Tel Katzir

Tel Katzir
Tel Katzir
Coordinates: 32°42′20.88″N 35°37′4.8″E / 32.7058000°N 35.618000°ECoordinates: 32°42′20.88″N 35°37′4.8″E / 32.7058000°N 35.618000°E
Council	Emek HaYarden
Region	Sea of Galilee
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Founded	1949
Founded by	Hebrew Scouts

Tel Katzir (Hebrew: תֵּל קָצִיר, lit. Harvest Hill) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located to the south of the Sea of Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 202.

The village was founded in 1949 by a gar'in of Hebrew Scouts and a kvutza of youths from kibbutz Afikim. Its name was adapted from the Arabic name for the area, Tel al-Qasr, and also symbolises agriculture. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion refused to accept the name, insisting that it should be called Beit Katzir because it was not a real tell. However, after the kibbutz's secretariat had put a case, noting that Tel Aviv was not a real tell, and that Ramat Gan (lit. Garden Heights) was not hilly, they eventually won recognition of their preferred name.

The kibbutz was established on land which belonged to the Palestinian village of Samakh, which was depopulated in 1948.^[1]

There is a small museum in the kibbutz about its history and the period between 1948 and 1967.^[2]

Notable residents

• Eli Hurvitz (1932-2011), industrialist; Chairman of the Board and former CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
• Mark Regev (born 1960), formerly Mark Freiberg, is the official spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Israel. In 1982 he emigrated to Israel and lived and worked at kibbutz Tel Katzir.

References

1. Khalidi, Walid (1992), All That Remains, Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies, p. 538, ISBN 0-88728-224-5
2. Museum information