Manara, Israel

Menara (official name, Hebrew: מְנָרָה, pronounced Menará), popularly known as Manara, is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the Ramim Ridge of the Naftali Mountains, Upper Galilee, adjacent to the Lebanese border and overlooking the Hula Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 266.[1]

Menara
מְנָרָה‎
Menara is located in Northeast Israel
Menara
Menara
Coordinates: 33°11′45″N 35°32′40″E
CountryIsrael
DistrictNorthern
CouncilUpper Galilee
AffiliationKibbutz Movement
Founded1943
Founded byGerman and Polish Jews and
HaNoar HaOved members
Population
 (2021)[1]
266
Websitewww.manara.co.il

History

The village was formerly inhabited by Arabs, when it was known as Kh el Menarah.[2] In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it as "ruins of a modern Arab village, several rock-cut cisterns, and one wine-press"[3]

In the 1940s, 2538 dunams of land were purchased by the Jewish National Fund from Asa'ad Bey Khuri of Beirut.[4]

The kibbutz was established in 1943 by members of the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed youth group and young immigrants from Germany and Poland. Leon Uris used an incident from the history of the kibbutz in his novel, Exodus. The scene of the night hike with the children from Gan Dafna as the kibbutz faced attack was based on the war-time transport of the children of Kibbutz Manara from the mountaintop to what was presumed to be a safer place on the valley floor.[5]

In June 1948 the kibbutz requested land from the newly depopulated Palestinian village of Qadas, as it was "suitable for winter crops."[6]

Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's sister Rachel Ya'akov was a founding member.[7]

As Manara lies less than 100 metres from the Lebanese border, problems have arisen during fighting between the two countries. The Menara bypass project was completed in 2005 to provide safe access to the kibbutz.

Manara is boasted to be 888 metres above sea level and is a rare style for a kibbutz, with apartments providing the accommodation, due to the limited space.

2023 Israel–Hamas war

In the 2023 conflict between Hamas and Israel, Hezbollah targeted northern Israeli border communities, forcing evacuations, including in Bar'am. [8]

On October 19, at least two anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanese territory, hitting Manara without causing any casualties.[9]

  • Manara under construction 1944
    Manara under construction 1944
  • Manara barracks 1944
    Manara barracks 1944
  • Manara 1944
    Manara 1944
  • Manara 1944
    Manara 1944
  • Manara 1947
    Manara 1947
  • Yiftach Brigade bringing supplies to Kibbutz Manara. 1948
    Yiftach Brigade bringing supplies to Kibbutz Manara. 1948
  • Bulgarian Company of Yiftach Brigade with a convoy to Manara. 1948
    Bulgarian Company of Yiftach Brigade with a convoy to Manara. 1948

Economy

Manara's main industries are agriculture (primarily cotton fields, apples and chickens), tourism to the scenic cliffs via its cable cars descending from the Upper Manara Cliff down to Kiryat Shmona in the valley below,[10] and a technical glass manufacturing plant.

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. meaning: "the ruin of the lighthouse", according to Palmer, 1881, p. 27
  3. Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 120
  4. Avneri, 1984, p. 203
  5. Leon Uris: Life of a Best Seller, Ira B. Nadel
  6. Morris, Benny (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. p. 363, note #130, p. 402. ISBN 978-0-521-00967-6.
  7. Veteran kibbutz goes private Israel HaYom, 12 August 2011
  8. Fabian, Emanuel. "IDF to evacuate civilians from 28 communities along Lebanese border amid attacks". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  9. "Israel says border village Manara shelled from Lebanon". France 24. 2023-10-19. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  10. "Manara Cliff", at the Amirim website
  11. Sister of Yitzhak Rabin, Rachel Rabin, to be awarded Rothberg Prize. Hebrew University (7 June 2009). Accessed 21 June 2022.

Bibliography
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