It was named after Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalischer (1795-1874), one of the fathers of the Zionist Movement and a leader of Hovevei Zion, while the tira or "fort" refers to a two-story mud-brick structure purchased from the Arab landowner, Musa al-Alami.

[2] The Rodges group was named after the German village where the Religious Zionist hakhshara centre (agricultural farm preparing youth for aliyah, or resettlement in Mandate Palestine) was located through which many of the founders of Tirat Zvi had passed.

[citation needed] The settlement of Tirat Zvi was established on the land of[dubious – discuss] the now-depopulated villages of al-Khunayzir and al-Zarra'a.

Working with scientists from the Volcani Institute, Tirat Zvi developed a method of preserving the palm fronds for several months, allowing them to be harvested in the spring and sold in the fall, for use on the holiday of Sukkot.

[6] At Tell Radra, a nearby archaeological site, a repurposed dedication to the Palmyran god Azizos, intended for the well-being of the emperors, was discovered in a ruined structure.