Mefalsim

Mefalsim (Hebrew: מְפַלְּסִים, lit. 'Road pavers') is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located near the Gaza Strip and covering 11,000 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 1,037.[1]

Mefalsim
מפלסים
Mefalsim is located in Northwest Negev region of Israel
Mefalsim
Mefalsim
Mefalsim is located in Israel
Mefalsim
Mefalsim
Coordinates: 31°30′7″N 34°33′52″E
CountryIsrael
DistrictSouthern
CouncilSha'ar HaNegev
AffiliationKibbutz Movement
Founded1949
Founded byArgentine and Uruguayan Jews
Population
 (2021)[1]
1,037
Websitewww.mefalsim.co.il

History
Mefsalim cowshed in 1955

Mifalsim was established in 1949 by members of the Habonim Dror youth movement, most of them immigrants from Argentina and Uruguay.[2] It was named "Mefalsim" to honor the immigrants from Latin America who paved (lefales) the way for others to make aliyah.[2]

In 1966, the Argentine ambassador to Israel asked the kibbutz choir to perform Argentine folk music at the opening of the Argentine House in Jerusalem. This led to the establishment of Conjunto Mefalsim, a band that played Argentine and Latin American music, appearing on radio and television. The band also recorded several albums. [3]

In 2005, after the Israeli disengagement from Gaza the kibbutz absorbed some of the evicted families.[4] Since 2001 the kibbutz has been hit by dozens of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, with a few buildings destroyed, including the kindergarten in 2012.[5] In 2018 the village was the first location set ablaze by a fire balloon.[6]

In October 2023, Mefalsim was attacked by Hamas, who proceeded to kill several civilians in the village.[7][8][9] This event occurred during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, in which more than 1,300 people were killed by Hamas, and about 200 taken as hostages to Gaza.[10][11]

Black Arrow memorial

Economy

In 2017, Kibbutz Mefalsim had 430 acres of citrus and almond groves. Joining other farmers in the region, fruit farmers from Mefalsim called on Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman to grant entry permits to hundreds of Gazans to work in their orchards.[12] Mefalsim-Kfar Aza is a farming cooperative that grows roots vegetables such as potatoes and carrots over an area of 14,000 dunams (roughly 3,500 acres).[13]

In 2022, the Shibolet Group acquired an area of 22 dunams of kibbutz land for the establishment of a logistics center for industrial companies.[14]

Landmarks

An IDF memorial site, the Black Arrow Memorial is located on the outskirts of Kibbutz Mefalsim.[15]

Archaeology

In 2017, a salvage excavation was conducted at Tel ʽIrit, southwest of Kibbutz Mefalsim, by the Israel Antiquities Authority. Tel ʽIrit is the site of a pottery workshop dated to the late Byzantine period (end of the sixth–beginning of seventh centuries CE).[16]

References
  1. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. Mefalsim, Shaar Hanegev Negev Information Centre
  3. Transnational Histories of Youth in the Twentieth Century
  4. Relocation housing for Gush Katif evacuees Getty Images
  5. Ser, Sam (August 17, 2005). "Evacuees Settle in at Kibbutz Mefalsim". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  6. Tzuri, Matan; Levi, Elior (May 7, 2018). נזקים כבדים בעוטף עזה בגלל בלוני תבערה [Heavy Damage in Otef Aza due to Incendiary Balloons]. Yedioth Ahronoth (in Hebrew). Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  7. "One of the most beautiful parts of Israel before all hell broke loose", Haaretz
  8. Militants had detailed maps of Israeli towns, military bases and infiltration routes
  9. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-767609
  10. "Hamas seeks Palestinian prisoners' release, calls non-Israeli captives 'guests'". Reuters. 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  11. "After blast kills hundreds at Gaza hospital, Hamas and Israel trade blame as rage spreads in region". AP News. 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  12. Israel fruit farmers eye Gaza to fix labour shortage
  13. "50,000 tons of Israeli produce may be destroyed due to Ukraine War", Jerusalem Post
  14. The Shibolet Group is to set up a logistics center at Kibbutz Mefalsim
  15. "Black Arrow Memorial". Jewish National Fund. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  16. Tel ʽIrit
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