Kfar Masaryk

Kfar Masaryk (/ˈmæsərɪk/,^[2] Hebrew: כְּפַר מַסָּרִיק, lit. 'Masaryk Village') is a kibbutz in northern Israel.^[3][4] Located in Western Galilee near the Belus River and south of Acre, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council. In 2022, it had a population of 902.^[1]

Kfar Masaryk כְּפַר מַסָּרִיק‎
Kfar Masaryk in February 2008
Etymology: Masaryk Village
Kfar Masaryk Show map of Northwest Israel Kfar Masaryk Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 32°53′27″N 35°5′59″E
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Council	Mateh Asher
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Founded	29 November 1938
Founded by	Czechoslovak and Lithuanian Jews
Population  (2022)[1]	902
Website	www.kfar-masaryk.org.il

History

The founders were Jewish immigrants from Czechoslovakia and Lithuania, who settled in Petah Tikva in 1932. The following year they formed Kibbutz Czecho-Lita and moved to Bat Galim in Haifa. In 1934, they moved to an area of sand dunes near Kiryat Haim and changed the name of the group to "Mishmar Zevulun" (Guard of the Zevulun).^[5] In 1937 they were joined by a group of Polish Jewish immigrants who were members of Hayotzer.

Despite opposition from the Jewish Agency, who reasoned that the sandy soil could not support agriculture, Mishmar Zevulun was established on 29 November 1938 as the 29th tower and stockade settlement. In 1940 the kibbutz moved to its present site and was renamed Kfar Masaryk after Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first President of Czechoslovakia.^[6]

Economy

The kibbutz grows cotton, tomatoes and avocados; breeds cattle, poultry and carp; and operates paper and cardboard box factories. It also manufactures electronic devices.^[7]

• 
  Kfar Masaryk, circa 1940-1950
• 
  Kfar Masaryk water tower 1940
• 
  Kfar Masaryk 1940 opening ceremony

See also

• Czech Republic-Israel relations