Afik () is an

Israeli settlement Israeli settlements, or Israeli colonies, are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens, overwhelmingly of Jewish ethnicity, built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. The international community considers Israeli se ...

organized as a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...

in the

Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...

. It was established in 1972 close to the abandoned

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

n village of Fiq following Israel's capture and occupation of the Golan Heights in the 1973

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...

. In , it had a population of .. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, while the Israeli government disputes this.

Name and biblical Aphek

There are multiple locations called Aphek in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

, and the location of the kibbutz was believed to be adjacent to the ruins of the ancient Aphek mentioned in the

Books of Kings The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of Israel also including the books ...

(), which tells how

King Ahab Ahab (; akk, 𒀀𒄩𒀊𒁍 ''Aḫâbbu'' 'a-ḫa-ab-bu'' grc-koi, Ἀχαάβ ''Achaáb''; la, Achab) was the seventh king of Israel, the son and successor of King Omri and the husband of Jezebel of Sidon, according to the Hebrew Bible. ...

of Israel defeated

Ben-Hadad I Ben-Hadad I ( he, בן הדד, translit=bn hdd; arc, בר הדד, translit=br hdd), son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion, was king of Aram-Damascus between 885 BC and 865 BC. Ben-Hadad I was reportedly a contemporary of kings Baasha of the ...

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

and the prophet

Elisha Elisha ( ; or "God is my salvation", Greek: , ''Elis îos'' or , ''Elisaié,'' Latin: ''Eliseus'') was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a wonder-worker. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eli ...

foretold that King

Jehoash of Israel Jehoash ( he, ''Yəhō’āš'' or ''Yō’āš''; Israelian Hebrew: *''’Āšīyāw''; Akkadian: 𒅀𒀪𒋢 ''Yaʾsu'' 'ia-'-su'' la, Joas; fl. c. 790 BC), whose name means "Yahweh has given,""Joash, Jehoash;" ''New Bible Dictionary'' ...

would defeat

Ben-Hadad III Bar-Hadad III ( Aram.) (ܒܪ ܚܕܕ) or Ben-Hadad III ( Heb.) (בֶּן-הֲדַד) was king of Aram Damascus, the son and successor of Hazael. His succession is mentioned in 2 Kings (, ). He is thought to have ruled from 796 BC to 792 BC, althou ...

of Damascus three times. Archaeologists however lately favour Tel 'En Gev/Khirbet el-'Asheq within Kibbutz

Ein Gev Ein Gev ( he, עֵין גֵּב) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee near the ruins of the Greco-Roman settlement of Hippos, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council. In ...

as the site of biblical Aphek.

Name and biblical Aphek

There are multiple locations called Aphek in the

, and the location of the kibbutz was believed to be adjacent to the ruins of the ancient Aphek mentioned in the

(), which tells how

of Israel defeated

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

and the prophet

foretold that King

would defeat

of Damascus three times. Archaeologists however lately favour Tel 'En Gev/Khirbet el-'Asheq within Kibbutz

as the site of biblical Aphek.

History

Kibbutz Afik, affiliated with

Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim The Kibbutz Movement ( he, התנועה הקיבוצית, ''HaTnu'a HaKibbutzit'') is the largest settlement movement for kibbutzim in Israel. It was formed in 1999 by a partial merger of the United Kibbutz Movement and Kibbutz Artzi and is made ...

, was established near the site of the abandoned

n village of Fiq on 8 May 1972. It falls under the municipal jurisdiction of the

Golan Regional Council Golan Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית גולן, ar, مجلس الجولان الإقليمي) is a regional council that supervises regional services to Israeli settlements located on the Golan Heights. It is made up of 18 moshav ...

, and the

Fik Airfield Fik Airfield (also known as Pik) is an airfield in the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel, near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz Afik. The airfield is used for private aviation activity and operated by the Golan Regional Council. Fik has seen ...

is located nearby.

Economy

Economic branches include agriculture (seasonal vegetables, pulses, and fruit orchards), dairy cattle and chicken coops. The kibbutz also operates several factories in partnership with

Yifat Yifat ( he, יִפְעַת, more accurately romanized as "Yif'at") is a kibbutz in Galilee, northern Israel. Located adjacent to the town Migdal HaEmek and short distances from the cities of Afula and Nazareth. It falls under the jurisdiction o ...

such as Afic Printing Solutions, which produces toners and ink cartridges. Afik shares ownership of

Hamat Gader Hamat Gader ( he, חַמַּת גָּדֵר; arc, חמתא דגדר, ; grc, Ἑμμαθά, or , ; ar, الحمة السورية ', meaning "the Syrian Hamma") is a hot springs site in the Yarmouk River valley, used since the classical ant ...

, a hot mineral springs health resort, with three other kibbutzim. Another source of employment is the Orhan Afik guesthouse.

Notable people

Shimon Sheves Shimon Sheves (born 16 March 1952, Petach-Tiqwa, Israel) Former General Director of the Israeli Prime Minister's office under the late Yizhak Rabin, during 1992 - 1995. Sheves now serves as a political strategic advisor to governments and politic ...

(born 1952), Israeli political strategic advisor

References

{{Golan Regional Council Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights Kibbutz Movement Hebrew Bible places Golan Regional Council Populated places in Northern District (Israel) Populated places established in 1972 1972 establishments in the Israeli Military Governorate

Name and biblical Aphek

Name and biblical Aphek

History

Economy

Notable people

See also

References