Ahuzam

Moshav in southern Israel

Place in Israel

Ahuzam 31°33′14″N 34°46′11″E / 31.55389°N 34.76972°E / 31.55389; 34.76972
Country	Israel
Council	Lakhish
Region	Hevel Lakhish
Founded	30 October 1950
Founded by	Moroccan Ma'agalim Members
Population (2022)	554^[1]

Ahuzam, or Ahuzzam (Hebrew: אֲחֻזָּם) is a moshav in southern Israel. Located around five kilometres south of Kiryat Gat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lakhish Regional Council. In 2022 its population was 554.^[1]

Etymology

The moshav was originally named Ma'agalim but renamed after the biblical Ahuzam, son of Ashur, the father or founder of Tekoa, who may have lived in this area (1 Book of Chronicles 4:6).^[2]

History

Ahuzam was founded on 30 October 1950 by Jewish immigrants from Morocco, members of the Ma'agalim society. It was associated with the Hapoel HaMizrachi movement,^[3] but is now a mixed religious and secular community.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
^ HaReuveni, Immanuel (1999). Lexicon of the Land of Israel (in Hebrew). Miskal - Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books. p. 29. ISBN 965-448-413-7.
^ Vilnai, Ze'ev. "Ahuzam". Ariel Encyclopedia (in Hebrew). Vol. 1. Israel: Sifriyat HaSade. p. 101.
^ "Or movement: Ahuzam". Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. Retrieved 2010-02-18.