MANARAH

MANARAH (Heb. מַנָרָה; derived from the Ar. al-Manara; for a time the Hebrew name Ramim, "heights," was used), kibbutz near the Israel-Lebanese border on the Naphtali Ridge of Upper Galilee, affiliated with Ha-Kibbutz ha-Me'uḥad. Its founding in 1943 by pioneers from Germany and Israel-born youth was a bold enterprise. The settlers had to climb a 5 mi. (8 km.), steep footpath to reach the site – 2,990 ft. (920 m.) above sea level – and withstand isolation in a place where the winter is snowy and stormy, and where no water sources are present in summer. In the Israel war of independence (1948), the settlers held out under enemy siege. In violation of the cease-fire arrangements the surrounding positions were occupied by irregular Arab forces commanded by Fawzī al-Qāuqjī (October 1948). The area and all of Galilee were liberated by Israel's Operation Ḥiram. In the first years after 1948 the water problem was solved when a pumping installation was built to bring water from the Einan Springs in the Ḥuleh Valley 2600 ft. (800 m.) below. A highway was paved and the kibbutz, in addition to its hill farming (mainly deciduous fruit), received fields and carp ponds in the valley. Manarah also had a metal factory for electricity grids and control panels, an amplifier rental service, guest rooms, and a big, modern chicken run. In 2002 its population was 248. The crusader castle ruins of Hūnīn (Chasteau Neuf) are located nearby. -WEBSITE: www.manara.co.il . (Efraim Orni)