Gimzo
Encyclopedia
Gimzo is a religious moshav
in central Israel
. Located between Lod
and Modi'in, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council
. In 2006, it had a population of 812.
n Mountains.
in the approximate period of 740 BC, when the Philistines
conquered the area from the hands of King Ahaz
of Israel
. In the verse Chronicles II 28:18 the Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the Negev
of Judah
, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there.
The name Gimzo is thought to derive from the fruit of the sycamore tree
known as "Gomez" which was abundant in this area, based on the biblical verse Chronicles II 1:15; "The king made silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the lowland." In the period of the second Temple, the great sage Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel
says: "A sign of mountains is "milin", a sign of valleys is palm trees, a sign of rivers is cane, and a sign of the plains is Sycamore trees, and whereas there is no proof of this, we remember the words: And he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the lowland" (Tosephta Shviit:87:6). Moshav Gimzo was the home of the sage
(the Ta'ana) Nachum (Rabbi Akiva's teacher), who was wont to say "It is all for the best" which translates to "Gam-zo le-tova", a word play on the name of his home at "Gam-zo".
In 1917, the British, under the command of General Edmund Allenby, took control of Palestine. Jimzu
was cited as the rendezvous point for the British 52nd division, for its advance to Jerusalem through the Beit Horon
Pass.
During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, "Operation Dani" was planned to occupy Lod
, Ramla
, Latrun
, and Ramallah
, and to release the pressure around Jerusalem. Plans for this operation mention Jimzu
, and, on 10 July 1948, the Yiftah Brigade captured the settlements of Anabe
, Jimzu, Daniyal
and Dahariya
. The Palestinian village of Jimzu
became depopulated, and its inhabitants became refugees.
The moshav
was founded by a group of immigrants
from Hungary
on 28 February 1950. The founders were a group of Satmar Chassidim called Etz Chaim ("tree of life"), affiliated with the Agudat Israel Workers
party.
In 1951 the Israel
i government settled a group of immigrants from Morocco
in the moshav to enlarge the population. In 1977, a new group of 12 young families settled there as well.
The moshav has grown substantially, having absorbed new families, and has built a new neighborhood with housing for Gimzo's newer generation. Today the moshav consists of 140 families with over 700 residents, including ultra-orthodox
and orthodox Jewish
residents of both Sephardic and Ashkenazi backgrounds who lead a "religious-Zionist
lifestyle". The spiritual leader of the community as well as the Hevel Modi'in Regional Council is Rabbi Eliav Meir.
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 central Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located between Lod
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
and Modi'in, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council
Hevel Modi'in Regional Council
Hevel Modi'in Regional Council is a regional council in central Israel. It was founded in 1950 and covers an area from Petah Tikva to Modi'in.The council borders*Drom HaSharon Regional Council, El'ad and Rosh HaAyin in the north...
. In 2006, it had a population of 812.
Geography
The moshav is on the outskirts of the Ben Shemen forest, on the major crossroad of Route 1 and Route 443, major arteries leading to Jerusalem, about six kilometers south-east of Lod, in the western plains at the foot of the JudeaJudea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
n Mountains.
History
Gimzo was first mentioned in the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in the approximate period of 740 BC, when the Philistines
Philistines
Philistines , Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age . According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from the Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with...
conquered the area from the hands of King Ahaz
Ahaz
Ahaz was king of Judah, and the son and successor of Jotham. He is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew....
of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. In the verse Chronicles II 28:18 the Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
of Judah
Kingdom of Judah
The Kingdom of Judah was a Jewish state established in the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. It is often referred to as the "Southern Kingdom" to distinguish it from the northern Kingdom of Israel....
, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there.
The name Gimzo is thought to derive from the fruit of the sycamore tree
Ficus sycomorus
Ficus sycomorus, called the sycamore fig or the fig-mulberry , sycamore, or sycomore, is a fig species that has been cultivated since ancient times...
known as "Gomez" which was abundant in this area, based on the biblical verse Chronicles II 1:15; "The king made silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the lowland." In the period of the second Temple, the great sage Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel
Shimon ben Gamliel
Simeon ben Gamliel was a Tanna sage and leader of the Jewish people. He succeeded his father Gamliel I as the nasi of the Sanhedrin after his father's death in 50 CE and just before the destruction of the Second Temple...
says: "A sign of mountains is "milin", a sign of valleys is palm trees, a sign of rivers is cane, and a sign of the plains is Sycamore trees, and whereas there is no proof of this, we remember the words: And he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the lowland" (Tosephta Shviit:87:6). Moshav Gimzo was the home of the sage
Tannaim
The Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years...
(the Ta'ana) Nachum (Rabbi Akiva's teacher), who was wont to say "It is all for the best" which translates to "Gam-zo le-tova", a word play on the name of his home at "Gam-zo".
In 1917, the British, under the command of General Edmund Allenby, took control of Palestine. Jimzu
Jimzu
Jimzu also known as Gimzo, , was a Palestinian village, located three miles southeast of Lydda. Under the 1947 UN Partition Plan of British Mandate Palestine, Jimzu was to form part of the proposed Arab state...
was cited as the rendezvous point for the British 52nd division, for its advance to Jerusalem through the Beit Horon
Beit Horon
Beit Horon is an Israeli settlement and communal village bordering Route 443, the biblical pass of Beit Horon, between Modi'in and Jerusalem. Beit Horon receives municipal services from the Matte Binyamin Regional Council...
Pass.
During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, "Operation Dani" was planned to occupy Lod
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
, Ramla
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
, Latrun
Latrun
Latrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley in Israel overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 25 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla.-Etymology:...
, and Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, and to release the pressure around Jerusalem. Plans for this operation mention Jimzu
Jimzu
Jimzu also known as Gimzo, , was a Palestinian village, located three miles southeast of Lydda. Under the 1947 UN Partition Plan of British Mandate Palestine, Jimzu was to form part of the proposed Arab state...
, and, on 10 July 1948, the Yiftah Brigade captured the settlements of Anabe
Innaba
Innaba was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 10, 1948 by the Yiftach and Eighth brigades of Operation Dani. It was located 7 km east of Ramla....
, Jimzu, Daniyal
Daniyal
Daniyal was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 10, 1948 by the Yiftach Brigade under the first phase of Operation Dani. It was located 5 km east of Ramla and south-east of Lydda.In 1945 it had a population of 410...
and Dahariya
Al-Duhayriyya, Khirbat
Al-Duhayriyya, Khirbat was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 10, 1948 by the Givati Brigade under the first phase of Operation Dani. It was located 6 km northeast of Ramla....
. The Palestinian village of Jimzu
Jimzu
Jimzu also known as Gimzo, , was a Palestinian village, located three miles southeast of Lydda. Under the 1947 UN Partition Plan of British Mandate Palestine, Jimzu was to form part of the proposed Arab state...
became depopulated, and its inhabitants became refugees.
The 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...
was founded by a group of immigrants
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
on 28 February 1950. The founders were a group of Satmar Chassidim called Etz Chaim ("tree of life"), affiliated with the Agudat Israel Workers
Agudat Israel Workers
Poalei Agudat Yisrael was a political party in Poland, and is a minor political party and settlement movement in Israel. It is also known as PAI or PAGI, its Hebrew acronym .-History:...
party.
In 1951 the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i government settled a group of immigrants from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
in the moshav to enlarge the population. In 1977, a new group of 12 young families settled there as well.
The moshav has grown substantially, having absorbed new families, and has built a new neighborhood with housing for Gimzo's newer generation. Today the moshav consists of 140 families with over 700 residents, including ultra-orthodox
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
and orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
residents of both Sephardic and Ashkenazi backgrounds who lead a "religious-Zionist
Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
lifestyle". The spiritual leader of the community as well as the Hevel Modi'in Regional Council is Rabbi Eliav Meir.