Is it Really in Israel? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kfar Masaryk

Kfar Masaryk, a Kibbutz in the Acre Valley, was erected in its current location in 1940 by a joint Czechoslovakian-Lithuanian-Polish group of settlers. It was named in honour of Tomás Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937), the first president and the founder of Czechoslovakia, a fighter against anti-Semitism and a true supporter of the Zionist movement.

The wrong options are three moshavs named after key Zionist figures. Officially, a moshav is a settlement with a population of up to 2000 people. The literal meaning of the Hebrew word "kfar" is "village". Going into the 21st century, a lot of Israeli moshavs and kibbutzes still maintain agricultural characteristics.

Answer: Kiryat Malachi

For those of you who are familiar with the biblical book of Malachi, in Hebrew "mal'ach" means "angel". Kiryat Malachi is located 30km south of Tel Aviv. The locale first came into being in 1887 after Baron Rothschild purchased land from Arab villagers of nearby Kastina. Until 1948 it remained deserted a few times due to its relative isolation and the difficulties in defending it. It received its current name in 1958 as a tribute to the Jewish community of Los Angeles. In 1998 it was declared a city.

The Hebrew word "kirya" is a higher language form of "'ir" ("city"). The incorrect options are three other Israeli cities.

Answer: Octavian (Augustus)

After his victory at the Battle of Actium (31 BC), Octavian granted Herod the Mediterranean shoreline. Herod reciprocated by erecting a modern port and named it in honour of his patron. Caesarea served as the central port of the Roman Empire in the region. Ancient Caesarea is now a well-preserved archaeological garden. Modern Caesarea, an ultra-posh locale, is found nearby.

Tiberias was built by Herod's son, Antipas, and named in honour of his patron Tiberius.

Answer: Britain

Balfouria, a moshav in the Jezreel Valley, was founded in 1922 and named after British statesman Lord Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930) who signed the Balfour Declaration of 1917 favouring the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine (more on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration_of_1917).

Ramat David, a kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley, was founded in 1926 (relocated in 1931) and named after British statesman David Lloyd George (1863-1945) who served as British Prime Minister at the time the Balfour Declaration was written. The major Israeli Air Force airbase for the defense of northern Israel is located near the kibbutz and bears its name.

Gan Yoashiah, a moshav in the Hefer Valley, was founded in 1949 and named after British politician Josiah Clement Wedgwood (1872-1943), a keen supporter of the Zionist movement.

Answer: Kfar Truman

Kfar Truman, a moshav located 3km east of the Ben-Gurion airport, was founded in 1949 and named after US president at the time, Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).

It was Truman who decided to favour the inception of the state of Israel in the light of the everlasting debate between the pro-Israeli White House and the pro-Arab State Department. Margaret, Truman's daughter, once said it was the most difficult political decision he ever faced.

Answer: True

Ramat Yohanan is a kibbutz in the Zevulun Valley (east of Haifa) founded in 1932 on land purchased by Yehoshua Hankin (1864-1945). It was named in honour of South African statesman Jan Christiaan Smuts (1870-1950) who was a fervid supporter of the Zionist idea (more on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Smuts#Support_for_Zionism).

Yohanan is the Hebrew form of John (e.g. "Yohanan hamatbil" is "John the Baptist"), Jan being the Dutch derivative of John.

Answer: Miami

Moshav Mei-Ami lies in the Nahal Iron (Wadi Ara) region, in the southern tip of the Arab city of Umm Al-Fahm. Its name is a tribute to the Jewish community of Miami which donated funds which enabled its erection. The Hebrew meaning of "mei ami" is "water of my people".

Answer: Kfar Blum

Kfar Blum, a Kibbutz in the upper Galilee, was founded in 1943 by immigrants from England and the Baltic states. Léon Blum (1872-1950) was a French politician of Jewish descent who served three tenures as prime minister of France. Blum played a little-known but crucial role in David Ben Gurion's decision to declare Israel's independence on May 14th, 1948. (http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-534958/The-specter-of-binationalism-in.html#abstract).

Kfar Monash, a moshav in the Hefer valley, was founded in 1946 by Australian veterans of the British army who named it after Sir John Monash (1865-1931), the esteemed WWI Australian General (http://www.awm.gov.au/1918/people/genmonash.asp).

Answer: True

Mishmar David ("Guard of David") was founded as a kibbutz in 1949 by immigrants from Romania. In 2003, it became the first privatized Kibbutz and turned into a communal settlement. The life story of David Marcus (1902-1948) seems too fictional to be true.

As a lawyer, he prosecuted Lucky Luciano, and in the US Army he served as a military governor of Hawaii and later actively participated in the invasion of Normandy. After WWII he took part in the legal planning of the Nuremberg trials which sent him back to his roots.

This led him to join the incumbent Israeli army, becoming its first General ("Aluf") and heading the Jerusalem front in the War of Independence. In June 11th, 1948 his life ended in a tragic friendly fire incident. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Marcus). The Hollywood movie "Cast A Giant Shadow" (1966) is based on his biography (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060218/).

Answer: Iraq

Fate would have it that the British Army returned to Basra in 2003 as part of the invasion of Iraq which ended Saddam Hussein's regime.