Tzora

Tzora
צָרְעָה‬
Kibbutz Tzora as seen from Zorah Mountain
Tzora
Coordinates: 31°45′51.47″N 34°58′1.91″E / 31.7642972°N 34.9671972°E / 31.7642972; 34.9671972Coordinates: 31°45′51.47″N 34°58′1.91″E / 31.7642972°N 34.9671972°E / 31.7642972; 34.9671972
District Jerusalem
Council Mateh Yehuda
Affiliation Kibbutz Movement
Founded 1948 (Israeli kibbutz)
Population (2017)[1] 908
Website www.tzora.co.il

Tzora (Hebrew: צָרְעָה‬) is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located about 20 km from Jerusalem, near the city of Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2017 it had a population of 908.[1]

Etymology

The kibbutz is named for the biblical village of Tzora,[2] which may have been a Canaanite town.[3] The name was taken from the Biblical Book of Judges (13:25): "And the spirit of the Lord began to move him (Samson) at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol."

History

Biblical era

Tzora is located about 2km south-west of Tel Tzora, which is where the Palestinian village of Sar'a stood until it was depopulated during the 1948 war. Tel Tzora is the likely location of the biblical village of Zorah.[4]

Second Temple era

A ritual bath dating back to the Second Temple Period was discovered near Tzora kibbutz during an archaeological excavation conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in 2011.[5]

Modern era

The kibbutz was founded in December 1948 by former Palmach members. It is located on the land of the depopulated Palestinian village of Dayr Aban.[6]

In the 1980s a ham radio club operated under the call 4Z4YJ.[7][8] In the early 2000s, Tzora underwent a privatization of its communal living structure, with a community tax levied on income and the residual retained as income by members. In April 2008, the kibbutz was fully privatized.

Economy

One of the main branches of the kibbutz economy was Tzora Furniture Ltd., which began in 1957 as a metal factory. At first, the company produced bicycles, but in 1974 it began to manufacture office chairs, before moving on to a full range of office furniture. However, the factory burned down in July 2007. [9] In 1993, Tzora opened the first kibbutz winery, Tzora Vineyards,[10] which produces 80,000 bottles of wine a year, of which 15,000 are exported.[11] Tzora is also home to the Teperberg Winery.[12] Tzora operates a dairy in partnership with Tzova and Netiv HaLamed-Heh.[13] Tzora Active Systems produce advanced lightweight wheelchairs.[14] There is also a large wedding hall, built of tents. These tents, produced in Tzora are now used throughout Israel for weddings.[15]

Notable residents

References

  1. 1 2 "List of localities, in Alphabetical order" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  2. ↑ Waiting for Josiah: the Judges - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
  3. ↑ The Book of Judges & the Book of ... - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
  4. ↑ Conder and Kitchener, Survey of Western Palestine (vol. III), London 1883, p. 26
  5. ↑ Ritual bath dating to the Second Temple Period discovered near Kibbutz Zor'a, 20 October 2011, accessed 13 November 2016
  6. ↑ Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. p. 283. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
  7. ↑ http://www.cqww.com/cq-ww-ssb-2009-logs/ee2w/ee2w.log
  8. ↑ "Callsign 4Z4YJ". Qrz.com. 2011-02-20. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
  9. ↑ "Tzora". Tzora-global.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
  10. ↑ "Tzora Vineyards - Israeli Wine and Wineries, Israel tours, Israel Travel Tourism, private tour Israel". Gemsinisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
  11. ↑ Boutique revolution puts Israeli wines on world map Best Vintage
  12. ↑ Rogov, Daniel (February 10, 2011). "Teperberg 1870: My Annual Visit - With Tasting Notes".
  13. ↑ Mazrier, H; Tal, S; Aizinbud, E; Bargai, U. "A field investigation of the use of the pedometer for the early detection of lameness in cattle". Can Vet J. 47: 883–6. PMC 1555681. PMID 17017653.
  14. ↑ "Tzora Active Systems website". Tzora.com. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
  15. ↑ Canaan Tents in the Kibbutz Tzora website
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