Urim, Israel

Urim אוּרִים‎ أوريم
Urim Show map of Northwest Negev region of Israel Urim Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 31°18′15″N 34°31′25″E
Country	Israel
District	Southern
Council	Eshkol
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Founded	6 October 1946
Founded by	Bulgarian Jews
Population  (2022)[1]	510

Urim (Hebrew: אוּרִים, lit. Lights) is a kibbutz in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Located near the border of the Gaza Strip and about 30 kilometers west of Beersheba,^[2] the kibbutz falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2022, it had a population of 510.^[1]

History

Kibbutz Urim in 1946

Urim communal dining hall in 2013

Kibbutz Urim was founded on 6 October 1946 as one of the 11 points in the Negev by a gar'in of young Jews from Bulgaria,^[3] later joined by North American members of Habonim.^[4] According to Walid Khalidi, Urim was established on land which had belonged to the Palestinian village of Al-Imara. Al-Imara became depopulated in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and Urim was established about 1 km south of the village site.^[5]

Economy

Kibbutz Urim operated a blanket factory that was devastated by fire in the 1980s.^[6] Today Noam Urim manufactures needle-punched nonwoven fabrics.^[7] Kibbutz Urim is a co-owner of Ora Field Crops, which is operates together with Kibbutz Kissufim also in the northwestern Negev. The cultivated area is about 27,000 dunam (almost 6,700 acres). Over two-thirds of the fields are irrigated from water sources supplied by water mains with hydraulic valves, communications and automation networks. Autumn crops include potatoes, carrots, radishes, wheat, barley and onions; spring crops include sunflowers, peanuts and corn. The summer crop is table grapes.^[8]

Equine therapy project; Hamas attack

Olympic equestrian Daniel Bluman has an equine therapy project in Israel that he operates in conjunction with Kibbutz Urim.^[9]

In the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel in 2023, the project was attacked. Bluman said:

This touches very close to home... I am both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine, because I am pro-life, pro-human rights, and unfortunately right now the only way to get to that is by eradicating Hamas and terrorists groups that are fighting religious wars.^[10]

Erez Kalderon from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a student in the equine therapy program, was kidnapped by Hamas when the boy was 11 years old, and is held hostage.^[9] In December 2023, for the first time since the attack on the program, the program was able to work with children.^[11]

Notable residents

• J.J. Goldberg (born 1949), editor-in-chief of The Forward, U.S. bureau chief of The Jerusalem Report, managing editor of The Jewish Week.
• Yaacov Heller (born 1941), Israeli-American sculptor and jewelry designer
• Josie Katz (born 1940), singer, actress, dancer, and painter

References

1. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
2. TIGI completes installation of an industrial solar heat system in Israel
3. Survivor: Aaron M. Cohen
4. 50th anniversary of the 11 Negev settlements
5. Khalidi, W. (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. p. 73. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
6. Benmeir, P.; Sagi, A.; Rosenberg, L. (1989). "An example of burn prevention: The 'urim' factory fire". Burns. 15 (4): 252–253. doi:10.1016/0305-4179(89)90043-0.
7. Company Cameo: Noam Urim
8. Maintaining quality crops in the desert
9. Daniel Bluman [@danielbluman] (26 October 2023). "Erez Kalderon from Kibbutz Nir Oz is a student in Equine Therapy program we cooperate with in Kibbutz Urim. He was kidnapped by Hamas and is celebrating his 12 birthday today. We pray for him and his loved ones" – via Instagram.
10. Mollie Bailey (16 November 2023). "Ringside Chat: Daniel Bluman Talks Big Wins, Young Horses And Life As An Israeli," The Chronicle of the Horse.
11. Daniel Bluman [@danielbluman] (11 December 2023). "Today, for the first time since the terrorist attack, our equine therapy team was able to work with children" – via Instagram.

External links

• Urim Negev Information Centre
• Personal website about Urim