Lavi

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LAVI

LAVI (Heb. לָבִיא), kibbutz in eastern Lower Galilee, Israel, 8 mi. (12 km.) W. of Tiberias, affiliated with Kibbutz Dati ha-Po'el ha-Mizrachi, founded in 1949 by pioneers from Britain and North America, and later joined by immigrants from other countries. In the Israel *War of Independence (1948) a few months before the settlers' arrival, hard battles were fought over the Arab village Lūbiyā, known for its aggressiveness in the days when *Ha-Shomer encamped at *Ilaniyyah (Sejera). West of the kibbutz, at the Golani crossroads, is a monument commemorating the fallen in the decisive battle. The kibbutz economy was based on poultry, a hotel, gardening and extermination services, a farm supply company, and Lavi Furniture Industries, specializing in the manufacture of synagogue pews. In 2002 the population was 640. In the Talmud, a roadside inn, Pundeka de-Luvya (פונדקא דלוביא), is reported to have stood at the site of the now abandoned Arab village (tj, Shekalim 7, 5–50, 73; Berakhot 7–11, 73). The name Lavi, "Lioness," is the hebraized form of the Arab "Lūbiyā."

website:

www.kibbutzlavi.co.il.

[Efraim Orni]