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Yad Mordechai

Coordinates: 31°35′19″N 34°33′30″E / 31.58861°N 34.55833°E / 31.58861; 34.55833
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Yad Mordechai
יַד מָרְדְּכַי‎
ياد مردخاي
Memorial to Mordechai Anielewicz next to the destroyed Water tower at Yad Mordechai
Memorial to Mordechai Anielewicz next to the destroyed Water tower at Yad Mordechai
Etymology: Memorial of Mordechai
Yad Mordechai is located in Ashkelon region of Israel
Yad Mordechai
Yad Mordechai
Yad Mordechai is located in Israel
Yad Mordechai
Yad Mordechai
Coordinates: 31°35′19″N 34°33′30″E / 31.58861°N 34.55833°E / 31.58861; 34.55833
Country Israel
DistrictSouthern
CouncilHof Ashkelon
AffiliationKibbutz Movement
Founded1936 (as Mitzpe Yam)
1943 (as Yad Mordechai)
Founded byHashomer Hatzair members
Population
 (2022)
830[1]
Websitewww.yadmor.org.il

Yad Mordechai (Hebrew: יַד מָרְדְּכַי, lit. Memorial of Mordechai) is a kibbutz in Southern Israel. Located 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 830.[1]

History

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The community was founded in 1936 by Hashomer Hatzair members from Poland and initially organized themselves in a kibbutz called Mitzpe Yam close to Netanya, which was also founded in 1936. However, the 14 dunams allocated to the kibbutz were insufficient to develop the kibbutz. As part of settlement in the Negev, the community moved to its site near Ashkelon in December 1943. The kibbutz was renamed in memorial to Mordechai Anielewicz, who was the first commander of the Jewish Fighting Organization in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the kibbutz was attacked by Egypt in the Battle of Yad Mordechai.

Among the many Holocaust memorials in Israel, the "From Holocaust to Revival Museum" especially commemorates Jewish resistance against the Nazis as well as the 1948 Battle of Yad Mordechai.[2] The statue of Anielewicz by Nathan Rapoport[3] clutching a grenade, next to the water tower which was destroyed by the Egyptians in May 1948, is a noted symbol of the kibbutz.[4]

  • Yad Mordechai Museum
    Yad Mordechai Museum
  • Yad Mordechai in 1941
    Yad Mordechai in 1941

During the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, in which more than 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed,[5][6][7] Hamas gunmen attempted to infiltrate the kibbutz. The kibbutz security team repulsed the attack, emerging from the gate to engage the attackers and chasing them from the area.[8] The kibbutz was also the target of several rocket attacks.[9]

Economy

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The Yad Mordechai honey, jam and olive oil brands have been partnered with the Strauss Group, an Israeli food products manufacturer.[10][11]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ ""From Holocaust to Revival Museum" in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai". Archived from the original on 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  3. ^ Yaffe, Richard, Nathan Rapoport: Sculptures and Monuments, Shengold Publishers, New York, 1980.
  4. ^ Sixty years of Middle East division BBC News, 7 May 2008
  5. ^ "Latest Death Toll in Israel and Gaza". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  6. ^ "More than 100 civilians were massacred at Kfar Aza kibbutz in Hamas attacks, Israeli soldiers say". France 24. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  7. ^ "After blast kills hundreds at Gaza hospital, Hamas and Israel trade blame as rage spreads in region". AP News. 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  8. ^ Untrained, lacking proper arms, local security teams defended their Gaza border homes
  9. ^ "Rocket sirens sound in Sderot, Kibbutz Nir Am". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  10. ^ "Strauss Group -- Yad Mordechai".
  11. ^ "Yad Mordechai food products (Heb.)". Retrieved 11 July 2015.

Further reading

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  • Larkin, Margaret (1968) The Hand of Mordechai New York/South Brunswick; originally published as "The Six Days of Yad Mordechai" by the Yad Mordechai Museum in Hebrew in 1963, and in English in 1965.
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