Rosh HaNikra ראש הנקרה | |
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| Etymology: Head of theGrottoes | |
  Rosh HaNikra  Rosh HaNikra | |
| Coordinates:33°5′10″N35°6′59″E / 33.08611°N 35.11639°E /33.08611; 35.11639 | |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Northern |
| Council | Mateh Asher |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 6 January 1949 |
| Founded by | DemobilisedPalmach members |
| Population (2022)[1] | 1,422 |
| Website | www.rosh-hanikra.com |
Rosh HaNikra (Hebrew:ראש הנקרה,lit. 'Head of theGrottoes') is akibbutz in northernIsrael. Located on theMediterranean coast near theRosh HaNikra grottoes and the border withLebanon, it falls under the jurisdiction ofMateh Asher Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 1,422.[1]
The kibbutz was established on 6 January 1949 by agar'in ofdemobilisedPalmach soldiers who moved there from kibbutzHanita, along withZionist youth movement members and youngHolocaust survivors.
It was built on the village lands ofal-Bassa, which was depopulated in the1948 Arab–Israeli War.[2]
During the2023 war between Hamas and Israel, northern Israeli border communities, including Rosh HaNikra, faced targeted attacks byHezbollah andPalestinian factions based inLebanon, and were evacuated.[3]
In January 2024, Hezbollah released a video of a strike on the Israeli naval base at Rosh Hanikra, on the border with Lebanon, saying it had used anAlmas missile. Several subsequent videos over the spring 2024 also show to deploy theguided missile against Israeli targets.[4]
The kibbutz growsbananas andavocados, and raisesturkeys. In 1974, kibbutz members founded abiotechnology company called Rahan Meristem, which included the first commercialtissue culture laboratory in the country. Rahan developed new procedures for large scale,in-vitro,clonal propagation of over 200 plantgenera including ornamental, industrial, fruit, and vegetable crops. In the mid-1980s, in-vitro propagated banana plants became the leading product. Rahan is now a center of research and consultation for the banana industry throughout the world.
A formalR&D department was established in 1991 to provide technical support. Areas of expertise include molecular and classicalgenetics, plant cell and tissue culture,plant biochemistry and physiology,bacteriology andindustrial biotechnology. Methods have also been developed for the control of contaminatingmicrobes, early detection and elimination ofsomaclonal variation, reduction of labor and fixed costs in production, etc.[5]
In the early 21st century, the kibbutz was privatized.
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