Yad Mordechai

Yad Mordechai (Template:Langx, 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 Template:Israel populations it had a population of Template:Israel populations.Template:Israel populations

History

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The statue of Anielewicz by Nathan Rapoport<ref>Yaffe, Richard, Nathan Rapoport: Sculptures and Monuments, Shengold Publishers, New York, 1980.</ref> clutching a grenade, next to the water tower which was destroyed by the Egyptians in May 1948, is a noted symbol of the kibbutz.<ref>Sixty years of Middle East division BBC News, 7 May 2008</ref>

After 1948, Yad Mordechai expanded on the land of the Palestinian village of Hiribya, which Israel depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

• 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,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Untrained, lacking proper arms, local security teams defended their Gaza border homes</ref> The kibbutz was also the target of several rocket attacks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Economy

The Yad Mordechai honey, jam and olive oil brands have been partnered with the Strauss Group, an Israeli food products manufacturer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Notable people

• Motty Perry (born 1949), Israeli academic
• Benny Gantz (born 1959), Israeli Politician

Further reading

• 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.

External links

• Official websiteTemplate:Dead link Template:In lang
• “From Holocaust to Revival Museum" website
• Yad Mordechai Travelnet