Zikim

For settlement history preceding the kibbutz, see Hiribya: History.

The kibbutz was established in 1949 on land that had belonged to the depopulated Palestinian village of Hiribya,[2] by a group of young Romanian Jews who belonged to Hashomer Hatzair before their arrival in Mandatory Palestine in 1947.

At that time, Jewish settlement in the Negev was very sparse, and each new location was considered to be a "point of light" (zik) in the wilderness. Michael Har-Segor, later an Israeli historian, came up with the name while imprisoned in Romania for his activity in Hashomer Hatzair. He says he translated a quote from Pushkin into Hebrew: "From sparks shall come a flame."[3]

Zikim attracted members of Hashomer Hatzair from around the world, most recently from South America. British actor Bob Hoskins, although not Jewish, worked as a volunteer in Zikim in 1967.[4]

In 2006, a Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza hit a mattress factory in Zikim. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.[5] In July 2014, five armed Palestinians attempted to cross into Israel via the beach at Kibbutz Zikim. They were killed by IDF gunfire.[6]

The Israel Defense Forces destroyed vessels used by Hamas to land at the kibbutz,[7] in the battle of Zikim during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, in which more than 1,400 Israelis died.[8] Most of the dead were citizens, massacred by Hamas.[9][10] In response, over 5,000 Palestinians, including 2,000 children, were killed by Israeli airstrikes.[11][12]

The main crops are mango and avocado. Zikim also operates one of Israel's largest dairy farms. The main industrial product is polyurethane, produced by the kibbutz factory, Polyrit.[13]

• Bob Hoskins
• Peretz Kidron
• Hagai Zamir

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zikim.

• Official website (in Hebrew)