Hafetz Haim (, ''lit.'' desirous of life) is a religious

kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...

in central

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Located in the

Shephelah The Shephelah () or Shfela (), or the Judaean Foothills (), is a transitional region of soft-sloping rolling hills in south-central Israel stretching over between the Judaean Mountains and the Coastal Plain. The different use of the term "Jud ...

, it falls under the jurisdiction of Nahal Sorek Regional Council. In it had a population of .

History

The land on which Hafetz Haim was established was purchased by the Jewish National Fund. The land had traditionally belonged to the Palestinian village of Al-Mukhayzin. The first Jewish settlement was established there on 15 August 1937 as part of the tower and stockade movement. It was named Sha'ar HaNegev, "Gate of the

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or 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 southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

", and then Kfar Szold, "Szold Village" (after Henrietta Szold). However, on 13 November 1942 the community moved to the Finger of the Galilee, where they established a new kibbutz, also called Kfar Szold. On 25 April 1944 a new kibbutz was established. The founders were religious pioneers from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and members of the Ezra youth movement and

Agudat Yisrael Agudat Yisrael (; Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Agudas Yisroel'') is a Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jewish political party in Israel. It began as a political party representing Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews in Poland, originating in the Agudath Israel movement ...

who had been preparing near

Kfar Saba Kfar Saba ( ), officially Kfar Sava , is a List of Israeli cities, city in the Sharon plain, Sharon region, of the Central District (Israel), Central District of State of Israel, Israel. In 2019 it had a population of 110,456, making it the 16th-l ...

. It was the first village founded by Poalei Agudat Yisrael and was named after rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, who was also known as the ''Hafetz Haim'' after one of his famous works with the title “ Chofetz Chaim”, trans. ''Desirer of Life''.

Archaeology

In 2010, a Byzantine-era octagonal wine press measuring 6.5 meters by 16.5 meters was discovered in excavations near Kibbutz Hafetz Haim.Byzantine era wine press discovered in Nahal Sorek area
Jerusalem Post

References

{{Authority control German-Jewish culture in Israel Kibbutzim Religious Israeli communities Populated places established in 1937 Populated places established in 1944 Populated places in Central District (Israel) 1937 establishments in Mandatory Palestine 1944 establishments in Mandatory Palestine Yekke