Revadim
| Revadim | |
|---|---|
  Revadim | |
| Coordinates: 31°46′25.32″N 34°49′0.83″E / 31.7737000°N 34.8168972°ECoordinates: 31°46′25.32″N 34°49′0.83″E / 31.7737000°N 34.8168972°E | |
| Region | Israeli coastal plain |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founded by | Hashomer members |
| Website | http://www.revadim.org.il |
Revadim (Hebrew: רְבָדִים) is a kibbutz in Israel on the southern coastal plain. It is under the administration of the Yoav Regional Council and affiliated with the Hashomer Hatza'ir movement.
History
Revadim was originally founded on February 14, 1947 as the fourth settlement of the Etzion Bloc in the Hebron Hills. It was established by the Tsabar pioneering group on tracts of land purchased by the Jewish National Fund in Ein Abu Zeid and Shuweika.[1] While the land was being reclassified as musha'a, the group cleared 100 dunams, 70 in Ein Abu Zeid and 30 in Wadi Abu Nofal, where the JNF owned a tract of mafruz. Plans included the reclamation of 70 dunams in Wadi Abu Nofal and 150 in Dhahr al-Masatikh, which were acquired as part of a land exchange agreement.[2]
On May 13, 1948, the village was razed to the ground by the Arab Legion. Survivors were taken prisoner by Jordan. The kibbutz was re-established in a new location on November 28, 1948. The released POWs were joined by immigrants from Bulgaria and other countries.[3]
In 2002, Revadim had a population of 296. The economy is based on tourism and small industry. It operates a guest rooms and a museum of antiquities. The Roman Glass Co. designs original jewelry for a worldwide market.[4]
Landmarks
The kibbutz has a memorial for members who fell in the Israeli War of Independence. Tel Miqne-Ekron, an archaeological tel on the grounds of the kibbutz, is believed to be the site of the Biblical city of Ekron.[5]A reconstructed Philistine street is open to visitors. The kibbutz operates the Ekron Museum of the History of Philistine Culture which displays finds from the excavations.[6]
Archaeology
Tel Miqne-Ekron is one of the largest Iron Age sites in Israel. Archaeologists have discovered over 100 oil presses there, as well as the Ekron Inscription, which identifies the site as Philistine Ekron. Tel Miqne (Khirbat al-Muqanna') dates to the 12th century BC. The city is mentioned in Joshua 13:2-3 and I Samuel 5:10 in relation to the Ark of the Covenant. After the arrival of the Philistines, one of the Sea Peoples, Ekron became a fortified urban center that supplied Egypt and the Assyrian empire with 700 tons of olive oil a year, making it the largest olive oil industrial center in the ancient Middle East. The reconstructed Philistine street features an oil press, a potters’ wheel and a loom, attesting to an active textile industry. [7]
References
- ↑ Between Jerusalem and Hebron: Jewish Settlement in the Pre-State Period, Yossi Katz, pp.254-264.
- ↑ Between Jerusalem and Hebron: Jewish Settlement in the Pre-State Period, Yossi Katz, pp.254-264.
- ↑ Jewish Virtual Library: Revadim
- ↑ Roman Glass Company
- ↑ The Revadim seal and its archaic Phoenician inscription
- ↑ A Reconstructed Philistine Street
- ↑ A Reconstructed Philistine Street
External links
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