Sha'ar HaGolan (, ''lit.'' Gate of the Golan) is a

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 ...

situated at the foot of the Golan Heights in the Jordan Valley area of north-eastern

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Located less than 1 km from the border with

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council. In it had a population of .

History

Sha'ar HaGolan was founded on 21 March 1937 by members of the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement from

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. The founders met and were organized as a team in 1930 in Rishon LeZion and were called "Ein Hakore" until 1937, when they established the kibbutz as a tower and stockade settlement. During the Battles of the Kinarot Valley in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the defenders of Sha'ar HaGolan and of neighbouring kibbutz Masada, after withstanding a first Syrian attack and further aerial bombardment and shelling, retreated due to lack of reinforcement and direction. The kibbutzim were captured and briefly held by the Syrian Army, during which time they were looted and burned down. Although the members soon returned, a stigma was attached to them, and vindication in the form of released military records only arrived in recent years.

Economy

The main source of income is a plastics engineering factory. The kibbutz also grows bananas, avocado and watermelons, and has a herd of dairy cows. Another economic sector is tourism, one of the attractions is a museum of Yarmukian culture exhibiting pre-historic

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

findings discovered along the banks of the Yarmuk River. Established in the 1950s, it was Israel's first museum of prehistory.

Archaeology

Excavations at Sha'ar HaGolan archaeological site unearthed an 8,000-year-old village and artifacts that include the first pottery cooking pots found in the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine. The definition ...

. This Neolithic Yarmukian village was inhabited by the people who abandoned their nomadic lifestyle in favor of permanent settlement, marking the shift from hunting and gathering to

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. In July 2022, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the discovery of an 8,000-years-old " Mother goddess" figurine at Sha'ar HaGolan archaeological site. Anna Eirikh-Rose, co-director of the excavation reported that the 20-centimeter long figurine covered by a bracelet with a red bottom was found broken into 2 pieces. It was sculpted in a sitting position with big hips, a unique pointed hat and what is known as 'coffee-bean' eyes and a big nose.

Galleries

File:מסדה - הקמת חומת המגן (מרחוק עין הקורא)-JNF009776.jpeg, Sha’ar HaGolan from Kibbutz Masada 1937 File:שער הגולן (נוסד בידי חברי "עין הקורא") - מראה כללי-JNF009512.jpeg, Sha’ar HaGolan 1937 File:Sha'ar Hagolan 004.jpg, Sha'ar HaGolan 1937 File:Sha'ar Ha Golan 003.jpg, The watchtower being erected at Sha'ar HaGolan, 21 August 1937
Kibbuz Sha'ar HaGolan-06-Gaestehaus-2010-gje.jpg, Guesthouse Kibbuz Sha'ar HaGolan-36-Aloe-2010-gje.jpg, Canteen Kibbuz Sha'ar HaGolan-16-Kindergarten-2010-gje.jpg, Kindergarten Kibbuz Sha'ar HaGolan-18-Postfaecher-2010-gje.jpg, Postboxes Kibbuz Sha'ar HaGolan-34-Chorisia Insignis-2010-gje.jpg, Chorisia Insignis Kibbuz Sha'ar HaGolan-38-Aloe-2010-gje.jpg, Aloe Kibbuz Sha'ar HaGolan-24-Kunst-2010-gje.jpg, Artwork Kibbuz Sha'ar HaGolan-44-Sabbatfeier-2010-gje.jpg, Sabbath celebration

Notable people

* Miriam Roth

References

External links

Official websiteGolan Plastic Products
{{Authority control Kibbutzim Kibbutz Movement Populated places established in 1937 Jewish villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Prehistoric sites in Israel Archaeological sites in Israel Neolithic settlements Populated places in Northern District (Israel) 1937 establishments in Mandatory Palestine 1948 disestablishments in Israel Czech-Jewish culture in Israel Hungarian-Jewish culture in Israel Slovak-Jewish culture in Israel Yarmukian culture