Dugit
Founded in 1990, Dugit is a seaside communal settlement of
about 20 families (70 people) who make their living from
fishponds and tourism. After living in caravans since Dugit’s
establishment, several families received permission to build
permanent homes.
Elei Sinai
Founded in 1983, in part by settlers forced to leave Sinai
under the peace treaty with Egypt, Elei Sinai is a secular
communal settlement of some 85 families with a population of
about 350. Most of its members are professionals who work in
nearby Ashkelon, some 15 kilometers away.
Nisanit
The largest settlement in the northern Gaza Strip, Nisanit
has some 300 families and a population of about 1,300. Founded
originally as a Nahal settlement in 1980, it became a civilian
communal settlement in 1993. A secular community, its mostly
professional residents work in nearby settlements or in the city
of Ashkelon.
Kfar Darom
This historic religious moshav had its origins more than 70
years ago, when a man named Tuvia Miller purchased some 260
dunams (65 acres) there for a fruit orchard. His holding was
destroyed during the Arab riots of 1936-39, but the Jewish
National Fund bought Miller’s land in 1946, when it was
settled by a group of religious kibbutzniks. During Israel’s
War of Independence, Kibbutz Kfar Darom held out
against the invading Egyptian Army for nearly three months,
until the IDF ordered its defenders to abandon it in the summer
of 1948.
Following the Six Day War, Kfar Darom was reestablished as a
combined military/agricultural settlement by the IDF’s Nahal
Corps and reverted to civilian status as a religious settlement
in 1989. Today Kfar Darom has some 65 families and a total
population of about 400. Its Institute for Torah and Land seeks
solutions for special problems posed by modern agriculture and
religious law, and its members earn their livelihoods from
agriculture, education, and the professions. Its industrial
section houses a regional packinghouse and among its educational
facilities is a Center for Child Development.
Netzarim
Founded as a Nahal settlement in 1972 by a group from the
secular Hashomer Hatzair movement, Netzarim became a civilian
religious settlement in 1984. Several years later its members
decided to dissolve the kibbutz and change Netzarim into a
communal settlement. Its 60 families (population 400) operate a
welldeveloped economy that includes hothouse agriculture
(tomatoes for export, mangos, leafy vegetables), a chicken run,
and a quarry. Some of its members work on neighboring
settlements.
Due to the security situation, Netzarim’s children study at
Bnei Atzmon. However, three years ago a hesder yeshiva was
established in the settlement with 20 soldier/students.
ultimate goal is to
establish good neighborly relations with a Palestinian state.
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