Nitzanim

Nitzanim
Hebrew	נִצָּנִים, ניצנים
Founded	1943
Founded by	New immigrants
Council	Hof Ashkelon
Region	Southern coastal plain
Affiliation	HaOved HaTzioni
Coordinates	31°42′59.75″N 34°38′1.68″E / 31.7165972°N 34.6338°E / 31.7165972; 34.6338Coordinates: 31°42′59.75″N 34°38′1.68″E / 31.7165972°N 34.6338°E / 31.7165972; 34.6338
Nitzanim

Nitzanim (Hebrew: נִצָּנִים‎‎, lit. Flower buds) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located between Ashkelon and Ashdod on the Nitzanim dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 343.

The kibbutz was established after the Jewish National Fund purchased a 400-acre (1.6 km²) plot of land and a large house known as the "mansion" in 1942.^[1] The first residents were immigrants, some of whom were Holocaust survivors. It later absorbed more immigrants from Poland and Romania.

The kibbutz was captured by the Egyptian army during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War in the Battle of Nitzanim, but was recaptured by Israeli forces at the end of the conflict, after which the settlement was re-established around four kilometres south of the original location. In 1949, Nitzanim Youth Village was established on the original site. The youth village closed in 1990, and during the 1990s the communal settlement of Nitzan was founded on the site.

References

1. ^ Women of Valor Center - Nitzanim Society for the Preservation of Israel Heritage sites