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Zikim
זִיקִים زيكيم | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 31°36′28″N 34°31′18″E / 31.60778°N 34.52167°E | |
Country | Israel |
District | Southern |
Council | Hof Ashkelon |
Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
Founded | 1949 |
Founded by | Romanian Hashomer HaTzair Members |
Population (2022)[1] | 918 |
Website | www.zikim.org.il |
Zikim (Hebrew: זִיקִים) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the northern Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2022, it had a population of 918.[1]
For settlement history preceding the kibbutz, see Hiribya: History. Ancient discoveries in Zikim comprise a Greek graffito on the base of a high-quality plate dating from 144-160 BCE, and Greek inscriptions on Gazan jars from the 6th to early 7th century CE.[2]
The kibbutz was established in 1949 on land that had belonged to the depopulated Palestinian village of Hiribya,[3] by a group of young Romanian Jews who belonged to Hashomer Hatzair before their arrival in Mandatory Palestine in 1947.[citation needed]
At that time, Jewish settlement in the Negev was very sparse, and each new location was considered to be a "point of light" (zik) in the wilderness. Michael Har-Segor, later an Israeli historian, came up with the name while imprisoned in Romania for his activity in Hashomer Hatzair. He says he translated a quote from Pushkin into Hebrew: "From sparks shall come a flame."[4]
Zikim attracted members of Hashomer Hatzair from around the world, most recently from South America. British actor Bob Hoskins, although not Jewish, worked as a volunteer in Zikim in 1967.[5]
In 2006, Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired a Qassam rocket from northern Gaza that hit a mattress factory in Zikim.[6] In July 2014, five armed Palestinians attempted to cross into Israel via the beach at Kibbutz Zikim. They were killed by IDF gunfire.[7]
On 7 October 2023, as part of an attack on Israel, Hamas amphibiously assaulted the Zikim training base and Zikim kibbutz.[8] Hamas killed 19 civilians,[9] 8 soldiers and left dozens wounded in the Zikim Beach massacre.[10][11][12]
The main crops are mango and avocado. Zikim also operates one of Israel's largest dairy farms. The main industrial product is polyurethane, produced by the kibbutz factory, Polyrit.[13]