The kibbutz was established in 1945 on land purchased by the Ancient Order of Maccabeans in England,[2] a philanthropic society founded in 1896.[3] The land previously belonged to the Palestinian village of al-Qubab.[4] The founders were Jewish immigrants from Europe, who named the kibbutz after the biblical city of Gezer (Joshua 21:21), identified at a tell (archaeological mound) located nearby.[5]
On 10 June 1948, the day after an attempt to take Latrun was performed by the Yiftach and Harel brigades during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, a battalion-size force of the Arab Legion, supported by irregulars and a dozen armoured cars, attacked the kibbutz, which was defended by 68 Haganah soldiers. After four hours of battle, the kibbutz fell, with 39 defenders killed, a dozen escapees, and the remaining taken prisoner. Two Arab legionnaires were killed. However, in the evening the kibbutz was abandoned to the irregulars and taken back by two Palmach squads.[6]
Gezer kibbutz 1945Kibbutz Gezer in 1948
After the war it was rebuilt, but came apart in 1964 due to social difficulties. The current kibbutz was founded on 4 July 1974 by a gar'in from North America, which included peace activist Vivian Silver.
Sport
Kibbutz Gezer Field is one of the few regulation baseball fields in Israel.[5] Construction of the field in 1983 took six weeks and was funded by American donors. The first game was played within a few months. A backstop, covered benches for players and a refreshment stand were added at a later date. In 1989, a scoreboard and outfield fence were erected for the Maccabiah Games.[7]
Red hair festival
Since 2014 a red hair event has been held at the Kibbutz for the local Israeli red hair community. The festival includes performances, group discussions surrounding breaking stigmas about gingers, and even helps red heads to find their ginger spouse.[8] However, the number of attendees has to be restricted due to the risk of rocket attacks, leading to anger in the red-hair community.[9]
