Gimzo

Gimzo (Hebrew: גִּמְזוֹ) is a religious moshav in central Israel. Located between Lod and Modi'in, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2006, it had a population of 812.

Geography

The moshav is on the outskirts of the Ben Shemen forest, on the major crossroad of Route 1 and Route 443, major arteries leading to Jerusalem, about six kilometers south-east of Lod, in the western plains at the foot of the Judean Mountains.

History

Gimzo was first mentioned in the Bible in the approximate period of 740 BC, when the Philistines conquered the area from the hands of King Ahaz of Israel. In the verse Chronicles II 28:18 the Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the Negev of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there.

The name Gimzo is thought to derive from the fruit of the sycamore tree known as "Gomez" which was abundant in this area, based on the biblical verse Chronicles II 1:15; "The king made silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the lowland." In the period of the second Temple, the great sage Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: "A sign of mountains is "milin", a sign of valleys is palm trees, a sign of rivers is cane, and a sign of the plains is Sycamore trees, and whereas there is no proof of this, we remember the words: And he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the lowland" (Tosephta Shviit:87:6). Moshav Gimzo was the home of the sage (the Ta'ana) Nachum (Rabbi Akiva's teacher), who was wont to say "It is all for the best" which translates to "Gam-zo le-tova", a word play on the name of his home at "Gam-zo".