Beit Yatir
Encyclopedia
Beit Yatir also known as Metzadot Yehuda , is a religious Orthodox
moshav
and Israeli settlement
in the southern Hebron Hills
of the West Bank
along the Green Line
south of Susiya. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
The moshav is located on a hill 900 metres above sea level and within the municipal jurisdiction of the Har Hebron Regional Council
. Nearby are the ruins of the ancient town of Eshtemoa
. Beit Yatir was established in 1979 by students from the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva
. In 1983, the moshav was moved southwest from its original location south of the town of As-Samu
to its current location in the Yatir Forest
. A visual landmark of the moshav is a high wind turbine.
The moshav belongs to the Amana settlement movement. A Religious Pre-Army Mechina
, with several tens of students enrolled, is headed by Rabbi Moshe Hagar.
As of 2007, about seventy families live on the moshav, most of the parents newlyweds to middle age
. The social make up of the moshav residents varies between sabra
s to immigrants from various countries including France, Russian, Brazil and English-speaking countries. The moshav does not require residents to become members of the cooperative.
Beit Yatir has a sister relationship with Congregation Beth Aaron, a synagogue in Teaneck, New Jersey
, USA.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
moshav
Moshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
and Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
in the southern Hebron Hills
Mount Hebron
Mount Hebron is a geographic region and geologic formation in the southern West Bank, with its western foothills extending into Israel. The area was in biblical times a center of the Israelite and Hasmonean kingdoms. The region lends its name to the Mount Hebron Regional Council....
of the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
along the Green Line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
south of Susiya. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
International law and Israeli settlements
The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories illegal under international law, but Israel maintains that they are consistent with international law because it does not agree that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the...
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
The moshav is located on a hill 900 metres above sea level and within the municipal jurisdiction of the Har Hebron Regional Council
Har Hebron Regional Council
The Har Hevron Regional Council is an Israeli regional council in the southern Judean Hills area of Mount Hebron, in the southern West Bank. The headquarters are located adjacent to Otniel. The council was established in 1983...
. Nearby are the ruins of the ancient town of Eshtemoa
Eshtemoa
Eshtemoa, meaning obedience, is a name found in the Bible.*A son of Ishbah or maybe a town inhabited by Ishbah's descendants. *A descendent of Bithiah princess of Egypt and Mered ....
. Beit Yatir was established in 1979 by students from the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva
Mercaz haRav
Mercaz HaRav , more properly, Mercaz HaRav Kook ), is a national-religious yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1924 by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. It has become synonymous with his teachings....
. In 1983, the moshav was moved southwest from its original location south of the town of As-Samu
As-Samu
As Samu or es-Samu is a town in the Hebron Governorate of the West Bank, 12 kilometers south of the city of Hebron. as-Samu is 60 kilometers south-west of Jerusalem. The area is a hilly, rocky area cut by some wadis. The Armistice Demarcation Line runs generally east to west approximately five...
to its current location in the Yatir Forest
Yatir Forest
Yatir Forest is a forest in Israel, located on the southern slopes of Mount Hebron, on the edge of the Negev Desert. The forest covers an area of 30,000 dunams , and is the largest planted forest in Israel.-History:...
. A visual landmark of the moshav is a high wind turbine.
The moshav belongs to the Amana settlement movement. A Religious Pre-Army Mechina
Mechina
A Mechina is an Israeli educational program that prepares high school graduates for serving in the Israeli Army or study at an institution of higher learning in Israel...
, with several tens of students enrolled, is headed by Rabbi Moshe Hagar.
As of 2007, about seventy families live on the moshav, most of the parents newlyweds to middle age
Middle age
Middle age is the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings....
. The social make up of the moshav residents varies between sabra
Sabra (person)
Sabra is a term used to describe a Jew born in Israeli territory; the term is also usually inclusive of Jews born during the period of the establishment of the state of Israel. The word "sabra" is Arabic and Hebrew. Immigrants to Palestine began using it in the early 1930s, according to the The...
s to immigrants from various countries including France, Russian, Brazil and English-speaking countries. The moshav does not require residents to become members of the cooperative.
Beit Yatir has a sister relationship with Congregation Beth Aaron, a synagogue in Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, USA.