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Re'im () is a secular
kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...
in southern Israel, and one of the Gaza vicinity villages. Located at the
confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of Besor Stream and Gerar Stream in the north-western Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In , it had a population of . In 2008, Kibbutz Re'im launched a
solar power Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to c ...
project, becoming the first community in Israel—and possibly the world—fully powered by
solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...
for domestic use. The project was estimated to cost ₪60–100 million, with expected returns within 10 years. Profits and costs were to be shared equally between the kibbutz and the Solar company, with surplus electricity sold to the Israel Electric Company. Re'im was founded in 1949 by members of the Israel Boy and Girl Scouts Federation who were demobilized from the Palmach. The kibbutz was designed by the architect . The building, which was used by the Havron for decades as his office, is today the kibbutz's heritage building, with a display of the history of the place.


Geography

Re'im is located between roads 232 and 234 in the western Negev, next to the Re'im Junction and Gama Junction. The ruins of ancient Gama ( Tell Jemmeh) are located to the west of the kibbutz. West of Re'im is the kibbutz Kissufim, and north is Be'eri. Re'im's elevation is above sea level, and the Besor Stream passes through its territory.


History

The
kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...
was established in 1949 by former Palmach members with the provisional name HaTzofim Vav (). It was then named Tel Re'im (, ) after the Arabic translation of the nearby archaeological site of Tell Jemmeh. It was eventually renamed Re'im in memory of members of the Gar'in who were killed in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The name, meaning 'friends', was taken from the Book of Proverbs (18:24) to symbolize them. The kibbutz was planned by the architect Hanan Habaron, one of the founders of the kibbutz and a member until his death in 2002. The ascetic style was described as a visual expression of Habaron's social and architectural worldviews. Asaf Kashtan, an Israeli architect who wrote a book about Habaron, said that in recent years, Habaron's style fell out of favor with Re'im's residents. The
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
(IDF) has a base near the kibbutz. Prior to the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, the base was used as a camp for the evacuating troops. After the disengagement, Re'im became the target of Qassam rockets fired at it from the
Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
. In 2008 IDF troops at the nearby base close to Nahal Oz requested that the base be relocated to the area near Re'im, away from the range of
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
' mortar fire. On 7 October 2023 Re'im was attacked by
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
during the battle of Re'im. Dozens of Israeli casualties were reported from the area. On the same day, a music festival was taking place on the kibbutz grounds. Hamas overran the event, indiscriminately shooting into the crowd, killing hundreds and committing acts of rape and sexual assault. Many others festival goers were wounded and some were taken hostage by Hamas. In the aftermath, the kibbutz's surviving residents were evacuated to
Eilat Eilat ( , ; ; ) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port of Eilat, port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan as the Gulf of Aqaba. The c ...
, before being relocated to
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
.


Economy

As of 2008, the kibbutz's economy was based on agriculture and its laser factory, Isralaser. IsraBig, which manufactures dies for stamping, also has a factory in Re'im. The kibbutz also has a room letting business, including a Bedouin accommodation tent. It suffered as a result of the Israel–Gaza conflict, and the kibbutz lowered its prices sometime around 2008. The kibbutz’s economic operations are overseen by a business chairman and an economic management team responsible for preparing an annual business plan, ensuring that profits are reinvested into maintaining and improving community services including health, education, and cultural activities. In 2008, Re'im embarked on a project that was planned make it the first community in Israel, and perhaps in the entire world, to rely entirely on solar energy for domestic consumption. Sunday, a company which marketed the technology in Israel, was to install solar panels on all 130 rooftops in the kibbutz. The cost of the project was estimated at and the investment was expected to pay for itself in 10 years. The cost and revenues from electricity were to be divided evenly between the kibbutz and Sunday, and any excess energy was to be sold to the Israel Electric Company. Being one of the Gaza-vicinity villages, as of 2022, its residents are given an income tax benefit in accordance with Article 11 of the Income Tax Ordinance.


Security

Re'im is eligible for support in building fortified residential shelters, '' Merkhav Mugan Dirati, a''vailable for localities situated within a 7-kilometer radius from the Gaza Strip. In June 2015, the construction of these residential shelters within individual family homes was completed. Given kibbutz Re'im's geographic proximity to Gaza, when a Red Color alarm is triggered, residents are required to promptly find shelter within a window of 8-15 seconds.


Archaeology

Tell Jemmeh is a prominent 23 meter high mound located near Re'im. Archaeologists identify Tel Jemmeh with the Canaanite royal city of Yursa mentioned in the records of Thutmose III Pharaoh of
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
who describes the city as the southernmost of the Canaanite cities that rebelled against Egypt.Gus w. van Beek, Digging up Tell Jemmeh, ''
Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
'', Vol. 31, No. 1, January/February 1983, Archaeological Institute of America pp.12–19
During the period of the Amarna letters, a Canaanite governor named Pu-Ba'lu, who corresponded with
Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Akhenaton or Echnaton ( ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning 'Effective for the Aten'), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eig ...
, ruled the city. Yursa is mentioned again in the inscription of Esarhaddon, King of Assyria, in which it is mentioned as one of the cities that rebelled against the Assyrian kingdom and as a result it was conquered and its queen was exiled to Nineveh. Around a kilometre north to Re'im are remains that have been identified tentatively with those of the village of ''Kefar She'arta''. These remains include an ancient building, a round cistern and fragments of pottery and glass from the Byzantine period. Yizhar Hirschfeld suggests that the building could have been the monastery of Zeno the Prophet, a 5th century hermit.


See also

* Gaza war ** Sa'ad ** Shokeda ** Ofakim ** Sderot ** Zikim ** Netiv Ha'asara * Be'eri massacre * Kfar Aza massacre


References


External links


Official website
{{Eshkol Regional Council 1949 establishments in Israel Gaza envelope Kibbutzim Kibbutz Movement Populated places established in 1949 Populated places in Southern District (Israel)