Paran () is a

moshav A moshav (, plural ', "settlement, village") is a type of Israeli village or town or Jewish settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 and 1 ...

in southern

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 Arava valley around 100 km north of

Eilat Eilat ( , ; ; ) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port of Eilat, port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan as the Gulf of Aqaba. The c ...

, it falls under the jurisdiction of

Central Arava Regional Council The Central Arava Regional Council () is a Regional Council (Israel), Regional Council in the South District of Israel. It encompasses eight settlements near the eastern border of Israel, south of the Dead Sea. All settlements are located near R ...

. In it had a population of .

History

The moshav is named after a passage in the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...

(21:20–21):Bitan, Hanna: 1948-1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements in Israel, Jerusalem 1999, Carta, p.56, "And God was with the lad, and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt."

Economy

Each of the family farm units covers 50 dunams (50,000 m²). The main crops are high quality peppers and flowers for export. In addition, 14 of the families run a cowshed of 40-45 dairy cows each. Among the smaller farm branches are a date palm orchard and turkey production. Some families supplement their income with other activities such as a horseback riding school, a nursery for vegetable and flower seedlings, cottage industries producing arts and crafts articles, and jeep tours. In 2008 new rules in Israel made solar power profitable. Some families started to produce electricity (commercially) from 50 kWp photovoltaic power plants (per family), using the area's high daily solar radiation and dry weather.

Services

The moshav offers its members a variety of community services including a kindergarten, nursery, members' club, youth club, swimming pool, garage, fitness, public gardens and a well-stocked library, minimarket.

References

{{Authority control Moshavim Former kibbutzim Populated places established in 1971 Nahal settlements Populated places in Southern District (Israel) 1971 establishments in Israel