Heftziba
| Heftziba | |
|---|---|
  Heftziba | |
| Coordinates: 32°31′4.8″N 35°25′31.44″E / 32.518000°N 35.4254000°ECoordinates: 32°31′4.8″N 35°25′31.44″E / 32.518000°N 35.4254000°E | |
| Council | Gilboa |
| Region | Gilboa |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 1922 |
| Founded by | Immigrants from Czechoslovakia and Germany |
| Population (2008) | 365[1] |
Heftziba (Hebrew: חֶפְצִיבָּהּ) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the boundaries of the Jezreel and Beit She'an Valleys between the cities of Afula and Beit She'an, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gilboa Regional Council. Kibbutz Heftziba has a population of 374.
History
The kibbutz was founded in 1922 by immigrants from Czechoslovakia and Germany. It was named after the farm adjacent to Hadera, where the original settlers worked before they relocated and founded the community. Originally the name derives from the Bible, where God speaks about his love for Israel: "My delight in her." (Isaiah 62:4)
Archaeology
The Beit Alfa Synagogue National Park is located here, not as one may think at the nearby kibbutz Beit Alfa. It contains an ancient Byzantine-era synagogue, with a mosaic floor depicting the lunar Hebrew months as they correspond to the signs of the zodiac.[2][3] The synagogue as well as the nearby kibbutz got their name from the Arab village that once stood here, Khirbet Bait Ilfa, in the presumption that it conserved the name of the older Jewish settlement at the site.
Makuya
Makuya students have been sent to Israeli kibbutzim to work together with the people of the Bible, and to study Hebrew and the biblical background. Some of them continue their academic studies in universities. The primary kibbutz the Makuya students stay at is Heftziba.[4]
Notable residents
- After a period of residency, the author Arthur Koestler attempted to join the kibbutz, but his application was refused after a vote.[5]
References
- ↑ "Locality File" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2008. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ↑ "Beit Alfa Synagogue National Park (on Kibbutz Hefzibah)". Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
- ↑ Goldman, Bernard, The Sacred Portal: a primary symbol in ancient Judaic art, Detroit : Wayne State University Press, 1966. It has a detailed account and treatment of the mosaic at the Beit Alfa synagogue.
- ↑ Mukuya presence at Heftziba
- ↑ Koestler, Arthur Arrow in the Blue pp. 125–32
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