Merom Golan

Merom Golan (Hebrew: מרום גולן) is an Israeli settlement organized as a kibbutz in the Golan Heights. Located at the bottom of the volcanic crater of Mount Bental,^[2] it falls under the jurisdiction of Golan Regional Council. In 2023, it had a population of 802.^[1]

Merom Golan מרום גולן
Kibbutz
View of Merom Golan
Merom Golan Show map of the Golan Heights Merom Golan Show map of the Golan Heights
Coordinates: 33°08′00″N 35°46′33″E
District	Northern
Council	Golan
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Founded	14 July 1967; 58 years ago (14 July 1967)
Population  (2023)[1]	802
Website	merom-golan.org.il

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.^[3]

History

Merom Golan was established on 14 July 1967 with funds from the Upper Galilee Regional Council on the site of the abandoned Syrian military camp of Aleika,^[4] and was the first Israeli settlement to be established in the Golan Heights after the Six-Day War, about a month after the end of the war. Initially, the kibbutz was called Golan, and in November 1968 its name was changed to Merom Golan.

Between the years 1969 and 1973, Merom Golan was shelled many times by the Syrian army. In March 1972, the settlement moved to its current location, and this location also suffered many shellings. During the Yom Kippur War, the women and children were evacuated to Beit HaShita and remained there until the end of the fighting. However, the settlement was also shelled by the Syrians after that.

Geography

Climate

Merom Golan had the lowest temperature ever recorded by an Israeli weather station: -14.2° C. The previous record was -13.7C in the Beit Netofa Valley.^[5]

Climate data for Merom Golan (Temperature: 1995–2010, Precipitation: 1980-2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	21.2 (70.2)	22.0 (71.6)	29.7 (85.5)	33.3 (91.9)	38.2 (100.8)	38.0 (100.4)	40.8 (105.4)	41.4 (106.5)	38.3 (100.9)	35.1 (95.2)	28.6 (83.5)	24.2 (75.6)	41.4 (106.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	9.9 (49.8)	11.0 (51.8)	14.5 (58.1)	18.8 (65.8)	24.5 (76.1)	27.7 (81.9)	29.2 (84.6)	29.4 (84.9)	27.7 (81.9)	24.1 (75.4)	17.5 (63.5)	12.3 (54.1)	20.6 (69.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	5.7 (42.3)	6.5 (43.7)	9.3 (48.7)	12.8 (55.0)	17.2 (63.0)	20.7 (69.3)	23.1 (73.6)	23.1 (73.6)	20.9 (69.6)	17.5 (63.5)	11.8 (53.2)	7.9 (46.2)	14.7 (58.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.5 (34.7)	2.0 (35.6)	4.1 (39.4)	6.8 (44.2)	10.0 (50.0)	13.8 (56.8)	17.0 (62.6)	16.8 (62.2)	14.1 (57.4)	10.9 (51.6)	6.1 (43.0)	3.4 (38.1)	8.9 (48.0)
Record low °C (°F)	−14.2 (6.4)	−12.5 (9.5)	−6.7 (19.9)	−4.5 (23.9)	−0.2 (31.6)	4.0 (39.2)	7.7 (45.9)	6.7 (44.1)	3.4 (38.1)	−2.0 (28.4)	−6.1 (21.0)	−8.8 (16.2)	−14.2 (6.4)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	201 (7.9)	196 (7.7)	115 (4.5)	40 (1.6)	9.1 (0.36)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.9 (0.07)	22 (0.9)	86 (3.4)	159 (6.3)	830 (32.73)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm)	13	13	10	5	2.0	0.5	0.1	0	0.7	5	8	11	68.3
Average relative humidity (%)	80	79	73	64	57	57	60	67	65	62	69	78	68
Source: Israel Meteorological Service[6][7]

Notable people

• Yehuda Harel (born 1934), former politician
• Joop de Jong (born 1951), Israeli-Dutch sculptor