Mishmar HaNegev ( he, מִשְׁמַר הַנֶּגֶב, ''lit.'' Guard of the Negev) is a kibbutz in the northern fringe of the

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...

desert in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. Located on Road 264, about two kilometres south of the Bedouin city of

Rahat Rahat ( ar, رهط, he, רַהַט) is a predominantly Bedouin city in the Southern District of Israel. In it had a population of . As such, it is the largest Bedouin city in the world, and the only one in Israel to have city status. Rahat i ...

and around ten kilometres from

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bnei Shimon Regional Council. In its population was .

History

Mishmar HaNegev was founded in 1946 as one of the

11 points in the Negev 11 points in the Negev ( he, 11 הנקודות or he2, אחת-עשרה הנקודות, ''Akhat-Esre HaNekudot'') refers to a Jewish Agency plan to establish 11 settlements in the Negev in 1946 prior to the partition of Palestine and the establis ...

settlements. It was settled by members of Borochovi Youth, a youth group affiliated with

Poalei Zion Poale Zion (also spelled Poalei Tziyon or Poaley Syjon, meaning "Workers of Zion") was a movement of Marxist–Zionist Jewish workers founded in various cities of Poland, Europe and the Russian Empire in about the turn of the 20th century after ...

, who set up camp at the site on the evening of 6 October, just after the

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day' ...

fast. In 1994, privatisation process began in the kibbutz and in 2004 the kibbutz members voted to change the rules in favour of total privatisation.

Economy

Mishmar HaNegev is the owner of Polybid Expanded Polystyrene Products, which produces insulation products for Israel and Eastern Europe. The company has an annual turnover of NIS 100 million. Mishmar HaNegev and Ecological Services Ltd. established a joint company, Negev Ecology, that operates a shredding and burial facility for tyre waste materials. The shredding mill can shred eight tons of tires an hour into 10x5cm rubber strips that are buried at a toxic waste site in southern Israel.Ecological service
/ref> File:משמר הנגב בראשיתה-JNF000687.jpeg, Mishmar HaNegev in 1947 File:משמר הנגב - הסתעפות צנורות המים במשמר הנגב-JNF024940.jpeg, Mishmar HaNegev in 1947 File:Mishmar HaNegev 48.jpg, Mishmar HaNegev in 1948

Notable people

* Eliezer Rafaeli (born 1926), founding president of the

University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming ...

References

{{Authority control Kibbutzim Kibbutz Movement Populated places established in 1946 Populated places in Southern District (Israel) 1946 establishments in Mandatory Palestine