District Central Affiliation Kibbutz Movement Founded by European immigrants Local time Monday 12:06 PM | Council Gezer Founded 1945 Population (2015) 273 | |
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Weather 18°C, Wind W at 23 km/h, 71% Humidity | ||
Gezer (Hebrew: גֶּזֶר) is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah between Modi'in, Ramle and Rehovot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gezer Regional Council. In 2015 it had a population of 273.
Contents
Map of Gezer, Israel
History
The kibbutz was established in 1945 on land purchased by the Ancient Order of Maccabeans in England, a philanthropic society founded in 1896. The pioneers were immigrants from Europe, who named the kibbutz after Biblical Tel Gezer (Joshua 21:21), located nearby.
On 10 June 1948, the day after an attempt to take Latrun was performed by Yiftah and Harel brigades during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, a battalion-size force of the Arab Legion, supported by irregulars and a dozen of armored cars, attacked the kibbutz. This was defended by 68 Haganah soldiers. After four hours of battle, the kibbutz fell. 39 defenders were killed, a dozen escaped, and the remaining were taken prisoner. Two Arab legionnaires were killed. At the evening, the kibbutz abandoned to the irregulars was taken back by two Palmach squads.
After the war it was rebuilt, but came apart in 1964 due to social difficulties. The current kibbutz was founded on 4 July 1974, by a Gar'in from North America.
Kibbutz Gezer Field is one of the few regulation baseball fields in Israel. Construction of the field in 1983, funded by American donors, took six weeks. The first game was played within a few months. A backstop, covered benches for players and a refreshment stand were added at a later date. In 1989, a scoreboard and outfield fence were erected for the Maccabiah Games.