Sursock family
The area was acquired by the Jewish community as part of the Sursock Purchase. Yehoshua Hankin, a prominent Zionist activist and one of the managers of the Palestine Land Development Company, who had had close ties with the Sursock family since 1891, planned to purchase land in the Jezreel Valley owned by the family. In 1924, the Sursock family initiated the deal and Hankin purchased the section of the land that was owned by the Sursock and Tueni families (8,750 dunams) for a price of 37,686 Palestine pounds. On 6 February 1934, after years of negotiations, Hankin purchased the other half from the Khouri family (8,750 dunams) for a price of 40,391 Palestine pounds. The Khouri family finally agreed to the deal because it went bankrupt. 3,200 dunams were transferred to the kibbutz of HaZore'a.