This article is about the kibbutz. For the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, see Katamon.

For the town and district in Turkey, see Gönen.

Gonen
Hebrew	גּוֹנֵן
Name meaning	Defended
Founded	August 13, 1951
Founded by	Nahal
Council	Upper Galilee
Region	Finger of the Galilee
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Coordinates	33°7′20.63″N 35°38′47.03″E / 33.1223972°N 35.6463972°E / 33.1223972; 35.6463972Coordinates: 33°7′20.63″N 35°38′47.03″E / 33.1223972°N 35.6463972°E / 33.1223972; 35.6463972
Gonen

Gonen (Hebrew: גּוֹנֵן‎, lit. Defended) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Finger of the Galilee near Kiryat Shmona, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 314.

[edit] History

Gonen was established on August 13, 1951^[1] as a Nahal settlement, and was civilianised a year later by a group of Hebrew Scouts.^[2] It was the first Nahal settlement to convert to civilian control.

Its name is derived from the Book of Kings and symbolized the settlement's strategic location and proximity to the pre-Six-Day War Israel–Syria border, established in the 1949 Armistice Agreements. During the 1949–1967 period, the village's vicinity was the site of numerous skirmishes with the Syrian army.^[2]

Since 1994, the kibbutz has been in the process of conversion to a communal settlement.^[2]

[edit] References