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Ma'anit

MA'ANIT (Heb. מַעֲנִית; "Furrow"), kibbutz in central Israel, E. of Pardes Ḥannah, affiliated with Kibbutz Arẓi Ha-Shomer ha-Ẓa'ir. It was founded in 1942 by pioneers from Czechoslovakia. In the Israel *War of Independence (1948), the village, lying close to the Samarian Hills, was exposed to Arab attack. Ma'anit engaged in intensive farming (field crops, avocado plantations, citrus groves, and dairy cattle), and operated Galam, the country's leading fructose, glucose, and starch manufacturer for industrial and consumer use. In the mid-1990s, the population was approximately 550, dropping to 459 in 2002. Ma'anit lies near the site of ancient *Narbata where, in 66 C.E., Jews from Caesarea sought refuge when the war against Rome broke out (Jos., Wars, 2:5, 14). In its initial years, the kibbutz bore the name Narbata.


Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.