Masada (kibbutz)

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Masada
Founded	1937
Founded by	Romanian immigrants
Region	Jordan Valley
Industries	Agriculture
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement

Masada (Hebrew: מסדה‎, lit. Fortress) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the northern Jordan Valley near the Sea of Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council.

[edit] History

The kibbutz was founded in 1937 as part of the tower and stockade program by immigrants from Romania and members of kibbutz Sha'ar HaGolan. The name was taken from the fortress of Masada, by the Dead Sea.

As with Sha'ar HaGolan, the kibbutz's defenders, retreated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The kibbutzim were captured and briefly held by the Syrian Army, during which time they were looted and burned down. Although the members soon returned, a stigma was attached to them, and vindication in the form of released military records only arrived in recent years.^[1]

Masada, like dozens of the kibbutzim near the Sea of Galilee, existed within the shadow of the the Golan Heights. On 29 March 1968 a tractor from Masada hit a landmine, killing the driver and three passengers. Israeli forces came to evacuate the casualties, and Jordanian forces opened fire on them. In retaliation, the Israel Air Force attacks Jordanian targets east of Beit She'an. Several planes are damaged by anti-aircraft fire, but returned to base safely.

In 2006 the kibbutz was privatized.