Rosh HaNikra (kibbutz)

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Rosh HaNikra (Hebrew: ראש הניקרה‎, lit. Head of the Grottoes) is a kibbutz on the Mediterranean coast and close to the border with Lebanon in northern Israel. Located to the north of Nahariya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Matte Asher Regional Council and has around 600 members.

[edit] History

The kibbutz was established on 6 January 1949 by demobilised Palmach members. These gar'in were initially based in kibbutz Hanita, and were joined by assorted members of Zionist youth movements and young Holocaust survivors. At the start of the 21st century the kibbutz was privatised.

The coastal rail line used to continue from the Nahariya Train Station to Lebanon by way of Rosh HaNikra where there was a bridge and railway tunnel. Built by the British during World War II in order to move troops and supplies in the area during the Syria-Lebanon campaign, it was part of the Haifa-Beirut-Tripoli line. Israeli forces bombed the rail bridge during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the remnants of this line can be seen at Rosh HaNikra where a virtual "train ride to peace" movie is shown inside the sealed tunnel that used to go into Lebanon.

[edit] Economy

The kibbutz grows bananas and avocadoes, and raises turkeys and other domesticated animals. In 1974, kibbutz members founded a biotechnology company called Rahan Meristem, which included the first commercial tissue culture laboratory in the country.

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Rosh HaNikra Jewish Agency

Coordinates: 33°5′9.96″N, 35°6′58.68″E

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