Har Brakha
Encyclopedia
Har Brakha is a communal
village
and an Israeli settlement
located on the southern ridge of Mount Gerizim
at an elevation of 870 metres above sea level, in the West Bank
's Samarian mountains near Nablus
. Har Brakha is named after one of the two mountains that are mentioned in Deuteronomy
on which half the twelve tribes of Israel
ascended in order to pronounce blessings and shares the Mount Gerizim ridge with Kiryat Luza
, the main Samaritan
village.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
Har Brakha was first established as a pioneer Nahal
military outpost, and demilitarized when turned over to residential purposes on Yom Ha'atzmaut
in 1983. Currently, over 170 families live in this Orthodox
Jewish community
which is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council
. The rapid expansion of the village is universally attributed to the hesder
yeshiva
(called Yeshivat Har Brakha, or Har Brakha Yeshiva) that was built in 1991 as well as its rosh yeshiva
, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, who is also the chief rabbi of Har Brakha. While the vast majority of students (about 150 annually) are not originally from settlements, many graduates of the yeshiva return to live on the settlement.
Until the yeshiva was built, Har Brakha was almost in danger of abandonment. Because of its location, isolated from Israel
i population centers and lacking modern amenities in the 1980s, most families that came to live left soon after, even with incentives such as low-interest mortgages
and grants. Even now that these housing subsidies are not available, demand for residence outstrips the supply of homes, the building of which is limited by the Civil Administration of the Israeli Defense Forces which sometimes completely forbids any new building, effectively stopping any expansion.
Communal settlement (Israel)
A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and an 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...
located on the southern ridge of Mount Gerizim
Mount Gerizim
Mount Gerizim is one of the two mountains in the immediate vicinity of the West Bank city of Nablus , and forms the southern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated,...
at an elevation of 870 metres above sea level, in 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...
's Samarian mountains near Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
. Har Brakha is named after one of the two mountains that are mentioned in Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
on which half the twelve tribes of Israel
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
ascended in order to pronounce blessings and shares the Mount Gerizim ridge with Kiryat Luza
Kiryat Luza
Kiryat Luza is a Samaritan village on Mount Gerizim near Nablus, West Bank. It is the last wholly Samaritan village in existence and contains the museum of the Samaritans. Kiryat Luza is adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Har Bracha. Until the 1980s, most of the Samaritans resided in Nablus...
, the main Samaritan
Samaritan
The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...
village.
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.
Har Brakha was first established as a pioneer Nahal
Nahal
Nahal is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Historically, it refers to a program that combines military service and establishment of new agricultural settlements, often in outlying areas...
military outpost, and demilitarized when turned over to residential purposes on Yom Ha'atzmaut
Yom Ha'atzmaut
Yom Ha'atzmaut commemorates Israel's declaration of Independence in 1948. It is celebrated on 5 Iyar according to the Hebrew calendar. Yom Ha'atzmaut is preceded by Yom Hazikaron, the Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day.-History:...
in 1983. Currently, over 170 families live in this Orthodox
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...
Jewish community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
which is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council
Shomron Regional Council
The Shomron Regional Council is a regional council in the northern Samarian hills, in the northern part of the West Bank. The offices of the regional council are located in the Barkan Industrial Park. This regional council provides various municipal services for the 30 Israeli settlements within...
. The rapid expansion of the village is universally attributed to the hesder
Hesder
Hesder is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework...
yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
(called Yeshivat Har Brakha, or Har Brakha Yeshiva) that was built in 1991 as well as its rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, who is also the chief rabbi of Har Brakha. While the vast majority of students (about 150 annually) are not originally from settlements, many graduates of the yeshiva return to live on the settlement.
Until the yeshiva was built, Har Brakha was almost in danger of abandonment. Because of its location, isolated from Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i population centers and lacking modern amenities in the 1980s, most families that came to live left soon after, even with incentives such as low-interest mortgages
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
and grants. Even now that these housing subsidies are not available, demand for residence outstrips the supply of homes, the building of which is limited by the Civil Administration of the Israeli Defense Forces which sometimes completely forbids any new building, effectively stopping any expansion.