Hatzor Ashdod | |
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  Hatzor Ashdod | |
| Coordinates:31°46′20″N34°43′13″E / 31.77222°N 34.72028°E /31.77222; 34.72028 | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Southern |
| Council | Be'er Tuvia |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 17 June 1946 |
| Founded by | Hashomer Hatzair |
| Population (2023)[1] | 944 |
| Website | www.hatzor.org.il |
Hatzor (Hebrew:חָצוֹר), officiallyHatzor Ashdod, is akibbutz in southernIsrael. Located nearAshdod, it falls under the jurisdiction ofBe'er Tuvia Regional Council. In 2023 it had a population of 944.[1]
The kibbutz is named[2] after a biblical city in the territory of theTribe of Judah calledHatzor (Joshua 15:23). The extended nameHatzor Ashdod is to distinguish between this kibbutz and theGalilean town ofHatzor HaGlilit, although the kibbutz is best known as simply "Hatzor".[3][4]
Thegar'in of the kibbutz was founded by a group ofHashomer Hatzair graduates fromMandatory Palestine who gathered atMishmar HaEmek in 1936. It was namedKibbutz Eretz Israeli Gimel (Gimel is the third letter of the Hebrew Alphabet).
In 1937, the members left Mishmar HaEmek and moved toRishon LeZion and settled in a camp used by another gar'in that left to establish the kibbutz ofSha'ar HaGolan. At Rishon LeZion, the members were occupied in manual work at orchards, factories, and road paving (for theSolel Boneh company) and established a carpentry shop and aLaundrette. In 1938, some members were sent for agricultural training in Beit Gan.
In 1941, the gari'n absorbed a group ofpioneers fromBulgaria, graduates of Hashomer Hatzair and in the years 1945 and 1946, two groups from theUnited States andCanada, graduates of the movement as well. On 13 May 1943, a group of the gar'in members foundedGvulot, one of thethree lookouts, the firstJewish settlements in theNegev. The members settled in Gvulot for three years where they worked the lands of theJewish National Fund and asked to remain there as a permanent settlement. In 1946, Jewish establishments decided to give the land to members of kibbutzNirim and in return the members ofKibbutz Eretz Israeli Gimel were given lands nearYasur.[5]
On 17 June 1946, some of the members arrived at the point and established the kibbutz, which is when they renamed themselves "Hatzor". The location chosen for the kibbutz was a barren hill, with fourArab villages surrounding it and a British airbase. Initially, the residents lived in tents and built two sheds used as a dining room and a barrack. In January 1947, the residents began building permanent buildings, and the rest of the members of the gar'in gradually arrived at the kibbutz from Rishon LeZion until all of them arrived in November 1947.[5]
During the1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine, transportation was limited and was only carried out with armored vehicles, and fieldwork was done under guards. Following theIsraeli Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948, the army of Egypt invaded the former territory of Mandatory Palestine and advanced along the coastline until it reachedAd Halom bridge. From the end of May till October 1948, the kibbutz was near the front lines of theEgyptian Army and was repeatedly shelled by artillery fire. Many members of the kibbutz were recruited to theIsraeli Defense Forces and participated in theBattles of Negba. The children, as well as livestock, were evacuated toHolon, while the members who stayed in the kibbutz hid in trenches and shelters. FollowingOperation Yoav in October, the Egyptians withdrew, and the kibbutz returned to routine life.[5]
The surrounding Arab villages were depopulated, and their residents became refugees in theGaza Strip. Their land was confiscated by the state of Israel and part of it was leased to the kibbutz.[5] In the 1950s, another group of Hashomer Hatzair members fromFrance andSwitzerland also joined the kibbutz.[5]
Like other kibbutzim founded by Hashomer Hatzair members, Hatzor was affiliated with theKibbutz Artzi movement,[5] which in the 1990s merged into theKibbutz Movement.
Since the 1990s, the Kibbutz has undergone changes towards privatization and abandoned many of its original collective habits. As a result, more than 100 new members were admitted within 7 years. A new neighborhood of 44 families, populated by those new members, was completed in the spring of 2014.[citation needed]
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