Tzora

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Tzora
Founded	1948
Founded by	Former Palmach members
Region	Jerusalem corridor
Industries	Agriculture, furniture manufacturing
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Website	www.tzora.co.il

Tzora (Hebrew: צרעה‎) is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located about 20 km from Jerusalem, near the city of Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Matte Yehuda Regional Council. In 2007, the kibbutz had a population of 900, of whom 400 are members of the kibbutz.

1 History
2 Economy
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

The kibbutz was founded in 1948 by former Palmach members on the land of the abandoned Arab village of Sara'a. Its name was taken from the Biblical Book of Judges (13:25);

"And the spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol."

The amateur radio station of the kibbutz changed its call sign to 4Z4YJ/40 in 1988, after receiving a special permit from the Israeli radio authorities. The "40" signified the 40th anniversary of the kibbutz.^{[citation needed]}

In the early 2000s Tzora underwent a semi-privatization of its communal living structure, with a community tax levied on income and the residual retained as income by members.

[edit] Economy

One of the main branches of the kibbutz economy is Tzora Furniture Ltd., which began in 1957 as a metal factory. At first, the company produced bicycles, but in 1974 it began to manufacture office chairs, before moving on to other forms of office furniture. However, the factory burned down in July 2007. The kibbutz also has a winery, opened in 1993, which produces 60,000 bottles of wine a year.^[1]

The kibbutz also runs a large dairy and operates a kibbutz guesthouse.^[2]