| Shahar | |
| Hebrew | שַׁחַר |
| Also spelled |
Shachar (unofficially) |
| Name meaning | Dawn |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founded by | Immigrants from North Africa and India |
| Council | Lakhish |
| Region | Hevel Lakhish |
| Coordinates | |
| Population | 537[1] (2008) |
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Shahar
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Shahar (Hebrew: שַׁחַר, lit. Dawn) is a moshav (agricultural settlement) in south-central Israel. It belongs to the Lakhish Regional Council. It is located about 3 km west of Kiryat Gat and 1 km east of Nir Hen, and it can be reached via Route 3413.
The moshav was founded in 1955 as part of the program to populate the area with immigrants to Israel from North Africa and India. Its name symbolizes the dawn of Zionist settlement in Hevel Lakhish.
Many Cochin Jews settled there. The main industry that they developed was growing flowers for export, an entreprise which, despite the harsh desert climate, grew and prospered. One of Shahar's leading businessmen, Eliahu Bezalel, won the Kaplan Prize in 1994 and then the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (an award for Non-Resident Indians), in recognition of these achievements.[2].
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