Ashdot Ya'akov ( he, אַשְׁדוֹת יַעֲקֹב, lit. ''Ya'akov

Rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

'') is 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 northern Israel. Originally founded in 1924 by a kvutza of Hashomer members from

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

on the land which is today Gesher, it moved to its current location between 1933 and 1935. It was named after the

rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

of the nearby Yarmouk River and James "Ya'akov" Armand de Rothschild.

History

Al-Dalhamiyya in VanDeVeldeMap5 (cropped)

Between 1933 and 1935 the kibbutz moved northeast of its original location, onto land which had been bought by the Palestine Jewish Colonization Association. The children of Ashod Yaacov were evacuated during the

1948 Arab-Israeli war Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

, when the kibbutz suffered intensive shelling from

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

, Iraqi and Transjordanian forces. In 1953, as a result of the split in the

HaKibbutz HaMeuhad 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 u ...

movement, the kibbutz was split in two: *Members of Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim established

Ashdot Ya'akov Ihud Ashdot Ya'akov Ihud ( he, אַשְׁדוֹת יַעֲקֹב אִחוּד) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located to the south of the Sea of Galilee near the Jordanian border and covering 4,200 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYar ...

*Members of

established Ashdot Ya'akov Meuhad South of Ashdot Ya'akov, at the confluence of the Jordan and Yarmouk rivers near the island of

Naharayim Naharayim ( he, נַהֲרַיִים literally "Two rivers"), historically the Jisr Majami area ( ar, جسر المجامع literally "Meeting bridge" area), where the Yarmouk River flows into the Jordan River, was named by the Palestine Ele ...

, there is a memorial for the 7 twelve-year-old Israeli girls murdered by a Jordanian border guard in March 1997.Find further information about this memorial
Zeev's Israel Travel Guide
/ref>

References

{{coord, 32, 39, 29, N, 35, 34, 55, E, region:IL_type:landmark_source:kolossus-hewiki, display=title Former kibbutzim Populated places established in 1924 Jewish villages in Mandatory Palestine Emek HaYarden Regional Council Populated places in Northern District (Israel) 1924 establishments in Mandatory Palestine 1953 disestablishments in Israel Populated places disestablished in 1953