Zikim

Coordinates: 31°36′28″N 34°31′18″E / 31.60778°N 34.52167°E / 31.60778; 34.52167
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This article is about the Israeli kibbutz. For the Israel Defense Forces base nearby, see Bahad 4.
Zikim
זִיקִים‎
زيكيم
Kibbutz Zikim in August 2023
Kibbutz Zikim in August 2023
Zikim is located in Ashkelon region of Israel
Zikim
Zikim
Zikim is located in Israel
Zikim
Zikim
Coordinates: 31°36′28″N 34°31′18″E / 31.60778°N 34.52167°E / 31.60778; 34.52167
Country Israel
DistrictSouthern
CouncilHof Ashkelon
AffiliationKibbutz Movement
Founded1949
Founded byRomanian Hashomer HaTzair Members
Population
 (2022)[1]
918
Websitewww.zikim.org.il
Zikim beach
Kibbutz Zikim in 1956
Old house on the hill above the kibbutz

Zikim (Hebrew: זִיקִים) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the northern Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2022, it had a population of 918.[1]

History[edit]

For settlement history preceding the kibbutz, see Hiribya: History. Ancient discoveries in Zikim comprise a Greek graffito on the base of a high-quality plate dating from 144-160 BCE, and Greek inscriptions on Gazan jars from the 6th to early 7th century CE.[2]

The kibbutz was established in 1949 on land that had belonged to the depopulated Palestinian village of Hiribya,[3] by a group of young Romanian Jews who belonged to Hashomer Hatzair before their arrival in Mandatory Palestine in 1947.[citation needed]

At that time, Jewish settlement in the Negev was very sparse, and each new location was considered to be a "point of light" (zik) in the wilderness. Michael Har-Segor, later an Israeli historian, came up with the name while imprisoned in Romania for his activity in Hashomer Hatzair. He says he translated a quote from Pushkin into Hebrew: "From sparks shall come a flame."[4]

Zikim attracted members of Hashomer Hatzair from around the world, most recently from South America. British actor Bob Hoskins, although not Jewish, worked as a volunteer in Zikim in 1967.[5]

In 2006, a Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza hit a mattress factory in Zikim. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.[6] In July 2014, five armed Palestinians attempted to cross into Israel via the beach at Kibbutz Zikim. They were killed by IDF gunfire.[7]

On 7 October 2023, as part of an attack on Israel, Hamas amphibiously assaulted the Zikim training base and Zikim kibbutz.[8] Hamas killed 19 civilians,[9] 8 soldiers and left dozens wounded in the Zikim Beach massacre.[10][11][12]

Economy[edit]

The main crops are mango and avocado. Zikim also operates one of Israel's largest dairy farms. The main industrial product is polyurethane, produced by the kibbutz factory, Polyrit.[13]

Notable people[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ "XIX. Ziqim", Volume 3 South Coast: 2161-2648, De Gruyter, pp. 367–370, 2014-07-14, doi:10.1515/9783110337679.367, ISBN 978-3-11-033767-9, retrieved 2024-02-25
  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. 102. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
  4. ^ Past Perfect Archived 2009-12-19 at the Wayback Machine Haaretz; accessed 20 May 2018.
  5. ^ Yaakov, Yifa (May 1, 2014). "Bob Hoskins, kibbutz volunteer". The Times of Israel. Associated Press. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  6. ^ Katz, Yaakov (April 6, 2006). "Kassam hits factory in Kibbutz Zikim". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  7. ^ Lappin, Yaakov (July 8, 2014). "WATCH: IDF kills 5 Hamas terrorists attempting to infiltrate from the sea". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  8. ^ "Videos show new details on how Hamas launched surprise assault on Israel". CNN. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  9. ^ קוריאל, אילנה (2023-11-04). "אלינה בילתה עם חבריה, אריה ואלי יצאו לדוג: 19 נרצחו בחוף זיקים במתקפת הפתע". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  10. ^ "קומץ מפקדים הצילו בגופם 90 טירונים. סיפורו של הקרב ההירואי בזיקים". הארץ (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  11. ^ ""חוף זיקים בשבת בבוקר זה חור שחור. לא נוצרה מילה שתתאר את גודל המחדל" - וואלה! חדשות". וואלה! (in Hebrew). 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  12. ^ קוריאל, אילנה (2023-10-27). "אריה ובנו אלי נרצחו כשהלכו לדוג בחוף זיקים: "הבנו שצריך רק להמתין לבשורה המרה"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  13. ^ "Contact". Polyron. Polyrit. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2019.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zikim.
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