Beit Kama
| Beit Kama בֵּית קָמָה | |
|---|---|
  Beit Kama | |
| Coordinates: 31°26′44.12″N 34°45′37.96″E / 31.4455889°N 34.7605444°ECoordinates: 31°26′44.12″N 34°45′37.96″E / 31.4455889°N 34.7605444°E | |
| Region | Northern Negev |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 18 April 1949 |
| Founded by | Hashomer Hatzair members |
| Website | Beit Kama's Hebrew site |
Beit Kama (Hebrew: בֵּית קָמָה, lit. House of Standing Grain) is a kibbutz in the northern Negev desert in Israel. It is under the jurisdiction of Bnei Shimon Regional Council.[citation needed]
History
Beit-Kama is a secular kibbutz that preserves the cooperative mode of life in most areas.[citation needed] It has been traditionally affiliated to the “Hakibbutz Ha’artzi” organization and the “Hashomer Hatzair” movement.[citation needed] It locates at a driving distance of 20 minutes from Beer-Sheva, approximately one hour from Tel-Aviv and similar time from Jerusalem.[citation needed] It is the location of "Nitzaney Hanegev" regional elementary school.
The kibbutz was founded on 18 April 1949 on the lands of the Christian Arab village of al-Jammama, captured during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.[1][2][3] The founders of Beit Kama were immigrants from Hungary who belonged to Hashomer Hatzair movement.[citation needed]
The settlement was initially called "Safiach." The actual name is derived from Isaiah 17:5: "And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain."[4]
Economy
Beit Kama jointly owns one of the largest agriculture cooperatives in Israel, Shikma, together with Kibbutz Mishmar HaNegev, and operates a large dairy farm.[citation needed] Beit Kama once owned a biomedical company, Kamada. Although these two branches still functioning within Beit Kama they are no longer operated by the cooperative. It has a gas station at its junction on the way to Beer-Sheva.[citation needed]
Archaeology
In 2013, archaeologists of the Israel Antiquities Authority discovered a Byzantine era mosaic floor on the grounds of the kibbutz. The red, black, and yellow mosaic is decorated with images of birds, local flora and geometrical designs. An ancient water system with pools and channels was also unearthed.[5]
References
- ↑ Khalidi, Walid (1992). All that remains: the Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. IPS. pp. 73–74. ISBN 978-0-88728-224-9.
- ↑ Bagatti, Bellarmino (2002). Ancient Christian Villages of Judaea and the Negev. Franciscan Printing Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-965-516-046-8.
- ↑ Morris, Benny (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisisted. Cambridge University Press. pp. xvi, xx, xxii. ISBN 978-0-521-00967-6.
- ↑ Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.113 , ISBN 965-220-186-3 (English)
- ↑ Byzantine era mosaic floor found on Negev kibbutz, Jerusalem Post
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