were taken prisoner. Two Arab legionnaires were killed. At the evening, the kibbutz abandoned to the irregulars was taken back by two Palmach squads.[6]

Gezer kibbutz 1945
Kibbutz Gezer in 1948

After the war it was rebuilt, but came apart in 1964 due to social difficulties. The current kibbutz was founded on 4 July 1974, by a Gar'in from North America.

Kibbutz Gezer Field is one of the few regulation baseball fields in Israel.[5] Construction of the field in 1983, funded by American donors, took six weeks. The first game was played within a few months. A backstop, covered benches for players and a refreshment stand were added at a later date. In 1989, a scoreboard and outfield fence were erected for the Maccabiah Games.[7]

Since 2014, a red-hair event has been held at the Kibbutz for the local Israeli red hair community. The festival includes performances, group discussions surrounding breaking stigmas about gingers, and even helps red heads to find their ginger spouse. [8] However, the number of attendees has to be restricted due to the risk of rocket attacks, leading to anger in the red-hair community.[9]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. Encyclopedia Judaica, Volume 7, Gezer, p.536.
  3. Order of Ancient Maccabeans Jewish Virtual Library
  4. Khalidi, W. (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. p. 407. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
  5. Mapa's concise gazetteer of Israel (in Hebrew). Yuval Elʻazari (ed.). Tel-Aviv: Mapa Publishing. 2005. p. 108. ISBN 965-7184-34-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. Benny Morris, 1948, (2008), pp.229-230.
  7. Out there: Kibbutz Gezer; King Solomon's Nines New York Times, 23 August 1992
  8. "Israel holds first conference for 'gingers'". Al-monitor.com. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  9. Finally, a Red Alert This Summer That (Most) Israelis Welcomed Roy Arad, Haaretz.com, August 30, 2014
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