Sha'alvim

Sha'alvim
שַׁעַלְבִים
Sha'alvim
Coordinates: 31°52′7.32″N 34°59′6.71″E / 31.8687000°N 34.9851972°ECoordinates: 31°52′7.32″N 34°59′6.71″E / 31.8687000°N 34.9851972°E
Council Gezer
Region Central Israel
Affiliation Agudat Israel Workers
Founded 13 August 1951
Founded by Nahal

Sha'alvim (Hebrew: שַׁעַלְבִים) is a religious kibbutz in central Israel, one of only two affiliated with Agudat Israel (Chafetz Chaim being the other). Located near the city of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gezer Regional Council.

History

The kibbutz was founded on 13 August 1951 by a Nahal group from the Ezra movement, on lands of the depopulated Palestinian Arab village Salbit. It was named after a Biblical location mentioned in Joshua 19:42, Judges 1:35 and in 1 Kings 4:9. The hill between the kibbutz and Nof Ayalon is commonly known as Tel Sha'alvim. Until the Six-Day War it was a target of numerous attacks from the West Bank due to its proximity to the Green Line. According to a document captured from the Jordanian Arab Legion, the legion was planning to attack the village and massacre all its residents.[1]

In 1961, a yeshiva, Yeshivat Sha'alvim, was founded in Sha'alvim, and later became a large regional religious education facility.

References

  1. HaReuveni, Immanuel (1999). Lexicon of the Land of Israel (in Hebrew). Miskal - Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books. p. 922. ISBN 965-448-413-7.