Tzur Moshe
Tzur Moshe (Hebrew: צוּר מֹשֶׁה, lit. Rock of Moses) is a moshav in central Israel, in the Central district. Located in the Sharon plain near Netanya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lev HaSharon Regional Council. In 2018 it had a population of 3,343.[1]
Tzur Moshe צוּר מֹשֶׁה | |
---|---|
War memorial in Tzur Moshe | |
Tzur Moshe Tzur Moshe | |
Coordinates: 32°17′52.8″N 34°54′50.03″E | |
Country | |
District | Central |
Council | Lev HaSharon |
Founded | 13 September 1937 |
Founded by | Greek immigrants |
Population (2018)[1] | 3,343 |
Name meaning | Rock of Moses |
Website | www |
History
The village was founded on 13 September 1937 by a group of 20 immigrants from Kastoria, Greece as part of the tower and stockade settlement programme. It was named after Moshe Kofinas, a Greek MP and president of the Greek branch of the National Zionist Organisation in 1919. He raised money from local Jewish donors and funded the purchase of part of the land to be used for the project (funds were also offered by the Carasso family from Thessaloniki),[2] as well as for the Hasmonean city of Tzuran which was located in the area. Kofinas died in 1924, before he could see the plans fulfilled.
Kofinas' unfinished work was carried on by his faithful following: Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Chai Uzziel, David Florentine, Yosef Uzziel, Moshe Carasso and Leon Recanati, who joined ranks and called themselves by the name, The Dr. Moshe Kofinas Organisation of Greek Immigrants for Settlement.[3] They worked to obtain all the necessary permits, and by 1934 the first immigrants associated with this group arrived in Magdiel. In 1935, the Jewish Agency provided a plot of land for the group near Beit Shean, where they began to build their farming settlement. However, after one year, they were redirected to a place in the Sharon Valley, where they eventually founded the present settlement in September 1937.
References
- "Population in the Localities 2018" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- Moshav Tzur Moshe (Kofinas) established in 1937 by Greek Zionists Kol HaKehila, 4 August 2000
- Kav le-Moshav, 22 June 2017, p. 12