Massu'ot Yiẓḥak

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MASSU'OT YIẒḤAK

MASSU'OT YIẒḤAK (Heb. מַשֹּוּאוֹת יִצְחָק), moshav shittufi on the Coastal Plain, 8 mi. (13 km.) N.E. of Ashkelon, affiliated to the Ha-Po'el ha-Mizrachi Moshav movement. Massu'ot Yiẓḥak was originally founded in 1945 by pioneers from Hungary and Czechoslovakia as a kibbutz in the Hebron Hills, the second village in the Eẓyon Bloc, under the name Massu'ot ("Beacons"). The name Yiẓḥak was added in honor of Chief Rabbi I.H. *Herzog in a ceremony attended by him. Along with the other three settlements of the Eẓyon Bloc, Massu'ot Yiẓḥak fell in the Arab Legion's onslaught (May 13, 1948), and was completely destroyed, its surviving defenders being taken to Jordan as prisoners of war. After their release and return to Israel, they established their village on the present site (1949), several years later deciding to go over to the moshav shittufi settlement form. In 1969 the village was based on intensive agriculture and had a metal factory. Over the years the metal factory was replaced by the successful Albaad wet wipes factory. Farming included dairy cattle, field crops, poultry, avocado plantations, and some smaller branches. The population in 1968 was 403; in 2002, 548.

[Efram Orni /

Shaked Gilboa (2nd ed.)]