Shahar, Israel
Place in Southern, Israel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shahar (Hebrew: שַׁחַר, lit. "Dawn") is a moshav in south-central Israel. Located about three kilometres west of Kiryat Gat and one kilometre east of Nir Hen, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lakhish Regional Council. In 2024 it had a population of 890.[1]
Shahar
| |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • Unofficial | Shachar |
| |
| Etymology: Dawn | |
  Shahar Location within Ashkelon region of Israel  Shahar Location within Israel | |
| Coordinates: 31°37′7″N 34°43′27″E | |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Southern |
| Subdistrict | Ashkelon |
| Council | Lakhish |
| Affiliation | Moshavim Movement |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founded by | North African Jewish and Indian-Jewish immigrants |
| Population (2024)[1] | 890 |
History
The moshav was founded in 1955 as part of the program to populate the area with Jewish immigrants from North Africa and Jewish immigrants from India on land near the depopulated Palestinian village of al-Faluja.[2] Its name symbolizes the dawn of Zionist settlement in Hevel Lakhish.
The main industry that they developed was growing flowers for export, an enterprise which, despite the harsh desert climate, grew and prospered. One of Shahar's leading businessmen, Eliahu Bezalel, won the Kaplan Prize in 1994 and then the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (an award for Non-Resident Indians), in recognition of these achievements.[3]
