Matzuva (), also known as Metzuba, 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 the

Western Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...

in northern

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 to the south of the development town of Shlomi, it falls under the jurisdiction of

Mateh Asher Regional Council The Mateh Asher Regional Council (, ''Mo'atza Azorit Mateh Asher'') is a regional council in the western Galilee of northern Israel. It is named after the Tribe of Asher which had been allotted the region in antiquity according to the Book of Jos ...

. In it had a population of .

Etymology

The settlement was named after the nearby Byzantine-period town of ''Pi-ha-Masuba'', a place mentioned in the

Tosefta The Tosefta ( "supplement, addition") is a compilation of Jewish Oral Law from the late second century, the period of the Mishnah and the Jewish sages known as the '' Tannaim''. Background Jewish teachings of the Tannaitic period were cha ...

(''Shevi'it'' 4:8-ff.) and in the 3rd-century

Mosaic of Rehob The Mosaic of Reḥob (, also known as the Tel Rehov inscription and the Baraita of the Boundaries), is a late 3rd–6th century Common Era, CE mosaic discovered in 1973. The mosaic, written in late Mishnaic Hebrew, describes the geography and ...

.. The ancient Christian town was thoroughly destroyed in 613 or 614, never to regain its former size and wealth, but the name survived throughout the Early Muslim,

Crusader Crusader or Crusaders may refer to: Military * Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades * Convair NB-36H Crusader, an experimental nuclear-powered bomber * Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II * Crusaders (guerrilla), a C ...

, and into the

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

period. The remains of Byzantine-era Pi Metzuba, whose location was known from previous surveys, were actually discovered in 2020 along the road connecting Shlomi and Hanita,Christian Town Destroyed by Persians 1,400 Years Ago Found in Northern Israel
Ariel David for

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

, 17 June 2020. Re-accessed 6 April 2023. a short distance north of Matzuva. The name is believed to have been derived from ''mṣwbh'', a Semitic root, meaning 'pyramid' or 'pyramidal pile'.

History

The village was established in 1940 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

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 ...

, members of the ''Maccabi HaTzair'' youth movement. After the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war becam ...

, it expanded onto land that had belonged to the

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

village of

al-Bassa al-Bassa () was a Palestinians, Palestinian Arab village in the Mandatory Palestine's Acre Subdistrict, Mandatory Palestine, Acre Subdistrict. It was situated close to the Blue Line (Lebanon), Lebanese border, north of the district capital, Acr ...

, which was depopulated in the war.

Economy

Due to economic problems, the kibbutz textile factory closed down in 2003.Employees petition to liquidate Kibbutz Matzuva
/ref> File:מצובה - מראה-JNF027290.jpeg, Matzuva 1942 File:מצובה - הילדים-JNF014011.jpeg, Matzuva 1943

JNF The Jewish National Fund (JNF; , ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael''; previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') is a non-profit organizationProfessor Alon Tal, The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion ...

photograph File:Matzuva aerial view 1946.jpg, Kibbutz Matzuva, 1946 File:מצובה - מראה כללי-JNF036381.jpeg, Matzuva 1947 File:מצובה - מיכלי המים במצודה.-JNF033078.jpeg, Matzuva water tanks & fortress 1947

References

{{Authority control German-Jewish culture in Israel Kibbutzim Kibbutz Movement Populated places established in 1940 Populated places in Northern District (Israel) 1940 establishments in Mandatory Palestine

Etymology

History

Economy

See also

References