Givat Brenner

Givat Brenner (Hebrew: גִּבְעַת בְּרֶנֶר, lit. Brenner Hill; Arabic: غفعات برينر), is a kibbutz in the Central District of Israel. Located around two kilometres (one mile) south of Rehovot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Brenner Regional Council. Founded in 1928, it is named after writer Yosef Haim Brenner, who was killed in the Jaffa riots of 1921. In 2021 it had a population of 2,694.[1] It is the largest kibbutz in Israel.

Givat Brenner
גִּבְעַת בְּרֶנֶר‎
Givat Brenner is located in Central Israel
Givat Brenner
Givat Brenner
Coordinates: 31°51′52″N 34°48′1″E
CountryIsrael
DistrictCentral
CouncilBrenner
AffiliationKibbutz Movement
Founded1928 (1928)
Founded byLithuanian, Polish and German Jews
Population
 (2021)[1]
2,694
Websitewww.gbrener.org.il

History

Givat Brenner was founded in 1928 by Enzo Sereni[2] and a group of immigrants from Lithuania, Poland and Germany. That same year, pioneers had settled on some 200 dunams (49.4 acres) of land that had been purchased by Moshe Smilansky from the Arab landholders of Aqir and Zarnuqa.[3] During World War II, Givat Brenner supplied products such as jam to the British Army, which laid the foundation for its export business.

  • Givat Brenner 1928
    Givat Brenner 1928
  • Kibbutz Givat Brenner, 1935
    Kibbutz Givat Brenner, 1935
  • Food canning factory, Givat Brenner, 1939
    Food canning factory, Givat Brenner, 1939
  • Givat Brenner 1945 1:250,000
    Givat Brenner 1945 1:250,000
  • Givat Brenner 1:20,000
    Givat Brenner 1:20,000
  • Members of Company H, Palmach, in Giv'at Brenner, 1945
    Members of Company H, Palmach, in Giv'at Brenner, 1945

The establishment of an irrigation equipment factory led to the creation of a foundry. The foundry evolved into a specialized aluminum die-casting company, which has produced, among other things, the housings for emergency phones along the New Jersey Turnpike. In 1938, it opened the first kibbutz sanatorium in the country.[4]

Demographics

According to a census conducted in 1931 by the British Mandate authorities, Givat Brenner had a population of 155 inhabitants and a total of 5 residential houses.[5] In 1970 the population was 480.[6]

Education

Givat Brenner Regional School serves the communities of the Brenner Regional Council. The offices of the Regional Council are also located in the Kibbutz.

Economy

Givat Brenner's plant nursery supplies turf for lawns and parks. The kibbutz grows cotton, avocado, wheat and corn, and maintains a dairy farm. Industrial ventures include a furniture factory, metalwork factory, canned foods plant and an irrigation equipment factory, which gradually shut down for financial reasons. The 'House of Dreams' amusement park was established to offset waning income from the orchards, plant nurseries and factories, but was eventually closed.[7]

Landmarks

The Treasure Museum, in the heart of the kibbutz, opened on the Givat Brenner's seventieth anniversary. It houses a collection of artifacts and photographs that tell the story of the kibbutz pioneers.

Notable people
Sculpture by Jacob Loutchansky

References
  1. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. "Enzo Sereni". Jewish Virtual Library.
  3. Compton, Israelah (1979). "Givat Brenner". Israel Guide - Sharon, Southern Coastal Plain and Northern Negev (A useful encyclopedia for the knowledge of the country) (in Hebrew). Vol. 6. Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House, in affiliation with the Israel Ministry of Defence. p. 116. OCLC 745203905.
  4. Riba, Naama (20 May 2016). "How Israel's socialist retreats for workers turned into luxury hotels". Haaretz. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  5. Mills, 1932, p. 20
  6. "Israel Place List (1970)" in Encyclopedia Judaica. 1. New York: Macmillan, p. 176.
  7. Sanior, Eli (18 September 2003). קיבוץ גבעת ברנר נדרש להרוס את "בית חלומותי" [Kibbutz Givat Brenner forced to demolish 'House of Dreams']. Yedioth Ahronoth (in Hebrew). Retrieved 25 April 2019.

Further reading
  • Gavron, Daniel. The Kibbutz: Awakening from Utopia. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000.
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