| Givat Brenner | |
| Founded By: | Italian Jews, Lithuanian, Polish and German Jews |
| Imgsize: | 250 |
| District: | center |
| Council: | Brenner |
| Affiliation: | Kibbutz Movement |
| Pushpin Map: | Israel center ta |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Coordinates: | 31.8675°N 34.8033°W |
| Website: | www.gbrener.org.il |
Givat Brenner (he|גִּבְעַת בְּרֶנֶר, lit. Brenner Hill; ar|غفعات برينر), is a kibbutz in the Central District of Israel. Located around 2km (01miles) south of Rehovot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Brenner Regional Council. Founded in 1928, it is named after writer Yosef Haim Brenner, who was killed in the Jaffa riots of 1921. In it had a population of . It is the largest kibbutz in Israel.
Givat Brenner was founded in 1928 by Enzo Sereni[1] and a group of immigrants from Lithuania, Poland and Germany. That same year, pioneers had settled on some 200 dunams (49.4 acres) of land that had been purchased by Moshe Smilansky from the Arab landholders of Aqir and Zarnuqa.[2] During World War II, Givat Brenner supplied products such as jam to the British Army, which laid the foundation for its export business.
The establishment of an irrigation equipment factory led to the creation of a foundry. The foundry evolved into a specialized aluminum die-casting company, which has produced, among other things, the housings for emergency phones along the New Jersey Turnpike. In 1938, it opened the first kibbutz sanatorium in the country.[3]
According to a census conducted in 1931 by the British Mandate authorities, Givat Brenner had a population of 155 inhabitants and a total of 5 residential houses.[4] In 1970 the population was 480.[5]
Givat Brenner Regional School serves the communities of the Brenner Regional Council. The offices of the Regional Council are also located in the Kibbutz.
Givat Brenner's plant nursery supplies turf for lawns and parks. The kibbutz grows cotton, avocado, wheat and corn, and maintains a dairy farm. Industrial ventures include a furniture factory, metalwork factory, canned foods plant and an irrigation equipment factory, which gradually shut down for financial reasons. The 'House of Dreams' amusement park was established to offset waning income from the orchards, plant nurseries and factories, but was eventually closed.[6]
The Treasure Museum, in the heart of the kibbutz, opened on the Givat Brenner's seventieth anniversary. It houses a collection of artifacts and photographs that tell the story of the kibbutz pioneers.