Nir Akiva

Nir Akiva (Hebrew: ניר עקיבא, lit. 'Akiva's Meadow') is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev desert near Netivot and Nir Moshe and covering 1,000 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 714.^[1]

Nir Akiva ניר עקיבא
Etymology: Akiva's Meadow
Nir Akiva Show map of Northwest Negev region of Israel Nir Akiva Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 31°28′12″N 34°38′48″E
Country	Israel
District	Southern
Council	Merhavim
Affiliation	Moshavim Movement
Founded	1953
Population  (2022)[1]	714

History

The moshav was established in 1953 on land that had belonged to the Palestinian village of Kawfakha.^[2] It was named after Akiva Etinger, a chief of the Settlement Department in the Jewish Agency. In the late 1970s Amir Peretz was a member of the moshav, bought a farm in the village and grew vegetables and flowers for export.