Ruhama
Ruhama
רֻוחָמָה روحامة | |
|---|---|
Russian Jews (original) Hashomer Hatzair members (current) | |
| Population (2022) | 761[1] |
Ruhama (
History
Ruhama was first established in 1911, on land purchased in the same year by the "Remnant of Israel" (
However, the artesian well prompted the Allied forces under
HaShomer used Ruhama as its main forward base along the Gaza-Beersheva line.[6]
Two subsequent attempts to re-establish the settlement during the period of the British Mandate were curtailed by the Arab riots in 1929 and 1936. The kibbutz was eventually successfully re-established in 1944, and grew to a population of 399.[citation needed]
Ruhama uses land from the depopulated Palestinian village of al-Jammama.[7]
The film Sweet Mud (2006) was filmed in Ruhama and Nir Eliyahu.[8]
In 2006, a group of older ideologues blocked an attempt by the younger members of Ruhama to establish a synagogue.[9] In 2012 a synagogue was established in memory of a boy killed in a missile attack near Gaza.
Economy
The economy is based on four agricultural branches: field crops, irrigated cultivation, orchards and henhouses, but many of Ruhama's members work outside the kibbutz.
Like many kibbutzim, Ruhama went through a process of privatization in the late 1990s.
The kibbutz operated a factory which produced brushes, including toothbrushes, which was closed in July 2019.
In 1984, Ruhama established a PCB design company.
Ruhama has a full-care center for elderly patients with 25 beds. The center cares for patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia, paralysis and stroke.
Landmarks
Atar HaRishonim (אתר הראשונים,"Site of the Pioneers"), located just outside the perimeter fence of the kibbutz, marks the place where the early settlers built the first houses and dug a well. Also on show are farming tools used almost 100 years ago.
Notable people
- Recha Freier, a deputy to Zionist leader Henrietta Szold moved to Ruhama in 1947
- Jonathan Roshfeld, MasterChef Israel
- Avi Toledano, Israeli singer
Gallery
-
Kibbutz Ruhama 1948 -
View of Ruhama from the airfield, August 1948 -
Ruhama airfield. August 1948. Operation Avak -
Yiftach Brigade Headquarters, Kibbutz Ruhama, 1948 -
Kibbutz Ruhama, 1948 -
Ruhama 1945 1:250,000 -
Ruhama 1947 1:20,000
References
- ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ a b Kna'ani, Eliyahu (1981). Ruhama, the first Jewish settlement in the Negev (in Hebrew). Yad Ben Zvi. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
- ^ a b c Velikovsky, Immanuel (1946) The Story of Ruhama New York Times, 19 September 1946
- ^ Place Names in Israel. A Compendium of Place Names in Israel compiled from various sources. Translated from Hebrew, Jerusalem 1962 (Israel Prime Minister’s Office. The Israeli Program for Scientific Translations) p. 167 (Location of the book: Ben Zvi Institute Library, 12 Abarbanel St., Jerusalem; in the online-catalogue: [1]
- ISBN 965-220-186-3(English)
- ISBN 1-902210-01-8.
- ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
- ^ Sweet Mud sheds new light on old kibbutz life Ynetnews
- ^ 'No shuls, please, we're atheists. Kibbutz Ruhama founders torpedo synagogue plan' The Jerusalem Post, 3 November 2006
External links
- Ruhama Negev Information Centre
