Merhav Am
Merhav Am (Hebrew: מֶרְחַב עַם, lit. "Nation's Expanse") is a religious community settlement in southern Israel. It sits in the Negev desert between Yeruham and the kibbutz Sde Boker and falls under the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council. The community was founded on November 1, 2001, by the Or Movement. By November 2006, about 30 families had moved in, many living in mobile homes.
The original planned name was Halukim, after the nearby Halukim Hills, with Halukim Junction as the nearest road junction. About a year later it was renamed Merhav Am, in honor of former minister Rehavam Ze'evi, who was assassinated in 2001. The name Merhav Am combines Merhav, meaning "wide open spaces," with Am. In 2023 the population was 641.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:41 (CET).