Kefar Monash
KEFAR MONASH (Heb. כְּפַר מוֹנַשׁ), moshav in the central Sharon (Ḥefer Plain), Israel, affiliated to Tenu'at ha-Moshavim, founded in 1946 by demobilized soldiers who had served with the British Royal Engineer Corps in World War II. They were later joined by settlers from South Africa and other countries. Kefar Monash was initially a moshav shittufi and engaged in farming and maintained a photolithographic printing plant. Later it became a moshav based exclusively on farming. The main farming branches included citrus groves, flowers, and turkeys. The moshav is named after the Australian Sir John *Monash. The land on which the moshav was founded is part of Wadi Kabani in the eastern *Ḥefer Plain, acquired through contributions of Australian Jewry. In 1967 it had 320 inhabitants. In the mid-1990s the population was approximately 450, further increasing to 690 in 2002 after expansion.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.