SHORESH

SHORESH (Heb. שֹׁרֶשׁ), moshav shittufi in the Judean Hills, 12 mi. (20 km.) W. of Jerusalem, affiliated with Ha-Oved ha-Ẓiyyoni federation. In the Israel war of independence , the occupation of Sārīs (April 1948) was a decisive step and Shoresh was among the first villages established to secure the Jerusalem Corridor. It was founded in 1948 by settlers from Romania and Czechoslovakia. The soil underwent heavy reclamation work. Deciduous fruit orchards and vineyards were prominent farm branches; the moshav also grew field crops on the Coastal Plain. Its economy was supplemented by a resort village and public swimming pool. In 1970 the moshav numbered 190 inhabitants, rising to 374 in 2002. It lies in the midst of one of the country's largest afforested areas, notably the Martyrs' Forest. The name, "Root," was adapted from the Arabic Sārīs and is presumably derived from an ancient Hebrew name.