Revivim

Revivim רְבִיבִים (Hebrew) رفيفيم (Arabic)
Etymology: Rainshowers
Revivim Show map of Northern Negev region of Israel Revivim Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 31°2′37″N 34°43′16″E / 31.04361°N 34.72111°E / 31.04361; 34.72111
Country	Israel
District	Southern
Council	Ramat HaNegev
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Founded	7 July 1943
Founded by	Italian Noar HaOved Members
Population  (2024)1	868
Website	www.revivim.org.il

Revivim (Hebrew: רְבִיבִים, lit. '(rain) showers') is a kibbutz in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Located around half an hour south of Beersheba, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council. In 2024 it had a population of 868.¹

The community was formed in 1943 in Rishon LeZion with help from the UK government by young Jewish refugees (olim) from Austria, Italy and Germany, all of whom were members of HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed who had been educated at kibbutz Givat Brenner.

The kibbutz itself was established on 7 July 1943, as one of the "three lookouts" of the northern Negev, and was initially named Tel HaTzofim (lit. Scout's Hill). It was later renamed Revivim* by Berl Katznelson after the magazine edited by Yosef Haim Brenner (for whom Givat Brenner was named), and its name is also taken from the Bible, Psalm 65:11: "You (Lord) ... level its ridges, you soften it with showers."²

*The name Revivim was given to the group by Berel Katznelson, who sought in this way to emphasize the affinity of the core of the group (which received its training at Kibbutz Givat Brenner) to the writer Yosef Haim Brenner, who at the time edited a journal called "Revivim".

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Revivim fell behind Egyptian lines for several months. Members of the kibbutz lived in underground dugouts, and received food supplies by air and convoys that ran the Egyptian battle lines. Thirty members of the kibbutz survived the war, while eight were killed in raids and pitched battles with Egyptian forces.³

Near the kibbutz stands Mizpe Revivim⁴ (lit. Revivim lookout), a museum depicting the history of the "lookout" observer points and the events of the 1948 war in the northern Negev.⁵

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  Revivim 1945
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  Revivim 1945
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  Kibbutz Revivim 1947
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  Revivim. 1948
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  Revivim reservoir 1946

Revivim's economy is based on agriculture, including olive groves (irrigated with brackish water),⁶ a large dairy farm and a chicken hatchery. Aside from agriculture, Revivim has interests in a variety of industries including an injection moulding company ("Raviv") and a company that designs and produces valves for automotive fuel systems ("Raval").⁷

• Golda Meir, late Prime Minister of Israel