Kiryat Ye'arim

Kiryat Ye'arim (Hebrew: קִרְיַת יְעָרִים), also known as Telz-Stone, is an ultra-Orthodox town in the Jerusalem District of Israel. It is located in the approximate area of an ancient place mentioned in the Bible, from which it takes its name. It is bordered on one side by the Muslim Arab village of Abu Ghosh, and on the other side by the secular Jewish community of Neve Ilan.[2] In 2018 it had a population of 5,565.

For the youth village, see Kiryat Ye'arim Youth Village.
Kiryat Ye'arim

  • קִרְיַת יְעָרִים‎
Hebrew transcription(s)
 • ISO 259Qiryat Yˁarim
 • Also spelledKiryat Yearim (unofficial)
Beth midrash in Kiryat Ye'arim
Kiryat Ye'arim
Kiryat Ye'arim
Coordinates: 31°48′13.53″N 35°6′9.03″E
Country Israel
District Jerusalem
Government
 • TypeLocal council
 • Head of MunicipalityYitzhak Ravitz
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total5,565
Name meaningTown of forests

Geography

Kiryat Ye'arim is located approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Jerusalem, just north of the Tel Aviv – Jerusalem highway. Neighboring Kiryat Ye'arim to the northeast is the Arab town of Abu Ghosh. Kiryat Ye'arim is between 661.8 and 749.5 meters above sea level.[3]

Biblical connection

Kiriath-Jearim in the Hebrew Bible

The modern town of Kiryat Ye'arim (Town of Forests) is named for Kiriath-Jearim, mentioned in the Bible as the site where the Ark of the Covenant has been kept for 20 years, according to the Book of Samuel. From here the Ark was taken to Jerusalem by King David (I Chronicles 13, 5-8).

History

Six hundred dunams of modern-day Kiryat Ye'arim were purchased before 1948 by Menashe Elissar, a businessman who was attracted to the site as the location of the biblical Kiryat Ye'arim.[4]

The modern community was established in 1973[5] by a group of students and teachers from Yeshivat Telz in America. Despite the official name of "Kiryat Yearim", it is widely known as Telz-Stone, after the yeshiva and American Greetings founder-chairman Irving I. Stone, who helped to finance the community's early development.[2]

Demography

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2005 Kiryat Ye'arim had a population of 3,100, predominantly Jewish, with a growth rate of 1.2%. Many of the residents are immigrants from North America, Europe and South Africa.

Institutions

Kiryat Ye'arim is home to three Orthodox post-high school yeshivas aimed at foreign students, particularly from the U.S.: Neveh Zion, Keser Dovid and Yishrei Lev.[6]

It is also home to a Sephardic Haredi yeshiva - Be'er Yitzhak and another yeshiva: Me'orot Hatorah.


References
  1. "Population in the Localities 2018" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  2. Community Profiles: Telz-Stone/Kiryat Yearim
  3. "Local Authorities in Israel 2005, Publication #1295 - Municipality Profiles - Kiryat Ye'arim" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  4. The Plot Thickens in Saga Between Hollywood Has-been and Haredi Community
  5. Itineraries in Conflict: Israelis, Palestinians, and the Political Lives of Tourism, Rebecca L. Stein
  6. "Kiryat Yearim (Telz-Stone)". Nefesh B'Nefesh - Aliyahpedia. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
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