AMIR

AMIR (Heb. עָמִיר; "ear of corn"), kibbutz in northern Israel, in the Ḥuleh Valley, affiliated with Ha-Kibbutz ha-Arẓi. Amir was founded in 1939 by immigrants from Poland, Lithuania, and other countries, near the Ḥuleh swamps. It was the settlement most prone to the dangers of flooding and of malaria. In 1968 Amir's economy was based on intensive irrigated farming (apples and other deciduous fruit, and field crops in partnership with kibbutz Sedeh Neḥemyah and kibbutz shamir ), and dairy cattle. Later on, the kibbutz set up a successful enterprise producing disposable diapers and other sanitary products, but in 2004 it was sold to a private company when the kibbutz ran into economic difficulties. Amir's population was 579 in 2002. (Efraim Orni / Shaked Gilboa (2nd ed.)