Tirat Tzvi, a religious kibbutz located on the Jordanian border, holds the third highest temperature ever recorded, standing at a blazing 53.9C on June 21, 1942, according to the World Meteorological Organization archives.
Kibbutz Tirat Zvi was established on June 30, 1937, as a "Tower and Stockade" settlement intended to mark the southern limit of Jewish settlements in the Beit Shean valley.
The Kibbutz is named after Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalisher, one of the forerunners of religious Zionism and one of the leaders of the “Hoavei Zion” (lovers of Zion) movement, who worked to encourage immigration and settlement in the land of Israel.
Along with agriculture, Tirat Zvi's main production is the "Tiv" sausage and smoked meats factory, which markets its products to all parts of the country and around the world.
The factory's workforce is composed of seventy kibbutz members and one hundred and fifty outside employees, most of whom are from the neighboring town of Bet Shean.
Along with Tirat Zvi, Reuters compiled a list of the top five hottest temperatures ever recorded:
- Furnace Creek Ranch, California, located at Death Valley, holds a record of 56.7C registered on July 10, 1913.
- Kebili, Tunisia registered 55C on July 7, 1931.
- Tirat Zvi, Israel registered 53.9C on June 21, 1942, along with Mitribah, Kuwait which also recorded a temperature of 53.9C on May 28, 2017.
- Turbat, Pakistan registered 53.7C on May 28, 2017.
- Oodnadatta, Australia registered 50.7C on January 2, 1960.
Reuters contributed to this report.