Be'er Tuvia

Be'er Tuvia בְּאֵר טוֹבִיָּה‎
Hebrew transcription(s)
• standard	Be'er Tuviya
Be'er Tuvia
Coordinates:
District	Southern
Council	Be'er Tuvia
Affiliation	Moshav Movement
Founded	1930
Founded by	Yisrael Hochman and other Zionists
Population (2014)	1,008

Be'er Tuvia (Hebrew: בְּאֵר טוֹבִיָּה‎, Be'er Toviya, "Tuvia's Well") is a moshav in the Southern District of Israel. Located near the city of Kiryat Malakhi, it falls under the jurisdiction of Be'er Tuvia Regional Council. In 2014 its population was 1,008.

History

File:Be'er Tuvia (before 1899).jpg

Be'er Tuvia circa 1888

In 1887, a group of First Aliyah newcomers from Bessarabia founded a moshava, which they named Qastina, after the neighboring Arab village of the same name. Although supported by Baron Edmond de Rothschild, the moshava did not prosper due to lack of water, distance from other Jewish centers, attacks by neighboring Arab villagers and strained relations between the settlers and the Baron's administration.

In 1896, the association of Hovevei Zion in Odessa purchased the land and new settlers came. Qastina became Be'er Tuvia - an adaptation of the site's Arabic name, "Bir Ta'abya". In 1910, the colony again faced financial collapse and some members approached the Jewish National Fund with a proposal that it buy the land and houses. The JNF agreed, but due to disagreement with Hovevei Zion this never happened. Instead, the JNF compensated farmers who left Be'er Tuvia and in 1913 brought farmers from Hulda to replace them. Within a short time, the colony's situation was much improved.

The moshava was practically destroyed during the 1929 Palestine riots and had to be abandoned. In 1930, it was founded anew as moshav by veterans of the Jewish Legion and kibbutzniks, mostly members of Kfar Giladi and Merhavia. By the time of the 1931 census, there were 62 occupied houses and a population of 206 Jews, 4 Christians and 2 Muslims. After water was discovered, Be'er Tuviya became one of the most prosperous moshavim in the country. During the Second World War, many of the moshav members joined the British Army.

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the moshav was used by the Israel Defense Forces as a base for the troops fighting Egypt in the Negev.

The moshav economy is mainly based on citrus and intensive farming.

Notable residents

• David Remez