Shahar ( he, שַׁחַר, ''lit.'' Dawn) is a

moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...

in south-central Israel. Located about three kilometres west of Kiryat Gat and one kilometre east of

Nir Hen Nir Hen ( he, נִיר חֵ"ן, ''lit.'' Meadow of the 58 (ח"ן is 58 in Gematria)) is a moshav in south-central Israel. Located in Hevel Lakhish between Ashkelon and Kiryat Gat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lakhish Regional Council. In ...

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

History

The moshav was founded in 1955 as part of the program to populate the area with Jewish refugees from North Africa and Jewish immigrants from India on the lands of the depopulated Palestinian village of

al-Faluja al-Faluja ( ar, الفالوجة) was a Palestinian Arab village in the British Mandate for Palestine, located 30 kilometers northeast of Gaza City. The village and the neighbouring village of Iraq al-Manshiyya formed part of the Faluja pocket, w ...

. Its name symbolizes the dawn of Zionist settlement in

Hevel Lakhish Hevel Lakhish ( he, חבל לכיש, lit. ''Lakhish Region'') is an area of south-central Israel. Part of the southern Shephelah, it is located between the Judean Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea and is named after the Biblical city of Lachish. ...

. The main industry that they developed was growing flowers for export, an enterprise which, despite the harsh desert climate, grew and prospered. One of Shahar's leading businessmen, Eliahu Bezalel, won the

Kaplan Prize Kaplan may refer to: Places * Kapłań, Poland * Kaplan, Louisiana, U.S. * Kaplan Medical Center, a hospital in Rehovot, Israel * Kaplan Street, in Tel Aviv, Israel * Mount Kaplan, Antarctica * Kaplan Arena, at the College of William & Mary in ...

in 1994 and then the

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (, English: Non-Resident Indian Day) is a celebratory day observed (starting in 2003) on 9 January by the Republic of India to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community towards the development of India. The da ...

(an award for

Non-Resident Indians Overseas Indians (IAST: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are Indians who live outside of the Republic of India. According to the Government of India, ''Non-Resident Indians'' are citizens of Indi ...

), in recognition of these achievements."Roses in the Desert", a chapter within ''The Last Jews of Kerala'' by Edna Fernanades, Porobelo Books, 2008

References

{{Lakhish Moshavim Populated places established in 1955 Populated places in Southern District (Israel) 1955 establishments in Israel Indian-Jewish culture in Israel North African-Jewish culture in Israel