Nir Eẓyon

NIR EẒYON (Heb. נִיר עֶצְיוֹן), moshav shittufi in N. Israel, on Mt. Carmel, affiliated with Ha-Po'el ha-Mizrachi Moshavim Association. It was founded in 1950, initially as a kibbutz, by the surviving defenders of *Kefar Eẓyon in the Israeli *War of Independence (1948), who were joined by other members of their movement. The economy was based on intensive farming (field crops, orchards, flowers, poultry, and dairy cattle). The moshav opened a resort run on strictly Orthodox Jewish principles and operated a catering service as well. Nir Eẓyon includes the *Youth Aliyah village Yemin Orde, which is named for Orde Charles *Wingate. Its total population in 1970 was 450, rising to 800 in 2002.