The moshav was established in 1967 by young people with a moshav background from the Galilee as part of Operation Sof Sof, designed to strengthen Jewish presence in the Galilee. It was initially named Kfar Rosenwald (Rosenwald Village) after American philanthropist William Rosenwald. However, the foreign-sounding name of the village didn't sit well with its residents, so as a compromise, Yehuda Ziv, the head of community naming suggested an acronym incorporating Rosenwald's name within a Hebrew word, Zar'it (Zekher Rosenwald Imanu Yisha'er Tamid, lit. Rosenwald's memory will be with us always).[3]
During the 2023 war between Hamas and Israel, northern Israeli border communities, including Zar'it, faced targeted attacks by Hezbollah and Palestinian factions based in Lebanon, and were evacuated.[5]
In October 2024, the IDF said they uncovered and destroyed an active Hezbollah tunnel that originated near the Lebanese town Marwahin and emerged in Zar'it. The tunnel extended 10 metres into the Israeli border, according to the IDF report.[6]
