Na'an

Na'an lies east of Route 40 and southeast of Rehovot in central Israel.[1] A letter written by a young settler in the 1930s described the settlement as two miles from Rehovot and twenty-two miles from Tel Aviv.[6]

The kibbutz's name was adapted from the Arabic name of the site, Na'ana.[2] This Arabic name may in turn derive from the biblical town of Naamah, recorded in Joshua 15:41 as lying within the territory of the tribe of Judah, although the identification is uncertain.[2] The kibbutz name also resembles that of an Arab village that once stood nearby.[1]

Na'an was established in 1930 by graduates of the Ha-No'ar ha-Oved youth movement from Rehovot.[1] Among its founders was David Zahavi, who had helped found Ha-No'ar ha-Oved and lived at the kibbutz until his death, later working there as an electrician.[3] The earliest members slept in tents in 1930.[7] The founders were later joined by immigrants from many countries.[2]

In its early years the settlement combined communal agriculture with outside labor. A settler's letter reproduced in a 1937 academic thesis records 242 dunams of cultivated and planted land around the settlement's buildings—including vegetable and flower gardens, a citrus grove, woods, and green fodder—alongside another 428 dunams planted in wheat beyond a nearby Arab village.[6] Most members also worked outside the kibbutz, in citrus groves, government posts, Dead Sea-area jobs, and as longshoremen or policemen.[6] The workday ran from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and again from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., with an eight-hour day prevailing though work continued when necessary.[6]

Communal life in those early decades was organized around shared resources. Members deposited their clothing in a collective storehouse and received allotted items in return, with surplus going into reserve.[6] Medical care was provided by a doctor and nurse on site, with specialists available and patients transported to Tel Aviv when needed.[6] Cultural life included a library, a theatre group, and an orchestra.[6]

During the Arab Revolt of 1936–1939, Na'an maintained friendly ties with neighboring Arab villages and was not attacked.[2] The British Mandatory authorities placed the kibbutz under siege on June 29, 1946—the day known as "Black Saturday"—during which 23 settlers were wounded.[2] During the Mandate period, the kibbutz concealed a Haganah weapons cache beneath a fishpond in the home of two members. Sealed with concrete, it was never discovered by the British, and weapons remained inside apart from items removed for operational use.[4] The cache, at Beit HaChamrah, Na'an's small settlement museum, was opened to visitors in 2024.[4]

Na'an served as a base for numerous Palmach operations during the pre-state period and the War of Independence.[3] During the War of Independence, a visit by songwriter Haim Hefer led Zahavi and Hefer to collaborate on "Hen Efshar" and "Shir Afor" for the Chizbatron military entertainment troupe.[3]

In 1951, a movement council meeting held at Na'an became a defining moment in the history of the kibbutz movement. Kibbutzim with a Mapai majority seceded from Ha-Kibbutz ha-Me'uḥad and formed Iḥud ha-Kibbutzim, which later merged with Ḥever ha-Kevuẓot to form Iḥud ha-Kibbutzim ve-ha-Kevuẓot.[5]

Na'an's population was recorded as 870 in 1969 and 1,140 in 2002.[2] The kibbutz is listed as having approximately 1,200 residents.[1] In 2013, Na'an recorded the highest birthrate among kibbutzim in Israel, with at least 50 babies born that year. The figure was celebrated at the kibbutz's Shavuot festivities, which included parades displaying products and welcoming children born during the year.[8]

Na'an's economy historically combined intensive agriculture with industrial production. Its agricultural base included citrus groves, avocado plantations, field crops, and dairy cattle, alongside a metal plant that produced irrigation and other equipment.[2]

The kibbutz became particularly associated with irrigation technology through its stake in NaanDanJain. At the time of the company's 2012 sale, the Na'an factory manufactured agricultural irrigation components such as drippers and sprinklers and employed roughly 120 people.[9] Jain had purchased half of the company in 2007; in 2012, Na'an sold its remaining 50% stake for an estimated $35 million, under an agreement that production would remain in Israel at least until 2020.[9] A 2012 Jewish Review of Books article described Na'an and Mishmar Ha-Emek as "big employers" producing rubber and plastic irrigation products, vegetarian and baby food, and ornamental fish for export to Japan, presenting them as examples of industry's emergence as a mainstay of the kibbutz economy.[10]

Na'an practiced communal child-rearing for much of its history, with children sleeping in a dedicated children's house rather than with their parents. One resident recalled visiting his parents each day at 4 p.m. and returning to the children's house at 8 p.m. to sleep. The kibbutz decided in the mid-1970s to end communal sleeping arrangements.[7]

Na'an's historic communal bakery was associated with baker Ya'ankele Topor, who made bread, challah, and Sabbath yeast cakes for members until he retired in the 1970s.[4] The old building and oven then stood unused for decades. Gil and Shai Tana renovated the historic structure in cooperation with the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites, and the bakery returned to operation in 2017.[4][11]

At the center of Na'an, a memorial commemorates kibbutz members who fell in Israel's wars. Set on a lawn beneath trees, it consists of four curved stone walls enclosing a space with a wooden pergola and stone bench; the names of the fallen are inscribed on a pale marble plaque.[1]

Beit HaChamrah, the kibbutz's small settlement museum, contains the Haganah weapons cache that was hidden beneath a fishpond and opened to visitors in 2024.[4] Hundreds of sculptures by artist Dani Madar Halevi line Na'an's paths, creating an open-air gallery.[4]

The kibbutz cemetery is the burial place of prominent Israeli figures including cartoonist Dudu Geva, sculptor Yigal Tumarkin, Haganah commander and public figure Yisrael Galili, and composer David Zahavi. Galili was buried like other kibbutz members, without an inscription identifying his public roles.[4]

Writer Yigal Mossinsohn (1917–1994), one of the leading writers of the "Generation of 1948," was a member of Kibbutz Na'an until 1950.[12]

David Zahavi, a co-founder of Ha-No'ar ha-Oved and Na'an, spent his life at the kibbutz and composed the melody for the Palmach anthem, "Misaviv Ye'hum Hasaar" ("The Storm Will Roar Around"), with lyrics by Zerubavel Gilad of Ein Harod.[3] His musical ties to the Palmach grew from time spent among its members, and his wartime collaborations with Haim Hefer produced songs that became part of the cultural memory of Israel's War of Independence.[3]

An archival item cataloged under Na'an and the United Kibbutz Movement is described as a plan for a platoon of that movement, although the catalog supplies no date for the plan.[13]

Several sources, including Encyclopaedia Judaica and the official memorial page, date Na'an's establishment to 1930.[2][1] By contrast, a Jewish Virtual Library entry places the founding of the movement's first kibbutz, Na'an, in 1933, while a 2024 Globes feature describes it as established in the 1920s.[14][4] The sources do not reconcile these dates.

The proposed identification of the site's Arabic name, Na'ana, with the biblical town of Naamah mentioned in Joshua 15:41 is presented as uncertain rather than established.[2]

A proposed gas-fired power station on kibbutz agricultural land in the Gezer Regional Council area drew significant local opposition. The planned facility had an initial capacity of 630 megawatts and would have stood roughly 500 meters from homes in Ptaḥya and two kilometers from homes in Na'an.[15] Residents and the regional council raised environmental and health concerns, while Adeltec cited independent assessments commissioned by the kibbutz indicating that air quality would not worsen after the replacement of a nearby landfill.[15] Na'an's management ultimately halted the project, citing community division and the need for broad public support.[15]