Meirav

Meirav is also the name of King Saul's oldest daughter.

Meirav
Founded	1982 (original location) 1987 (current location)
Founded by	Nahal
Region	Beit She'an Valley
Affiliation	Religious Kibbutz Movement
Coordinates	32°27′6.47″N 35°25′18.12″E / 32.4517972°N 35.4217°E / 32.4517972; 35.4217Coordinates: 32°27′6.47″N 35°25′18.12″E / 32.4517972°N 35.4217°E / 32.4517972; 35.4217
Meirav
Website	www.merav.net

Meirav (Hebrew: מֵירַב‎‎) is a religious kibbutz located on the downward slopes of Mount Gilboa in Israel. Located about ten kilometres southwest of Beit She'an and less than 500 metres from the Green Line, it falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council.

History

The kibbutz was founded initially as a Nahal settlement on Mount Malkishua in 1982, and is the newest religious kibbutz in the country.^[1] In 1987 it moved to its current location on Mount Avinadav.

Meirav is located just south of another religious kibbutz, Ma'ale Gilboa. As they are both religious kibbutzim, it was decided that although they are located in the Gilboa mountains (and would naturally fall under the jurisdiction of Gilboa Regional Council), it would be better to include them in Beit She'an Valley Regional Council, where there is a group of religious kibbutzim, including Ein HaNatziv, Sde Eliyahu, Shluhot and Tirat Zvi.

Some people connect the name "Meirav" to the story of Saul's death in the Battle of Gilboa against the Philistines, which took place nearby, because Saul's oldest daughter was named Meirav (1 Samuel 14:49)^[2]. However, the name can also be interpreted as meaning "a lot of water" and " the most of".

Economy

As well as agriculture, the kibbutz also has a candle factory. Until 2001 it employed around 100 Palestinians from the nearby West Bank village of Jilabaun.^[3] However, a terrorist attack on the kibbutz's residents, resulting in the death of a young girl, and another in Beit She'an led to the building of a fence between the two communities,^[4] resulting in the Palestinians losing their jobs.

References

1. ^ Kibbutzim About.com
2. ^ Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.323 , ISBN 965-220-186-3 (English)
3. ^ Part of history of Israel ... for better and worse Cleveland Jewish News
4. ^ A One-time Hanukkah Miracle Haaretz, 14 December 2003