Kfar Uria
Encyclopedia
Kfar Uria is a moshav
in central Israel
. Located near Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council
. In 2006 it had a population of 445.
The village was first established in 1912 on land bought from Bialystok
Jews, and served as an agricultural training place. Amongst the residents were A. D. Gordon
. In the 1929 Palestine riots
Arab rioters from Jerusalem attacked Kfar Uria. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
(Huseni) incited and transported young rioter (Shabab) from Jeruslam that attacked the pastoral Jewish resident of Kfar Uria. The inhabitants of the adjacent Arab villages for the most part were on good terms with the residents of the Jewish village of Kfar Uria. The neighboring Arab villagers treated kfar Uria's association director, Baruch Yakimovsky, as Mukhtar (village chief) and he was friendly with the Arab Mukhtars of the nearby villages. The farmers of the area, both Jews and Arabs, cooperated and defended each other against raiding nomadic Bedouin
. The Mufti’s rioters robbed and burned Kfar Uria in the 1929 riots with the aid of some opportunistic local Arab villagers. However, the six Jewish families that stayed behind, refusing to believe in the coming riots, were smuggled out by Baruch Yakimovsky and his friend, the Mukhtar of Beit Far, and their lives were spared. Apparently, they used one of the ancient natural tunnels that crisscrosses that area to smuggle the people out. Baruch was able to work the land of Kfar Uria for a few more years with the cooperation of some of the local Arab Mukhtars. In 1944, a new village was established on the ruins of the original one. However, it, too, was destroyed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
.
A third and final attempt at settling the area was made in 1949, when a moshav was established on the site.
The village name sound similar to Khirbet Cafarorie, a ruin located south - west of the village, which has a winepress hewn, mosaic and burial caves.
The village center features an old Khan, which once hosted the agricultural training workers, including A. D. Gordon. The Khan structure remains to this day at the heart of the community, but it requires renovations and therefore closed to visitors.
During the years 2009 - 2011 a new neighborhood was built and populated with 69 new houses and families.
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 Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council
Mateh Yehuda Regional Council
Mateh Yehuda Regional Council is a regional council in the Jerusalem District of Israel. In 2008 it was home to 36,200 people.The name of the regional council stems from the fact that its territory was part of the land allotted to the Tribe of Judah, according to the Bible.-Places and...
. In 2006 it had a population of 445.
The village was first established in 1912 on land bought from Bialystok
Bialystok
Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Located on the Podlaskie Plain on the banks of the Biała River, Białystok ranks second in terms of population density, eleventh in population, and thirteenth in area, of the cities of Poland...
Jews, and served as an agricultural training place. Amongst the residents were A. D. Gordon
A. D. Gordon
Aaron David Gordon , more commonly known as A. D. Gordon, was a Zionist ideologue and the spiritual force behind practical Zionism and Labor Zionism. He founded Hapoel Hatzair, a movement that set the tone for the Zionist movement for many years to come. Influenced by Leo Tolstoy and others, it is...
. In the 1929 Palestine riots
1929 Palestine riots
The 1929 Palestine riots, also known as the Western Wall Uprising, the 1929 Massacres, , or the Buraq Uprising , refers to a series of demonstrations and riots in late August 1929 when a long-running dispute between Muslims and Jews over access to the Western Wall in Jerusalem escalated into violence...
Arab rioters from Jerusalem attacked Kfar Uria. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Haj Mohammed Effendi Amin el-Husseini was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in the British Mandate of Palestine. From as early as 1920, in order to secure the independence of Palestine as an Arab state he actively opposed Zionism, and was implicated as a leader of a violent riot...
(Huseni) incited and transported young rioter (Shabab) from Jeruslam that attacked the pastoral Jewish resident of Kfar Uria. The inhabitants of the adjacent Arab villages for the most part were on good terms with the residents of the Jewish village of Kfar Uria. The neighboring Arab villagers treated kfar Uria's association director, Baruch Yakimovsky, as Mukhtar (village chief) and he was friendly with the Arab Mukhtars of the nearby villages. The farmers of the area, both Jews and Arabs, cooperated and defended each other against raiding nomadic Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
. The Mufti’s rioters robbed and burned Kfar Uria in the 1929 riots with the aid of some opportunistic local Arab villagers. However, the six Jewish families that stayed behind, refusing to believe in the coming riots, were smuggled out by Baruch Yakimovsky and his friend, the Mukhtar of Beit Far, and their lives were spared. Apparently, they used one of the ancient natural tunnels that crisscrosses that area to smuggle the people out. Baruch was able to work the land of Kfar Uria for a few more years with the cooperation of some of the local Arab Mukhtars. In 1944, a new village was established on the ruins of the original one. However, it, too, was destroyed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
.
A third and final attempt at settling the area was made in 1949, when a moshav was established on the site.
The village name sound similar to Khirbet Cafarorie, a ruin located south - west of the village, which has a winepress hewn, mosaic and burial caves.
The village center features an old Khan, which once hosted the agricultural training workers, including A. D. Gordon. The Khan structure remains to this day at the heart of the community, but it requires renovations and therefore closed to visitors.
During the years 2009 - 2011 a new neighborhood was built and populated with 69 new houses and families.