Even Menachem

Even Menachem (Hebrew: אֶבֶן מְנַחֵם) is a moshav in northern Israel. Located in the Western Galilee, about six kilometers northwest of Ma'alot-Tarshiha, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 285.^[1]

Even Menachem אֶבֶן מְנַחֵם‎
Even Menachem Show map of Northwest Israel Even Menachem Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 33°4′26″N 35°17′42″E
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Council	Ma'ale Yosef
Affiliation	Moshavim Movement
Founded	13 September 1960
Founded by	North African Jewish immigrants and refugees
Population  (2022)	285[1]

History

The moshav was founded on 13 September 1960 by Jewish immigrants and refugees from North Africa on the land that had belonged to the Palestinian villages of Iqrit, Al-Nabi Rubin, Suruh and Tarbikha, whose inhabitants were expelled during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.^[2][3] It was named after Arthur Menachem Hantke, a prominent Zionist leader in pre-war Germany.^[4]

Archaeology

In a burial cave near Even Meanchem that remained untouched by lotters, a Greek inscription was discovered etched above one loculus. The inscription, "ΙΟΣΗΦΟΥΚΟΚ ΧΟΣ" (Iosephus kokchos), translates to "The loculus (burial niche) of Iosephus." The second word is distinctive, and in fact is a Greek adaptation of the Hebrew term כוך (kwk). Originally described as having three sections filled with numerous niches, the cave was found to contain two Greek inscriptions over different niches, separated by a carving of a human figure.^[5]