Bitzaron is also a neighborhood

Neighborhoods of Tel Aviv

This list of the Neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, is arranged geographically from north to south, then from west to east.-Northwest:Residential* Afeka , from Apheqah, Aphekah, a "Fortalice"* Azorei Hen , Areas of Grace...

 in south Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

.

Bitzaron is a moshav

Moshav

Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...

 in the South District

South District (Israel)

The Southern District is one of Israel's six administrative districts, and is the largest in terms of land area as well as the most sparsely populated. It covers most of the Negev desert, as well as the Arabah valley. The population of the Southern District is 1,002,400. It is 86% Jewish and 14%...

 of Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 and part of the Be'er Tuvia Regional Council

Be'er Tuvia Regional Council

Be'er Tuvia Regional Council , is a regional council in the southern Coastal Plain region in Israel.It borders Yoav and Nahal Sorek regional councils in the east; Hof Ashkelon regional council, the Mediterranean Sea, the city of Ashdod and Gan Yavne local council in the west; Gederot, Hevel Yavne...

. It is located on local road 3811, between Gan Yavne

Gan Yavne

Gan Yavne is a in the Center District of Israel, located adjacent to the city of Ashdod. It was founded in 1931 and declared a local council in 1950.Gan Yavne lies east of the Tel-Aviv–Ashkelon highway...

 and Bnei Ayish

Bnei Ayish

Bnei Ayish , pop. 7,600, is a town , in the Center District of Israel, about ten km from Ashdod and bordering Gedera.Bnei Ayish originally served as a transit camp for immigrants from Yemen in the early 1950s. Before Israeli independence, the area had served as a military base for British Army...

. The moshav's population is approximately 1,000, and its area is about 5,000 dunam

Dunam

A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...

s (5 km²).

Bitzaron was founded in 1935, by Soviet refusenik

Refusenik (Soviet Union)

Refusenik was an unofficial term for individuals, typically but not exclusively, Soviet Jews, who were denied permission to emigrate abroad by the authorities of the former Soviet Union and other countries of the Eastern bloc...

s, on JNF

Jewish National Fund

The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...

 lands, with the help of Keren Hayesod

Keren Hayesod

Keren Hayesod – United Israel Appeal is the central fundraising organization for Israel, with operations in 45 countries. The work of Keren Hayesod is carried out in accordance with the Keren Hayesod Law, 5716-1956, passed by the Knesset in January 1956...

. In a book about Jewish villages in Palestine, the JNF says that Bitzaron was founded in 1939 by the Tel Hai group, and that it 1947 the population was 175.

Its name was taken from the Book of Zechariah

Book of Zechariah

The Book of Zechariah is the penultimate book of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew and Christian Bible, attributed to the prophet Zechariah.-Historical context:...

 (Zechariah 9:12), where Bitzaron means stronghold.

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Bitzaron was on the front lines in the battle against the Egyptian army, and was bombarded by the Egyptian air force. The women and children of the village were evacuated to Rishon LeZion and Ness Ziona

Ness Ziona

Ness Ziona is a city in central Israel founded in 1883. At the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 38,100, and its jurisdiction was 15,579 dunams.-Nahalat Reuben:...

, while the men stayed to fight.

Economy

Bitzaron's economy is based on agriculture and dairy farming. The moshav has numerous citrus groves.

It is also notable for its buffalo dairy, founded by Irit and Hagai Treister, which also serves as a tourist attraction and contains a number of ad hoc facilities. The buffalo herd was imported from Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 in 1995.

Notable residents

• Gideon Shefer - army general, commander of the Manpower Directorate in 1995-98

External links

• Bitzaron's buffalo farm