Erez ( he, אֶרֶז, ) is a
kibbutz in southwestern
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. Located just north of the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
, it is the namesake of the nearby
Erez Crossing.
The kibbutz was founded in 1949 and moved to its current location in 1950, where it was built at the site of the
depopulated Palestinian Arab village of
Dimra
Dimra ( ar, دمره) was a small Arab village located northeast of Gaza City in British Palestine.Sharon, 2004, pp 138141 Ancient remains at the site attest to a long-time human settlement there; during the Mamluk era, the town was the home of ...
. In 2019, it had a population of 558.
Located in the northwestern
Negev
The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...
around south of the coastal city of
Ashkelon
Ashkelon or Ashqelon (; Hebrew: , , ; Philistine: ), also known as Ascalon (; Ancient Greek: , ; Arabic: , ), is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border wit ...
, it falls under the jurisdiction of the
Shaʽar HaNegev Regional Council.
History
Erez is named after the first group that settled the
kibbutz, who were members of the
Noar HaOved from
Petah Tikva. They originally settled in the area of
Or HaNer
Or HaNer ( he, אוֹר הַנֵּר, ''lit.'' Light of the Candle) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located near Sderot, it fall under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In it had a population of .
Etymology
Its name is taken ...
in 1949; however, in 1950, they were resettled in its current location at the site of
Dimra
Dimra ( ar, دمره) was a small Arab village located northeast of Gaza City in British Palestine.Sharon, 2004, pp 138141 Ancient remains at the site attest to a long-time human settlement there; during the Mamluk era, the town was the home of ...
, a former
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
village of
British Palestine.
Economy
The
kibbutz has three main industries: agriculture (arable and fruit farming as well as
animal husbandry), manufacturing (Erez Thermoplastics Products manufactures plastic-covered materials), and
research and development.
See also
*
Erez Crossing, a border crossing point between Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip
References
External links
Official website
{{Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council
Kibbutzim
Kibbutz Movement
Populated places established in 1949
Populated places established in 1950
Gaza envelope
Populated places in Southern District (Israel)
1949 establishments in Israel
1950 establishments in Israel