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Sha'ar HaAmakim
Kibbutz in northern Israel From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sha'ar HaAmakim (Hebrew: שַׁעַר הַעֲמָקִים, lit. 'Gate of the Valleys') is a kibbutz in northern Israel associated with the Hashomer Hatzair movement founded in 1935. Located near Kiryat Tiv'on, it falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council. In 2023 it had a population of 794.[1]
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History
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Antiquity
Human habitation in the area dates at least as far back as the Hellenistic period.[2] Although the site, in recent history, has borne the name of Ḫirbet el-Ḥârithîye, it is thought by modern-day archaeologists to have been the Second Temple-period site known as Geba / Gibea (Greek: Γάβα), based on Josephus' description of distances between Geba and Simonias and Beit She'arim (Roman-era Jewish village) in Lower Galilee.[3][4][5]
Crusades
In 1283, during the hudna ("truce") between the Crusaders based in Acre and the Mamluk sultan al-Mansur Qalawun, this location was named el Harathiyah and was described as part of the domain of the Crusaders.[6]
Ottoman rule
During the Ottoman era, a Muslim village at the site was named el Hâritheh.[7] The village appeared as El Harti on the map of Pierre Jacotin compiled in 1799.[8] In 1859, the population was recorded as 120 with tillable land of 12 feddans.[9] In 1875, Victor Guérin reported about 40 houses.[10] In 1882, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described it as an adobe hamlet.[9]
A population list from about 1887 showed that Harithiyeh had about 120 inhabitants; all Muslims.[11]
British Mandate
In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, the Al Zubaidat, who cultivated the Hartieh land, numbered 363, all Muslims.[12]
The area was acquired by the Jewish community as part of the Sursock Purchase. In 1925 a Zionist organisation purchased 50 feddans in Hartieh from the Sursock family of Beirut. At the time, there were 60 families living there.[13] In the 1931 census, the Arab Zubeidat was counted under the Shefa-'Amr suburbs.[14]
From 1931, and lasting several years, the Jewish Agency struggled to evict the Arab El Zubeidat, who were tenant farmers at Hartiya.[15][16][17][18] According to Avneri, Hartiya land was to become Sha'ar HaAmakim.[15] According to the Department of Statistics, however, Sha'ar HaAmakim had previously been part of Sheikh Bureik.[19][20]
Kibbutz Sha'ar HaAmakim was founded in 1935 by immigrants from Romania and Yugoslavia. One of its founders was Aharon Cohen,[21] later to be convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. Its name was derived from the nearby confluence of the Jezreel and Zevulun valleys.[22] By the 1945 statistics it had a population of 360, all Jews.[19][20]
State of Israel
Sha'ar HaAmakim hosted volunteers from around the world, including France and the United States, who worked at the kibbutz and participated in cultural exchanges.[23] In the 1960s, there were up to 100 volunteers each year.[24] Bernie Sanders spent time at the kibbutz for several months in 1963.[25][24]
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Economy
According to a 2016 report, the kibbutz derives most of its income from its solar water heater factory. Additional sources of income include agriculture, such as dairy farming.[23] For over five decades, the kibbutz has produced and processed sunflower seeds which it markets under its name both in Israel and for export.[26] It also has a fish pond and orchards producing apples, peaches, and pears.[24]
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References
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