01In brief
Yad Natan is a moshav in the Southern Coastal Plain of Israel, located in the Lachish Region and administered by the Lachish Regional Council in the Southern District. Founded in 1953, it takes its name from the Hebrew name of Ottó Komoly, a Hungarian Zionist leader who was abducted and killed by Arrow Cross forces during the Holocaust. Its population increased substantially over the long term, from 140 in 1961 to 659 in 2020, although CBS records show fluctuations between individual years.
02Overview
Yad Natan is situated in the Southern Coastal Plain, in the Lachish natural region, within the Ashqelon subdistrict of Israel's Southern District.[2] It is administered by the Lachish Regional Council, and both the Encyclopaedia Judaica place list and a 2023 list of council localities identify it with that regional authority.[1][5]
03History
Yad Natan was established in 1953.[1][2] Its name honors Ottó Komoly, whose Hebrew name was Natan, a Hungarian Zionist leader who served as chairman of Hungary's underground Relief and Rescue Committee from 1943.[3] Komoly helped organize a rescue train that brought 1,686 Jews to safety outside Hungary before Arrow Cross leaders abducted and killed him.[3]
A World Zionist Organization report published in 1973 lists “Yad Nathan” among villages and development townlets where organized groups associated with the Aliya Movement had settled.[6] The spelling appears to be a transliteration variant of Yad Natan. A Herzl Institute oral-history transcript on the immigration of Syrian and Lebanese Jews is titled “Interview (2) with Moshe Cohen, Yad Natan,” although the title does not explain Cohen's relationship to the locality.[7]
04Demographics
Yad Natan's population increased considerably over the long term, although the figures fluctuated. The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 140 residents in 1961, 130 in 1972, 251 in 1983, and 253 in 1995.[2] The Encyclopaedia Judaica place list gives a population of 294 as of December 31, 2004.[1]
A CBS alphabetical locality list records 676 residents under the heading “Population 31.12,” but the extracted list does not specify the calendar year represented by that figure.[8] A separate end-of-2019 CBS table records 666 residents: 663 in the “Jews and Others” category, including 657 Jews and 6 classified as “Others,” and no Arab residents.[9] For 2020, the CBS peripherality index table records 659 residents and assigns Yad Natan to peripherality cluster 5, with a rank of 729 out of 1,213 localities.[4]
05Notable Sites
The Yoav reservoir, also called the Otzem reservoir, is a former quarry that filled with water and lies in western Lachish near Yad Natan and Moshav Otzem. It is not far from Route 35, which connects Ashkelon and Kiryat Gat.[10] From the Yad Natan area, visitors can reach it by walking for about ten minutes along an arranged path that includes a small bridge.[10]
The reservoir has no lifeguard services, and access to the water crosses muddy, slippery ground. Its depth varies and may exceed two meters in its central area.[10]
06Notable Resident
Guy Timor, a 21-year-old member of Israel's national road-cycling team, was a resident of Yad Natan.[11] He died after being struck by a vehicle at Nohora Junction during a morning training ride.[11] Timor had been preparing to travel to the Czech Republic for an international cycling competition and was buried at the cemetery in Moshav Amazia.[12]
Sources
- 1Encyclopedia.com, Land of Israel: Population, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 2Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 3Encyclopedia.com, Komoly (Originally Kohn), Ottó, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 4Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, 2020 Peripherality Index, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 5Mako, Updated Home Front Command guidelines for Operation "Shield and Arrow" in Gaza, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 6Berman Jewish Policy Archive, World Zionist Organization Report 1971–1972, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 7University of Haifa Herzl Institute, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 8Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Alphabetical Locality List, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 9Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Population 2019, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 10Ynet, "It felt like a secret place": The hidden lake that surprised us, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 11Mako, Guy Timor killed by a vehicle, the driver was under the influence of alcohol, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 12Ynet, "He is finished": Israel's deputy champion cyclist, who ran someone over, was filmed rampaging on the road at a moshav minutes before the accident, accessed on September 26, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What is Yad Natan?
Yad Natan is a moshav in the Southern Coastal Plain of Israel, located in the Lachish Region and administered by the Lachish Regional Council in the Southern District. Founded in 1953, it takes its name from the Hebrew name of Ottó Komoly, a Hungarian Zionist leader who was abducted and killed by Arrow Cross forces during the Holocaust.
Who was Yad Natan named after?
Yad Natan was named in honor of Ottó Komoly, whose Hebrew name was Natan. Komoly was a Hungarian Zionist leader who served as chairman of Hungary's underground Relief and Rescue Committee from 1943 and helped organize a rescue train that brought 1,686 Jews to safety outside Hungary before Arrow Cross leaders abducted and killed him.
How has Yad Natan's population changed over time?
Yad Natan's population increased considerably over the long term, though the figures fluctuated between individual years. The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 140 residents in 1961, 130 in 1972, 251 in 1983, and 253 in 1995. By 2004 the population was 294, and by 2020 it had reached 659.
What is the Yoav reservoir near Yad Natan?
The Yoav reservoir, also called the Otzem reservoir, is a former quarry that filled with water and lies in western Lachish near Yad Natan and Moshav Otzem, not far from Route 35, which connects Ashkelon and Kiryat Gat. Visitors from the Yad Natan area can reach it by walking about ten minutes along an arranged path that includes a small bridge. The reservoir has no lifeguard services, and its depth may exceed two meters in its central area.
Who was Guy Timor?
Guy Timor was a 21-year-old resident of Yad Natan and a member of Israel's national road-cycling team. He died after being struck by a vehicle at Nohora Junction during a morning training ride, at a time when he had been preparing to travel to the Czech Republic for an international cycling competition. He was buried at the cemetery in Moshav Amazia.