District Southern Affiliation Agricultural Union Name meaning Brightness Local time Sunday 8:14 AM | Council Lakhish Population (2015) 349 Founded 1956 | |
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Founded by Algerian and Tunisian Jews Weather 13°C, Wind S at 11 km/h, 93% Humidity | ||
Zohar (Hebrew: זֹהַר, lit. Brightness) is a moshav in southern Israel. Located near the city of Kiryat Gat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lakhish Regional Council. In 2015 it had a population of 349.
Contents
Map of Zohar, Israel
A large lake that serves as a reservoir lies near the town.
History
The moshav was founded in 1956 by Jewish refugees from Algeria and Tunisia on land, that had belonged to the Arab village of al-Faluja, as part of the effort to settle Hevel Lakhish.
According to Walid Khalidi, Zohar is founded on the land belonging to the depopulated Palestinian village of Burayr.
Its name signifies the desire of the inhabitants to be quickly absorbed in what was then a remote frontier region. In later years, new immigrants from Iraq, Russia and Hungary settled there.
In the 1950s and 1960s the moshav was a target for Palestinian fedayeen who infiltrated into Israel from Gaza.