Maoz Haim () is a

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 Israel. It is located adjacent to the

Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead ...

in the

Beit She'an Beit She'an ( '), also known as Beisan ( '), or Beth-shean, is a town in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level. Beit She'an is believed to ...

valley and falls under the jurisdiction of

Valley of Springs Regional Council Emek HaMa'ayanot Regional Council (, ''Mo'atza Azorit Emek HaMa'ayanot'', lit. ''Valley of the Springs Regional Council'') is a regional council (Israel), regional council in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel that encompas ...

. In it had a population of . Aside from agriculture, the kibbutz also has a plastics factory, "Poliraz".

History

The kibbutz was established in 1937 by

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

from Poland and Germany within the context of Tower and Stockade initiative. The kibbutz was named after Haim Shturman, a member of the

Hagana Haganah ( , ) was the main Zionist paramilitary organization that operated for the Yishuv in the British Mandate for Palestine. It was founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv's presence in the region, and was formally disbanded in 1948, when it ...

, who was killed there in 1938. Maoz Haim was established on what was traditionally land belonging to the

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

village of

Al-Ghazzawiyya Al-Ghazzawiyya (), was a Palestinian village located 2 kilometers east of the city of Bet Shean ( Bisan). In 1945, the population was 1,640, 1,020 Arab and 620 Jewish.Khalidi, 1992, p. 48 History Several archeological sites in the area testify ...

Landmarks

Zakum nature reserve

South of the kibbutz is a small (11

dunam A dunam ( Ottoman Turkish, Arabic: ; ; ; ), also known as a donum or dunum and as the old, Turkish, or Ottoman stremma, was the Ottoman unit of area analogous in role (but not equal) to the Greek stremma or English acre, representing the amo ...

) nature reserve of ''

Balanites aegyptiaca ''Balanites aegyptiaca'' (also known as the Egyptian balsam and Lalob in Sudan) is a species of tree, classified as a member of either the Zygophyllaceae or the Balanitaceae. This tree is native to much of Africa and parts of the Middle East. ...

'' trees, called the Hurshat Zakum (Maoz Haim) reserve, declared in 1968. ''Zakum'' is the Hebrew name of the tree. This is probably the northernmost occurrence of these trees in the world.

Maoz Haim Synagogue

A 3rd-century

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

was discovered in February 1974 during construction work near Maoz Haim. It is an unusual archaeological find in that it attests to a record of synagogue development from a time of otherwise sparse historiography, in times of anti-Judaic legislation.Levine, Lee. The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years, 211 It is situated in a large settlement where it served as a center of worship for

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

until destruction by fire sometime in the early 7th century.Levine, Lee, ed. Ancient Synagogues Revealed, 89

Notable people

* Rachel Liel, (born 1950), activist *

Asaf Lifshitz Asaf Lifshitz (; 28 July 1942 – 22 March 2025) was an Israeli sculptor, whose many statues decorate different central places all over Israel, from Metula in the north to Beer Sheva in the south. Background Lifshitz was born in 1942 in Kibb ...

(1942–2025), sculptor. * Dvora Omer (1932–2013), author. * Ilan Shiloah (born 1957), businessman. * Roni Daniel (1947–2021),

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

Gallery

File:מעוז חיים - עמק בית שאן - מראה כללי.-JNF045351.jpeg, Maoz Haim general appearance File:מעוז חיים - העליה למעוז חיים-JNF044857.jpeg, Maoz Haim July 1937 arrival File:"מעוז" חיים - מראה הישוב.-JNF032846.jpeg, Maoz Haim, 1938 File:מעוז חיים - המשמר הנודד-JNF029089.jpeg, Maoz Haim Settlement Police patrol, 1938 File:Maoz i.jpg, Members of kibbutz Maoz on a training field trip. 1947 File:Maoz ii.jpg, Group from kibbutz Maoz Haim on a trek to Kaokab, 29 November 1947 File:Maoz iii.jpg, Trek to Kaokab

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control German-Jewish culture in Israel Kibbutzim Kibbutz Movement Populated places established in 1937 Nature reserves in Israel Populated places in Northern District (Israel) Polish-Jewish culture in Israel 1937 establishments in Mandatory Palestine