Be'er Ya'akov
Be'er Ya'akov (Hebrew: בְּאֵר יַעֲקֹב, lit. Jacob's Well) is a town with local council status in central Israel, near Ness Ziona and Rishon Lezion. The town has an area of 8,580 dunams (~8.6 km²),[2] and had a population of 26,122 in 2018.[1]
Be'er Ya'akov
| |
---|---|
Hebrew transcription(s) | |
• ISO 259 | Bˀer Yaˁqob |
• Also spelled | Be'er Ya'aqov (official) |
Be'er Ya'akov | |
Coordinates: 31°56′33.14″N 34°50′1.5″E | |
Country | |
District | Central |
Founded | 1907 |
Government | |
• Type | Local council (from 1949) |
• Head of Municipality | Nissim Gozlan |
Area | |
• Total | 8,580 dunams (8.58 km2 or 3.31 sq mi) |
Population (2018)[1] | |
• Total | 26,122 |
• Density | 3,000/km2 (7,900/sq mi) |
Name meaning | Jacob's well |
Website | b-y.org.il |
History
Be'er Ya'akov was established in 1907 on 2,000 dunams of land purchased by a company headed by Meir Dizengoff from a Lutheran German colony the previous year. It was divided into two sectors, one for immigrants from Russia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Argentina, and Iran, and the other for Mountain Jews from Dagestan. It was named after Ya'akov Yitzhaki, a rabbi and pioneer from the Mountain Jewish community.[3] Yitzhaki headed the Mountain Jewish pioneers who settled there.
In 1909, there were 25 families living in Be'er Ya'akov, and tensions between the Ashkenazi and Dagestani families.[4] In 1910, the first elementary school was established. According to a census conducted in 1922 by the British Mandate authorities, Be'er Ya'akov had 131 inhabitants,[5] which had increased in the 1931 census to 265 residents in 58 houses.[6] By 1947, it had a population of 400.[7] It achieved local council status in 1949.
During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and until the Israeli capture of Ramla in July 1948, Be'er Ya'akov was on the front line. The population at that time was evacuated and a new settlement, Be'er Shalom, was established nearby by members of Kibbutz Buchenwald, the first pioneer training group formed in post-World War II Germany.[8][9]
Two hospitals are located in Be'er Ya'akov: Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center (near Tzrifin), and Shmuel HaRofe Geriatric Hospital.
The town is growing rapidly, with massive urban development, including the construction of new neighborhoods taking place, and it is expected to gain city status in the coming years. In 2017, a new plan was approved to massively expand Be'er Ya'akov in area and population. Once the Tzrifin complex of military bases is vacated and most of the bases are relocated to the Negev, Be'er Ya'akov will expand onto land once occupied by military facilities. It is planned that Be'er Ya'akov will eventually have a population of 100,000.[10][11]
Industry
IAI's MLM Division, Israel's main missile assembly facility is located in the south of Be'er Ya'akov. The Jericho and Arrow missiles and the Shavit launch vehicle are assembled there. The facility area is situated east of Diezengoff Street.[12]
Sports
- Maccabi Be'er Ya'akov is the local football club.
- Maccabi Be'er Ya'akov B.C., the local basketball club, plays in Liga Leumit, the second tier.
Transportation
Be'er Ya'akov is served by the Be'er Ya'akov Railway Station, for trains on the Binyamina-Ashkelon line.
Notable residents
- Ron Atias, taekwondo athlete who represented Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Noam Dar, professional wrestler
- Moshe Peretz, singer
References
- "Population in the Localities 2018" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- "Local Authorities in Israel 2005, Publication #1295 - Municipality Profiles - Be'er Ya'akov" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
- HaReuveni, Immanuel (1999). Lexicon of the Land of Israel (in Hebrew). Miskal - Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books. p. 76. ISBN 965-448-413-7.
- Munzik, Eliyahu (July 29, 1909). "ישבנו החדש" [We Have Returned in Be'er Ya'akov]. Hapoel Hatzair (in Hebrew). Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- "Palestine Census ( 1922)". Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via Internet Archive.
- Mills, 1932, p. 18
- Jewish National Fund (1949). Jewish Villages in Israel. Jerusalem: Hamadpis Liphshitz Press. p. 14.
- Jewish National Fund, p191
- Kibbutz Buchenwald, Judy Baumel Bar Ilan University
- "Part 3 – Southern Israel's Boom Towns". Haaretz. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- Chudy, Ori (June 14, 2017). "Beer Yaakov to become city of 100,000". Globes. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- https://www.iai.co.il/about/groups/systems-missiles-space