Bnei Atarot
Encyclopedia
Bnei Atarot is a moshav
in central Israel
. Located near Yehud
, around 15 kilometres east of Tel Aviv
, it is situated in fertile plain at the eastern rim of Tel Aviv metropolitan area next to Ben Gurion Airport and falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council
. In 2006 it had a population of 641.
colony of Wilhelma
, established in 1902, and named in honour of Wilhelm II
. During World War II
the German settlers in Mandate Palestine
were arrested as enemy nationals and deported by the British.
After the war ended, a new settlement was established by former residents of the abandoned moshav of Atarot
(which had been destroyed by the Arab Legion
), from which it took its name, as well as others from Nehalim
in the Upper Galilee
and Be'erot Yitzhak
in the Negev
. It remained a farming community and most of the original houses were preserved. The community is centered along the main road.
The proximity of Tel Aviv metropolitan area has led to suburbanization
and rural character of the village gradually decreased. In the late 1990s a new residential neighborhood was built on the northeastern edge of the moshav, consisting of private homes. Recently, the proximity of Ben Gurion International Airport
has led to some residents being evacuated due to noise concerns.
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...
in central Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located near Yehud
Yehud
Yehud is a city in the Center District in Israel that is part of the joint municipality of Yehud-Monosson. In 2007, Yehud's population was approximately 25,600 .- History :...
, around 15 kilometres east of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, it is situated in fertile plain at the eastern rim of Tel Aviv metropolitan area next to Ben Gurion Airport and falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council
Hevel Modi'in Regional Council
Hevel Modi'in Regional Council is a regional council in central Israel. It was founded in 1950 and covers an area from Petah Tikva to Modi'in.The council borders*Drom HaSharon Regional Council, El'ad and Rosh HaAyin in the north...
. In 2006 it had a population of 641.
History
Bnei Atarot is located on the site of the TemplerTemplers (religious believers)
Templers are members of the Temple Society , a German Protestant sect with roots in the Pietist movement of the Lutheran Church. The Templers were expelled from the church in 1858 because of their millennial beliefs. Their aim was to realize the apocalyptic visions of the prophets of Israel in the...
colony of Wilhelma
Wilhelma, Palestine
Wilhelma was a German Templer colony in Palestine located southwest of al-'Abbasiyyah near Jaffa.Wilhelma-Hamîdije was named in honour of King William II of Württemberg, Emperor Wilhelm II and Sultan Abdul Hamid II, however, only the first half of the name prevailed...
, established in 1902, and named in honour of Wilhelm II
William II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. He was a grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the German settlers in Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
were arrested as enemy nationals and deported by the British.
After the war ended, a new settlement was established by former residents of the abandoned moshav of Atarot
Atarot
Atarot was a moshav in Mandatory Palestine, north of Jerusalem along the highway to Ramallah. The village was captured and destroyed by the Jordanian Arab Legion during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
(which had been destroyed by the Arab Legion
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
), from which it took its name, as well as others from Nehalim
Nehalim
Nehalim is a religious moshav in central Israel. Located around four kilometres east of Petah Tikva, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 2,100....
in the Upper Galilee
Upper Galilee
The Upper Galilee is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period, originally referring to a mountainous area overlapping the present northern Israel and southern Lebanon, its borders being the Litani river in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Beit...
and Be'erot Yitzhak
Be'erot Yitzhak
Be'erot Yitzhak is a religious kibbutz in central Israel. Located near Yehud, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council...
in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
. It remained a farming community and most of the original houses were preserved. The community is centered along the main road.
The proximity of Tel Aviv metropolitan area has led to suburbanization
Suburbanization
Suburbanization a term used to describe the growth of areas on the fringes of major cities. It is one of the many causes of the increase in urban sprawl. Many residents of metropolitan regions work within the central urban area, choosing instead to live in satellite communities called suburbs...
and rural character of the village gradually decreased. In the late 1990s a new residential neighborhood was built on the northeastern edge of the moshav, consisting of private homes. Recently, the proximity of Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport , also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag , is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010...
has led to some residents being evacuated due to noise concerns.