Gezer (kibbutz)

Gezer
גֶּזֶר
Gezer
Coordinates: 31°52′31.07″N 34°55′17.03″E / 31.8752972°N 34.9213972°E / 31.8752972; 34.9213972Coordinates: 31°52′31.07″N 34°55′17.03″E / 31.8752972°N 34.9213972°E / 31.8752972; 34.9213972
Council Gezer
Region Shephelah
Affiliation Kibbutz Movement
Founded 1945
Founded by European immigrants

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 2006 it had a population of 353.

The kibbutz was established in 1945 on land purchased by the Ancient Order of Maccabeans in England,[1] a philanthropic society founded in 1896.[2] The pioneers were immigrants from Europe, who named the kibbutz after Biblical Tel Gezer (Joshua 21:21), located nearby.[3]

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.[4]

After the war it was rebuilt, but came apart in 1964 due to social difficulties. The current kibbutz was founded on July 4, 1974, by a Gar'in from North America. Kibbutz Gezer Field is one of the few regulation baseball fields in Israel.[3] 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.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Encyclopedia Judaica, Volume 7, Gezer, p.536.
  2. ↑ Order of Ancient Maccabeans
  3. 1 2 Mapa's concise gazetteer of Israel (in Hebrew). Yuval Elʻazari (ed.). Tel-Aviv: Mapa Publishing. 2005. p. 108. ISBN 965-7184-34-7.
  4. ↑ Benny Morris, 1948, (2008), pp.229-230.
  5. ↑ Out there: Kibbutz Gezer; King Solomon's Nines

External links

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