Sasa
SASA
SASA (Heb. סָאסָא), kibbutz in Upper Galilee, near the Israel-Lebanese border, 2,550 ft. (850 m.) above sea level, affiliated with Kibbutz Arẓi ha-Shomer ha-Ẓa'ir. A Jewish village existed on the site at least from the Roman period, attested to by tomb caves typical of the time of the *amoraim and by remnants of a synagogue. Ancient Jewish travelers visited the traditional tombs of rabbis Sisi, Levi b. Sisi, and Yose b. Sisi at this place. A fortress stood on the site at the time of Ẓāhir al-Omar. In the *War of Independence, Israeli columns advancing from the west and east in Operation Hiram met near the village Sa'sa', which was then abandoned by its Arab inhabitants (Oct.–Nov. 1948). In 1949 a kibbutz was established there by pioneers from North America who were joined by Israeli-born and other members. Sasa developed hill farming methods after arduous land reclamation. Its deciduous fruit orchards and beef cattle were suited to the cool, rainy climate (40 in. annual average). In addition, it also had field crops, dairy cattle and poultry, and operated factories for plastics and chemicals as well as a guest house. In the mid-1990s the population was approximately 425, dropping to 371 in 2002.
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[Efraim Orni]