Rosh HaNikra (kibbutz) explained

Rosh HaNikra
Meaning:Head of the Grottoes
Founded:6 January 1949
Founded By:Demobilised Palmach members
District:north
Council:Mateh Asher
Affiliation:Kibbutz Movement
Pushpin Map:Israel northwest#Israel
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Pushpin Label Position:left
Coordinates:33.0861°N 35.1164°W
Website:www.rosh-hanikra.com

Rosh HaNikra (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַנִּקְרָה) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the Mediterranean coast near the Rosh HaNikra grottoes and the border with Lebanon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council. In it had a population of .

History

The kibbutz was established on 6 January 1949 by a gar'in of demobilised Palmach soldiers who moved there from Kibbutz Hanita, along with Zionist youth movement members and young Holocaust survivors.

It was built on the village lands of al-Bassa, which was depopulated in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.[1]

2023 Israel–Hamas war

During the 2023 war between Hamas and Israel, northern Israeli border communities, including Rosh HaNikra, faced targeted attacks by Hezbollah and Palestinian factions based in Lebanon, and were evacuated.[2]

Economy

The kibbutz grows bananas and avocados, and raises turkeys. In 1974, kibbutz members founded a biotechnology company called Rahan Meristem, which included the first commercial tissue culture laboratory in the country. Rahan developed new procedures for large scale, in-vitro, clonal propagation of over 200 plant genera including ornamental, industrial, fruit, and vegetable crops. In the mid-1980s, in-vitro propagated banana plants became the leading product. Rahan is now a center of research and consultation for the banana industry throughout the world. A formal R&D department was established in 1991 to provide technical support. Areas of expertise include molecular and classical genetics, plant cell and tissue culture, plant biochemistry and physiology, bacteriology and industrial biotechnology. Methods have also been developed for the control of contaminating microbes, early detection and elimination of somaclonal variation, reduction of labor and fixed costs in production, etc.[3]

In the early 21st century, the kibbutz was privatized.

Notable people

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Walid. Khalidi. Walid Khalidi. 1992. Washington D.C.. Institute for Palestine Studies. 0-88728-224-5. . 8–9.
  2. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-to-evacuate-civilians-from-28-communities-along-lebanese-border-amid-attacks/ IDF to evacuate civilians from 28 communities along Lebanese border amid attacks
  3. http://www.matimop.org.il/company.aspx?code=730 Matimop, Rahan Meristem
  4. Heller, Aron. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121400904.html: Israelis Dig 'Borat,' Jokes in Hebrew. 2006-12-14. Retrieved on 2008-12-29