Kissufim ( he, כִּסּוּפִים, ''lit.'' Yearning) 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 the northwestern
Negev desert in
Israel. Located adjacent to 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.. ...
at an altitude of 92 meters above sea level, it falls under the jurisdiction of
Eshkol Regional Council. In it had a population of .
History
The village was established in 1951 by
Zionist youth movement members from the
United States and
South America. One of the members who established the Kibbutz was Ami Saull, who was born in Manhattan 1932, and was nephew of
Israel Galili
Yisrael Galili ( he, ישראל גלילי; 10 February 1911 – 8 February 1986) was an Israeli politician, government minister and member of Knesset. Before Israel's independence in 1948, he served as Chief of Staff of the Haganah.
Biography
...
and father of the film maker
Dror Shaul. Kissufim is part of the
Shalom bloc of Israeli settlement meant to secure Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip from the numerous
Palestinian Fedayeen
Palestinian fedayeen (from the Arabic ''fidā'ī'', plural ''fidā'iyūn'', فدائيون) are militants or guerrillas of a nationalist orientation from among the Palestinian people. Most Palestinians consider the fedayeen to be " freedom fig ...
infiltrations. The national government has recently financed building additions to each home which also serve as bomb shelters, with reinforced concrete.
Tell Jemmeh is a major archaeological site located about 5 kilometers east-northeast of Kissufim, on the southern bank of
HaBesor Stream.
Economy
The kibbutz economy largely relies on its
milk production
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
,
chicken farming, a
citrus grove which is being phased out, an
avocado orchard, and renting out land to the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
. Avocados are the primary income and Kissufim is one of the only producers of Avocados in Israel during the summer months. Income from land rented from the IDF helps cover the pension costs and other agricultural land is managed by neighboring villages, with profits split.
At one point it had a factory that produced plastic frames for glasses and raised chinchillas for their fur. Both endeavours were economic failures. The village also houses an archaeological museum (named after Ami Saull, father of Dror Shaul) displaying artifacts found in the surrounding area. Kissufim is currently undergoing a process of privatization in which homes will soon be owned by individuals rather than the collective.
Kissufim crossing
The nearby crossing into the Gaza Strip, named for the kibbutz, was the main route for traffic into the
Gush Katif
Gush Katif ( he, גוש קטיף, , Harvest Bloc) was a bloc of 17 Israeli settlements in the southern Gaza strip. In August 2005, the Israeli army forcibly removed the 8,600 residents of Gush Katif from their homes after a decision from the Ca ...
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 ...
bloc. It was permanently closed to inbound Israeli civilian traffic on 15 August 2005 as part of the
disengagement plan. The last Israeli soldier left the Gaza strip and closed the gate at dawn of 12 September 2005, completing the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Israel completes Gaza withdrawal
BBC News, 12 September 2006
Notable people
* Avihu Medina, composer, arranger, songwriter and singer
* Dror Shaul, filmmaker
References
External links
Official website
Kissufim
Negev Information Centre
15-minute movie on Kissufim in the 1950s
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
Jewish Film Archive
Kissufim
Bo HaBayta article
Archaeology links
*
*
* Regarding Early Paleolithic flint tools of Acheulean technology in the Kissufim museum.
{{Authority control
American-Jewish culture in Israel
Kibbutzim
Kibbutz Movement
Populated places established in 1951
Gaza envelope
Populated places in Southern District (Israel)
South American-Jewish culture in Israel
1951 establishments in Israel