KEFAR VITKIN (Heb. כְּפַר וִיתְקִין), moshav in the central Sharon (Ḥefer Plain), Israel, affiliated to Tenu'at ha-Moshavim. It was founded in 1933 by a group of veteran agricultural workers who were the first to come to the Ḥefer Plain (early 1930) and reclaim its wastes. Kefar Vitkin became the largest moshav in the country with over 1,100 inhabitants in the late 1940s and 845 in 1968. Orange groves, dairy cattle, poultry, orchards, and flowers were the mainstays of its intensive farming. By 2002 the moshav's population had risen to 1,480 due to expansion. Several central regional institutions were situated in Kefar Vitkin, which is named after Joseph *Vitkin.

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