Kissufim
Kissufim (Hebrew: כִּסּוּפִים, lit. Yearning) is a kibbutz in the northwestern Negev desert in Israel. Located adjacent to the Gaza Strip at an altitude of 92 meters above sea level, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 292.[1]
Kissufim כִּסּוּפִים كيسوفيم | |
|---|---|
Map of Kissufim on a sign in the kibbutz. | |
| Etymology: Yearning | |
Kissufim Kissufim | |
| Coordinates: 31°22′27″N 34°23′58″E / 31.37417°N 34.39944°E | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Southern |
| Council | Eshkol |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Founded by | American and South American immigrants |
| Population (2021)[1] | 292 |
| Website | www |
History Edit
The village was established in 1951 by Zionist youth movement members from the United States and South America. One of the members who established the Kibbutz was Ami Saull, who was born in Manhattan 1932, and was nephew of Israel Galili and father of the film maker Dror Shaul. Kissufim is part of the Shalom bloc of Israeli settlement meant to secure Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip from the numerous Palestinian Fedayeen infiltrations. The national government has recently financed building additions to each home which also serve as bomb shelters, with reinforced concrete.
Tell Jemmeh is a major archaeological site located about 5 kilometers east-northeast of Kissufim, on the southern bank of HaBesor Stream.
Economy Edit
The kibbutz economy largely relies on its milk production, chicken farming, a citrus grove which is being phased out, an avocado orchard, and renting out land to the Israel Defense Forces. Avocados are the primary income and Kissufim is one of the only producers of Avocados in Israel during the summer months. Income from land rented from the IDF helps cover the pension costs and other agricultural land is managed by neighboring villages, with profits split.
At one point, Kissufim had a factory that produced plastic frames for glasses and raised chinchillas for their fur. However, both of these endeavors proved to be economic failures. In addition, the village is home to an archaeological museum named after Ami Saull, who is the father of Dror Shaul. The museum showcases artifacts that have been discovered in the surrounding area. Currently, Kissufim is undergoing a process of privatization, wherein homes will soon be owned by individuals rather than the collective ownership model that was previously in place.
Kissufim crossing Edit
The nearby crossing into the Gaza Strip, named for the kibbutz, was the main route for traffic into the Gush Katif Israeli settlement bloc. It was permanently closed to inbound Israeli civilian traffic on 15 August 2005 as part of the disengagement plan. The last Israeli soldier left the Gaza strip and closed the gate at dawn of 12 September 2005, completing the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.[2]
Notable people Edit
- Avihu Medina, composer, arranger, songwriter and singer
- Dror Shaul, filmmaker
References Edit
External links Edit
- Official website (in Hebrew)
- Negev Information Centre
- 15-minute movie on Kissufim in the 1950s Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
- Kissufim Bo HaBayta article
Archaeology links Edit
- Cohen, Rudolph (January–February 1980). "The Marvelous Mosaics of Kissufim". Biblical Archaeology Review. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- Cohen, Rudolph (1993-06-01). "A Byzantine church and its mosaic floors at Kissufim". In Tsafrir, Yoram (ed.). Ancient Churches Revealed. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society. pp. 277–282. ISBN 9789652210166.
- Ronen, Avraham; Gilead, D.; Shachnai, E.; Saull, Ami (1972-02-15). "Upper Acheulean in the Kissufim Region". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 116 (1): 68–96. JSTOR 985707. Regarding Early Paleolithic flint tools of Acheulean technology in the Kissufim museum.