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Sa'ad ( he, סַעַד, ''lit.'' Aid) is a religious kibbutz in the

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 southe ...

desert in southern

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 near 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.. ...

, and the cities of

Sderot Sderot ( he, שְׂדֵרוֹת, , lit. ''Boulevards'', ar, سديروت) is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza (the c ...

and

Netivot Netivot ( he, נְתִיבוֹת, "''paths''", ar, نتيڤوت) is a city in the Southern District of Israel located between Beersheba and Gaza. In , it had a population of . History Netivot was founded in 1956 and named after the bible: " ...

, it falls under the jurisdiction of

Sdot Negev Regional Council Sdot Negev Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית שדות נגב, ''Mo'atza Azorit Sdot Negev'', ''lit.'' Negev Fields Regional Council), formerly Azata Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית עזתה, ''Mo'atza Azorit Azata'') ...

. In it had a population of . Due to its proximity to Gaza, the kibbutz has been the target of numerous rocket attacks.

History

The kibbutz was founded on 30 June 1947, the day after

Operation Agatha Operation Agatha (Saturday, June 29, 1946), sometimes called Black Sabbath ( he, השבת השחורה) or Black Saturday because it began on the Jewish sabbath, was a police and military operation conducted by the British authorities in Mandator ...

, by graduates of the

Bnei Akiva Bnei Akiva ( he, בְּנֵי עֲקִיבָא, , "Children of Akiva") is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 42 countries. It was first established in Mandatory Palestine in 1929. History B ...

movement. It was established in a manner similar to the tower and stockade settlement campaign of the late 1930s, and was the first religious kibbutz to be founded by Sabras. During the 1948 War, the kibbutz was almost entirely destroyed by the Egyptian army. The local museum "Ma'oz Mul 'Aza" (Stronghold at Gaza) details the history of the war in this area, opposite the Gaza strip. Following the war, the kibbutz members renewed their cultivation of the land, developing over the following fifty years, a multi-generational population that generates its income from agriculture and industry.

Economy

Sa'ad is one of Israel's largest producers of

carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', nat ...

s, with a quarter of the country's production. Other crops include potatoes, avocados, almonds and citrus fruit. Sa'ad has a large dairy farm and a poultry farm. Sa'ad's industries include Syfan, a plant that manufactures plastic shrink film for packaging, and Popli, which supplies popcorn products and pet food. The kibbutz also has a fashion outlet called Kav LeKav, which sells clothes for men, women, and children; Ahinoam Jewelry which produces handmade jewelry in sterling silver; a graphic design studio "Kesem"; and an auto service center. The kibbutz also operates Beit Shikma, a convalescent and geriatric home for patients who require full-time care. The

dairy farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...

on the kibbutz was the Israeli leader in 2011 for productivity with an average of 13 785 litres per head that year. A

dairy cow Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species ''Bos taurus''. Historically, little distinction was mad ...

named Kharta, was the world record holder giving 18 208 litres of milk.

Education

The kibbutz runs and participates in several unique educational frameworks such as Youth Education, a school and dormitory framework for teenagers from broken homes; Foster Family, for grade school children; Conversion Ulpan, for families and young people who are converting to Judaism; and Nativ, the USY year program in Israel for American teens. Kibbutz Sa'ad has a regional religious elementary school for grades 1 through 9 under the auspices of Israel's Ministry of Education. Kibbutz Sa'ad, Kibbutz

Alumim Alumim ( he, עֲלוּמִים, lit=Youth) is a kibbutz located in the northwestern Negev desert in southern Israel, near the Gaza Strip. It falls under the jurisdiction of Sdot Negev Regional Council. In it had a population of . History Kibb ...

, and

Moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...

Tkuma cooperate in running the Da'at School for their children. Pupils from towns in the surrounding area also attend.

References

External links

Official website
{{Sdot Negev Regional Council Kibbutzim Religious Kibbutz Movement Populated places established in 1947 Gaza envelope 1947 establishments in Mandatory Palestine Populated places in Southern District (Israel)