Beit Shemesh: Difference between revisions

Template:Infobox Israel municipality Beit Shemesh (Template:Lang-he-n,; Greek: Βαιθσαμυς; Latin: Bethsames) is a city in Israel's Jerusalem District, with a population of 80,000. Beit Shemesh has been inhabited since pre-biblical times. The modern city of Beit Shemesh was founded in 1950.

History

Antiquity

The ancient city of Beit Shemesh ("house of the sun" or "temple of the sun" in Hebrew) was originally named after the Canaanite sun-goddess Shemesh, which was worshipped there in antiquity. The ruins of the ancient biblical city can still be seen in the tell of Beit Shemesh, located near the modern city.

Middle Bronze gate system unearthed at Tel Beth-Shemesh

Several important and unique archaeological discoveries have been made in recent digs at the tel. The most ancient iron workshop in the world was discovered here in 2003. The only remnants of a fortified city with an advanced water system, from the time of the early Kingdom of Judah was found here. In all layers from this period, the bones of animals were all of kosher animals, in contrast to nearby ancient fortresses and settlements of that period such as Maresha, Azeka or Lachish, suggesting an early Jewish settlement and advanced kingdom in the early biblical "kings" period.

During the destruction of Judea by the Babylonians, the waterworks of Beit Shemesh were sealed and covered, and were not uncovered until 2004. Thus during the first Jewish return, known as the Second Temple period, there was no revival of the city, as opposed to many other places in the vicinity such as Beit Guvrin, Maresha, and others. Consequently, the small towns of Dayr Raban and Dayr Rafat had used secondary rocks for building, from this very ancient source. Also found nearby is a prehistoric Megalith circle, probably the structure responsible for the name Beit Shemesh.

Biblical references

Beit Shemesh is first mentioned in the Book of Joshua 15 as a city in the territory of the tribe of Judah on the border between their territory and that of the tribe of Dan. Later in Joshua 21 Beit Shemesh is mentioned as having been set aside a city for the priests of the tribe of Levi, the Kohanim. The city is mentioned notably in chapter 6 of the book of Samuel I as being the first city encountered by the ark of the covenant on its way back from Philistia after having been captured by the Philistines in battle. In the book of Kings II, Beit Shemesh is again mentioned as being the site of the battle between Amaziah king of Judea and Jehoash king of Israel.

1948 War

During the 1948 war of independence, the Egyptian army invaded the area and set up a fortified post ("Mishlat") on the hill that would later become Beit Shemesh. The post changed hands several times during fighting. The Harel Brigade occupied part of the post for several months giving rise to the name "the joint post" or the "Mishlat HaMeshutaf" with 60 meters dividing them and the enemy forces. The Mishlat was finally taken by the Harel force in the "HaHar" offensive during the night of 19–20 October 1948.

Beit Shemesh is the point from which the famous Convoy of 35, or Lamed Heh, set out to relieve the besieged Gush Etzion. On 15 January 1948 a group of 38 Palmach volunteers set out from the Hartuv area near Beit Shemesh. Soon after they set out, one of the soldiers sprained his ankle and the convoy of 35 continued on towards the besieged kibbutzim. Their presence was discovered after they met with an Arab shepherd and they were all killed in an ensuing battle.

State of Israel

Tel Beit Shemesh overlooking modern Beit Shemesh

On December 6, 1950, the Hartuv displaced persons camp "Ma'abarat Har-Tuv" was established on the site of the current-day Moshav Naham. The first inhabitants were Jewish Bulgarian immigrants. They were joined by more Jewish immigrants from Bulgaria, Iran, Iraq, Romania, Morocco and Kurdistan. In 1952 the first permanent houses were built in Beit Shemesh. Prior to 1948 the Ramat Beit Shemesh neighborhood area was the site of the Arab village Beit Natif. This village was built on remnants of an ancient Judean town, with various remnants of Jewish settlement from the time, such as a mosaic floor, wineries and other remains, especially from the period of the Hasmonean kings and earlier. This area is currently under dispute about preservation, having been subject of a grassroots campaign.

In its early years, Beit Shemesh came to typify the "Development Town" with a largely North African immigrant population. In 1977, following a writeup in Haaretz newspaper, Beit Shemesh was perceived as the main outpost for Menachem Begin's Likud party. He promised to rehabilitate neighborhoods and when Likud came to power that year, investment in the city increased.

With the large-scale immigration from the Soviet Union in the 1990s, new neighborhoods were built at an accelerated rate in the city as the population grew rapidly. One particular group who settled in Beit Shemesh was made up of Jews who had converted to Judaism in two villages two centuries prior, and kept the religion in secret under the Soviet regime. Also in the 1990s, a large number of Ethiopian Jews started arriving in Beit Shemesh together with affluent new immigrants from English speaking countries. Later, in 2002, a large congregation of Ethiopian Jews of the Falashmura reached Beit Shemesh.

In the 1990s, new neighborhoods were built: Nahala UMenucha, a Haredi neighborhood, Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef and Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet, which doubled the size of the city. In 2002, following tensions between the Haredi and non-religious population, plans were drawn up to build another secular neighborhood, HaShachar, as a separate city. Work began at the entrance to Ramat Beit Shemesh, but because of legal problems and a continued dispute over the population of this new city, the plan was abandoned.

Neighborhoods

Old Beit Shemesh

Directly adjacent to the main part of Beit Shemesh lies the mostly Orthodox Jewish Ramat Beit Shemesh, lit. "Beit Shemesh Heights", as it located on a mountaintop above the original city, approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) west of Jerusalem. Ramat Beit Shemesh has a large Orthodox population embracing many different streams of religious practice.

The neighborhood consists of Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef and Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet (Alef and Bet signifying 1 and 2, respectively). Religious conflicts have erupted between the Haredi (Ultra Orthodox) and religious Zionist communities, and also amongst the Haredim themselves. A large community of English-speaking immigrants live in Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef

There are also large English-speaking communities in Beit Shemesh. The Givat Sharet area of Beit Shemesh hosts the "Sheinfeld" community, which is the oldest and largest English-speaking community in Beit Shemesh. There are many synagogues, educational resources and community resources that serve the English-speaking community residing alongside a well established native Israeli community. Nofei Aviv also boasts a large English-speaking community and is built around the Feigenson Synagogue. There is also the Givat Savion community, which boasts a smaller but growing English-speaking community nestled within an affluent Native Israeli community. Unlike "Sheinfeld" and Nofei Aviv, the Givat Savion community is also a larger mixture of Observant and non-observant residents, though the neighborhood boasts several synagogues. There is a small English-speaking community in the Migdal Hamayim neighborhood.

Beit Shemesh also has an urban kibbutz, Tamuz, founded in 1987 and affiliated with the Kibbutz Movement.

Demographics

Beit Shemesh shopping center

According to CBS, in 2003 the ethnic makeup of the city was 100.0% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population. See Population groups in Israel. In 2005, there were 32,900 males and 33,000 females. The population growth rate in 2005 was 6.4%.

In 1952, olim from Iran, Iraq, Romania, Morocco and Kurdistan settled in Beit Shemesh. In the 1990s, the city saw a large influx of new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia and English speaking countries.

Since the 1990s, Beit Shemesh has become increasingly Orthodox, with a large Haredi sector. Many synagogues and yeshivas have been built in the community. Religious communities represented in Beit Shemesh include Ger, Belz, Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok, Satmar and Neturei Karta.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of English speaking Israelis who have moved to Beit Shemesh. Considerable numbers have come from North America, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia. This population tends to be Orthodox, educated and from middle income groups. The main areas of "Anglo" settlement are the Dolev area of RBS, Sheinfeld, Nofei Aviv and Migdal HaMayim. The Anglo immigration wave has seen real estate prices skyrocket in Beit Shemesh in general, and in the Anglo neighborhoods in particular.

Increasing 'friction' has erupted between Satmar and Neturei Karta groups and the Orthodox Religious Zionist population.

Education

In 2001, there are 56 schools and 14,148 students in the city: 41 elementary schools with 10,716 elementary school students, and 20 high schools with 3,432 high school students. 40.3% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate.

Economy

Beit Shemesh has two industrial zones containing mainly small industry. This is especially true of the Northern industrial zone which is typified by carpentry and metalwork workshops, garages and wholesale and retail outlets. The Western industrial zone contains several larger companies including Beit Shemesh Engines Ltd. (BSEL) which manufactures and repairs jet engines and jet engine components, Barzellan and others. Nearby in the Noham industrial zone are situated various other factories and offices.

Since the hi-tech boom of 1996–2001 it has been host to several hi-tech startups.

Income

According to ICBS for 2005, there were 15,321 salaried workers and 1058 self-employed. The mean monthly wage for a salaried worker was ILS 4,896. Salaried males had a mean monthly wage of ILS 6,392 (a real change of -4.8%) versus ILS 3,533 for females (a real change of 4.7%). The mean income for the self-employed was 5,153. There were 429 people receiving unemployment benefits and 2,838 people receiving an income guarantee.

Arab-Israeli conflict

Main article: Island of Peace massacre

On March 13, 1997, seven 11 year-old girls from Beit Shemesh's Feurst School were killed on a class trip to Naharayim in the Jordan Valley. They were visiting the "Island of Peace", a joint Israeli and Jordanian tourist resort, under Jordanian rule. A Jordanian soldier opened fire on the schoolchildren. King Hussein of Jordan came to Beit Shemesh to extend his condolences and ask forgiveness in the name of his country, a step which was seen as both touching and courageous.

Transportation

Beit Shemesh Railway Station

Beit Shemesh Railway Station provides hourly service on the Israel Railways Kfar Sava–Jerusalem line. The station located in the north industrial zone of Beit Shemesh. It was most recently opened on 13 September 2003, having existed for over a century at the same location. The station has three platforms. Bus transportation within Beit Shemesh and most inter-city routes is operated by Superbus, which began service on 5 January 2009. The Egged Bus Cooperative, which previously operated all bus service in and to Beit Shemesh, still operates a limited number of bus lines from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem and Bnei-Brak.

Sports

Beit Shemesh is home to numerous sports clubs all under the main sport associations (Beitar, Hapoel, and Maccabi). The city has soccer teams including juniors seniors and over-35s teams and also boasted a franchise in the Israel Baseball League. The Beit Shemesh Blue Sox represented Beit Shemesh in the league's only season, though they played their games at Gezer Field in Kibbutz Gezer due to a lack of proper facilities in Beit Shemesh. There is also a very active Little League in Beit Shemesh and Ramat Beit Shemesh, with over 300 members. In the field of judo, Elitzur Beit Shemesh has won many prizes. Israel Kung Fu and world Nunchaku champion (2001) Eli Ivgi was born in and lives in Beit Shemesh.

Notable rabbis

• Duvid Tzvi - Son of Toldos Avrohom Yitzhock
• Shimon Bitton – Chief Rabbi of Beit Shemesh
• Avishai David
• Yaacov Haber
• Elimelech Kornfeld
• Chaim Z. Malinowitz
• Kalman Menachem Shapira
• David Avraham Spektor
• Daniel Myers
• Yhoshua Leib Gould

Twin towns - Sister cities

• Cocoa, Florida, United States
• Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States
• Nordhausen, Germany
• Lhasa, China
• Ramapo, New York, USA

On October 7, 2007, the city became a sister city with Cocoa, Florida. Mayors Mike Blake (Cocoa) and Daniel Vaknin (Beit Shemesh) both signed two copies of a contract declaring them as official sister cities.

External links

• Places To Visit in Beit Shemesh
• Shemesh OnLine
• ShemeshDirectory