01In brief
Zohar is a moshav in southern Israel, within the Lachish Regional Council, the Southern District, and the Ashkelon subdistrict. Established in 1956, it belongs to a bloc of moshavim served by the rural center of Nehorah, which was created as part of the Lachish regional development project. Zohar had 327 residents in 2022.
02Overview and Location
Zohar is one of the moshavim served by Nehorah, alongside Nogah, Oẓem, Shaḥar, and Nir Ḥen.[2] Nehorah was established in 1956 as a rural center within the Lachish regional development project.[2] The wider Lachish region lies between the Judean Mountains and Ashkelon, with Kiryat Gat at its center.[3]
Zohar’s official settlement classification is a moshav, a rural locality organized as a cooperative association whose members hold rights to agricultural holdings.[1][4] Under this form of organization, households are independent economic units, while some production and economic administration are conducted cooperatively.[4]
03History
Zohar was established in 1956, during the period of settlement development in the Lachish region.[1][3] In the early 1950s, following a large wave of immigration, the Jewish Agency decided to establish settlements in the region.[3] The initiative sought to accommodate immigrants, create a continuous line of settlement in the south, and advance David Ben-Gurion’s vision of encouraging settlement in the Negev.[3] Twenty additional settlements were established in the region between 1955 and 1961.[3]
Farmer Tom Zaoui described Zohar as a moshav of immigrants from Tunisia.[5] His family’s history included a grandfather who arrived without agricultural experience and established a livelihood through farming and selling produce.[5]
04Demographics
Zohar had 327 residents in 2022.[1] Its official locality code is 44, and it is administratively included in the Lachish Regional Council, in the Ashkelon subdistrict of Israel’s Southern District.[1]
A 2017 CBS table distinguishes the Hebrew name זוהר (code 44), the locality discussed here, from צוחר (code 1136), although both are rendered as “Zohar” in English.[6]
05Economy and Agriculture
Tom Zaoui’s farm grows greens, leaves, and herbs.[5] In his account of the family’s agricultural history, his grandfather worked on the farm in the morning and traveled at night to the wholesale market in Tel Aviv to sell its produce.[5] His grandfather had immigrated from Tunisia without prior agricultural knowledge.[5]
Zaoui’s father and uncles subsequently worked in commerce, although his father eventually returned to the family farm.[5] Zaoui inherited the farm after his grandfather’s death.[5]
A residential expansion described in 2025 comprised 64 “Build Your Home” lots averaging approximately 500 square meters, marketed at a discount to reservists and young couples.[7] The tender closed in October 2021, and its results were published in March 2022.[7]
06Development and Governance Disputes
Thirty-eight winners in the residential-expansion tender sued the Lachish Regional Council and the Israel Land Authority, seeking compensation over alleged development delays and changes to development agreements.[7] By the 2025 report, the lots had recently been handed over, but buyers alleged that essential infrastructure remained missing; mediation had been proposed but had not yet occurred.[7]
In a separate case, a court ordered the chair of Zohar’s cooperative association committee and other committee members to pay approximately NIS 2.5 million personally to two siblings seeking membership to purchase agricultural holdings.[8] The court found that the chair had improperly sought to prevent the purchases, including through conflicts of interest, and that other committee members had failed to exercise independent judgment.[8]
Sources
- 1Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Localities File 2022, accessed on November 10, 2026.
- 2Jewish Virtual Library, Nehorah, accessed on November 10, 2026.
- 3Central Zionist Archives, Lachish region, accessed on November 10, 2026.
- 4Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Local Authorities 2017: Introduction and Definitions, accessed on November 10, 2026.
- 5Globes, The way to quality coffee: Where does the journey to the capsule begin and what does it include?, accessed on November 10, 2026.
- 6Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Most Common Family Name and Name Homogeneity, 2017, accessed on November 10, 2026.
- 7Calcalist, “Mount Ofer”: Reservists won “Build Your Home” lots in 2022 and received empty land, accessed on November 10, 2026.
- 8Globes, The husband fled abroad and left a wife and children. This is the “punishment” the court gave him, accessed on November 10, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What is Zohar, Israel?
Zohar is a moshav in southern Israel, within the Lachish Regional Council, the Southern District, and the Ashkelon subdistrict. Established in 1956, it is one of the moshavim served by Nehorah, a rural center created as part of the Lachish regional development project. Zohar had 327 residents in 2022.
What is a moshav, and how is Zohar organized?
A moshav is a rural locality organized as a cooperative association whose members hold rights to agricultural holdings. In Zohar, households operate as independent economic units, while some production and economic administration are conducted cooperatively.
Why were settlements established in the Lachish region?
Following a large wave of immigration in the early 1950s, the Jewish Agency decided to establish settlements in the Lachish region. The initiative aimed to accommodate immigrants, create a continuous line of settlement in the south, and advance David Ben-Gurion’s vision of encouraging settlement in the Negev. Twenty additional settlements were established in the region between 1955 and 1961.
What does Tom Zaoui grow on his farm in Zohar?
Tom Zaoui’s farm in Zohar grows greens, leaves, and herbs. His grandfather immigrated from Tunisia without prior agricultural knowledge, worked on the farm, and traveled at night to the wholesale market in Tel Aviv to sell its produce. Zaoui inherited the farm after his grandfather’s death.
What was included in Zohar’s residential expansion?
A residential expansion described in 2025 comprised 64 “Build Your Home” lots averaging approximately 500 square meters. The lots were marketed at a discount to reservists and young couples. The tender closed in October 2021, and its results were published in March 2022.
Why did buyers in Zohar sue over the residential expansion?
Thirty-eight winners in the residential-expansion tender sued the Lachish Regional Council and the Israel Land Authority, seeking compensation over alleged development delays and changes to development agreements. By the 2025 report, the lots had recently been handed over, but buyers alleged that essential infrastructure was still missing. Mediation had been proposed but had not yet occurred.
What was the court ruling about Zohar’s cooperative association committee?
A court ordered the chair of Zohar’s cooperative association committee and other committee members to pay approximately NIS 2.5 million personally to two siblings seeking membership to purchase agricultural holdings. The court found that the chair had improperly tried to prevent the purchases, including through conflicts of interest, and that other committee members had failed to exercise independent judgment.