← All articles

Total current articles · 4,831

Shahar, Israel

Published

01In brief

Shahar (שחר) is a moshav in Israel’s Southern District, within the Lachish Regional Council. Its provisional population in 2023 was 812, including 96 foreigners. Established in 1955, Shahar is affiliated with the Moshav Movement, and its local economic history includes greenhouse farming and a winery.

02Overview and Location

Shahar lies in the Lachish region, close to Kiryat Gat,[2] and is administratively part of the Ashkelon subdistrict of Israel’s Southern District.[1] Its built landscape was described in 2006 as low-rise houses with greenhouses at the settlement’s edge, many formerly used to grow roses.[5]

03History

Shahar was established in 1955.[3] It bore the temporary or former name “Lachish 2,” and its current name is classified as symbolic.[4] Its establishment formed part of the early-state-era settlement drive in the Lachish region, alongside Zohar, founded in 1955, and Noga, founded in 1956.[3] Immigrants from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran, and Hungary, together with people born in the country, participated in establishing the regional network of settlements.[3]

Irit Pellegrini grew up in Shahar with her parents, immigrants from Cochin who were described as having established the place.[5] An archival catalog groups two film records concerning the settlement under “Photographs from 1972”: one caption identifies a Black Panthers demonstration led by Adi Malka in Moshav Shahar, while the other is captioned “Residents of Moshav Shahar.”[6] The residents’ film record has no individual date or further details in the catalog entry.[6]

In May 2019, a fire broke out near Shahar, and four firefighting aircraft were dispatched.[2] The fire at the moshav was brought under control.[2]

04Demographics

Shahar’s provisional population in 2023 was 812.[1] The locality figures recorded 716 Israelis under the category “Jews and others,” alongside 96 foreigners.[1]

05Economy and Culture

In May 2006, Shahar’s farmers ended a strike outside the Ministry of Agriculture after Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon undertook to address outstanding state grants for a greenhouse project initiated about ten years earlier.[7] The farmers said their businesses had collapsed after the Finance Ministry failed to fulfill a promise of grants covering up to 40 percent of their investment.[7] Later that year, many of the greenhouses at the moshav’s edge, previously used for roses, stood abandoned.[5]

06Notable Sites

One locally documented site is the winery established by Sandro and Irit Pellegrini at the far end of the moshav, beyond its houses and greenhouses.[5] After marrying, the couple moved to Shahar and began making wine for their own use in a small cold-storage room on Irit’s parents’ farm.[5]

Sources

  1. 1Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Localities by Code, 2023, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  2. 2Ynet, Wave of fires: Highway 443 reopens; three arrested on suspicion of arson, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  3. 3Ynet, The bulldozers will trample history in Lachish, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  4. 4Israel Government, Sources of the Names of Settlements in Israel, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  5. 5Globes, A small country with a corkscrew, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  6. 6National Library of Israel, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  7. 7Ynet, Farmers of Moshav Shahar in Lachish decide to end their strike, accessed on November 11, 2026.

IsraelPedia Question & Answers

  • What is Shahar, Israel?

    Shahar is a moshav in Israel’s Southern District, within the Lachish Regional Council. Established in 1955, it is affiliated with the Moshav Movement, and its local economy has included greenhouse farming and a winery.

  • Where is Shahar located?

    Shahar lies in the Lachish region, close to Kiryat Gat, and is administratively part of the Ashkelon subdistrict of Israel’s Southern District. Its built landscape was described in 2006 as low-rise houses, with greenhouses at the settlement’s edge.

  • Why was Shahar established, and who helped establish it?

    Shahar’s establishment was part of the early-state-era settlement drive in the Lachish region. Immigrants from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran, and Hungary, together with people born in the country, participated in establishing the regional network of settlements. Irit Pellegrini’s parents, immigrants from Cochin, were described as having established Shahar.

  • What was Shahar’s population in 2023?

    Shahar’s provisional population in 2023 was 812. The locality figures recorded 716 Israelis in the category “Jews and others” and 96 foreigners.

  • What happened during the 2006 greenhouse farming dispute in Shahar?

    In May 2006, Shahar’s farmers ended a strike outside the Ministry of Agriculture after Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon undertook to address outstanding state grants for a greenhouse project. The farmers said their businesses had collapsed after the Finance Ministry failed to fulfill a promise of grants covering up to 40 percent of their investment. Later that year, many greenhouses previously used to grow roses stood abandoned.

  • What is Shahar known for besides its greenhouses?

    Shahar has a locally documented winery established by Sandro and Irit Pellegrini at the far end of the moshav, beyond its houses and greenhouses. After marrying, the couple moved to Shahar and began making wine for their own use in a small cold-storage room on Irit’s parents’ farm.

  • What happened in the fire near Shahar in 2019?

    A fire broke out near Shahar in May 2019, and four firefighting aircraft were dispatched. The fire at the moshav was brought under control.