Masu'ot Yitzhak

Masu'ot Yitzhak (Hebrew: מְשּׂוּאוֹת יִצְחָק‎‎, lit. Yitzhak's Beacons) is a moshav shitufi in southern Israel. It is located near Ashkelon, within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shafir Regional Council. The original kibbutz in Gush Etzion was destroyed and depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. A new settlement was established in 1949 in a different location. In 2007, Masu'ot Yitzhak had a population of 604.

History

Original kibbutz

Kibbutz Masu'ot Yitzhak was founded in 1945 in Gush Etzion, mid-way between Jerusalem and Hebron. The settlers were young pioneers from Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Germany who arrived before World War II. The kibbutz was named for the chief rabbi of Palestine, Isaac Herzog, on the occasion of his 50th birthday.

The settlers of Masu'ot Yitzhak rose to the challenge of living in the Judean Mountains, building homes and planting orchards. In 1948, Gush Etzion was captured by the Arab Legion. The residents of Kfar Etzion were massacred, and all other inhabitants of Gush Etzion, including the residents of Masu'ot Yitzhak, were captured and imprisoned for nine months in Jordan.

Establishment of the moshav

After their return from captivity in 1949, the Masu'ot Yitzhak pioneers established a new moshav of the same name near Shafir, a region inhabited by the Philistines in biblical times. The prophet Micah spoke about Shafir (Micah 1:11). Shafir had served as a base for the southern front of the Israeli army during Israel's War of Independence. The moshav was affiliated with Hapoel Hamizrachi.

Economy

The moshav economy is based on agriculture and industry. A reservoir was built 40 years ago to harness the winter flood waters of Nahal Lachish for farming. The water is used to irrigate 125 acres (0.51 km²) of avocado trees. ^[1]

References

Further reading

• Between Jerusalem and Hebron: Jewish Settlement in the Pre-State Period, Yossi Katz

External links

• Village website (Hebrew)
• Memorial for Masu'ot Yitzhak in Gush Etzion Etzion Bloc (Hebrew)
• Orit Segal (2006): Massu’ot Yizhaq Final Report, Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel, No. 118.