In 1920, pioneers from
Degania Alef founded kibbutz Degania Gimel south of
Degania Bet at the site of the future kibbutz Beit Zera. In 1927, the huts at Umm Juni were
destroyed by an earthquake and the group moved in September 1927 to the old Degania Gimel site, where they established a new, permanent kibbutz settlement which they called
Kfar Nathan. In 1947, Beit Zera had a population of 500. During the
1948 Arab–Israeli war, the villagers continued their agricultural work despite shelling from
Syrian and
Iraqi troops as well as from the
Arab Legion. ==Economy==