Misgav Regional Council
Encyclopedia
ISO 259-3
ISO 259-3 is a standard for the phonemic conversion/representation of Hebrew in the Latin script. It is aimed on delivering the common structure of the Hebrew word throughout the different dialects or pronunciation styles of Hebrew, in a way that it can be reconstructed into the original Hebrew...
Moˁaça ʔazorit Miśgabb) is a regional council
Regional council (Israel)
Regional councils are one of the three types of local government entities found in Israel, with the other two being cities and local councils. As of 2003, there were 53 regional councils in Israel, usually responsible for governing a number of settlements spread across rural areas...
in the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
region in northern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The regional council is home to 22,000 people, and comprises 35 small towns, mostly community settlements but also several Kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
im 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...
im. The population of 29 of these is primarily Jewish, and 6 are 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 region is noted for the way that Jewish and non-Jewish communities live side-by-side.
The administrative designation regional council does not imply that every town in some contiguous geographic region belongs to it. Most Arab
Arab citizens of Israel
Arab citizens of Israel refers to citizens of Israel who are not Jewish, and whose cultural and linguistic heritage or ethnic identity is Arab....
towns in the region are not part of the regional council, and are considered separate local councils
Local council (Israel)
Local councils are one of the three types of local government found in Israel, with the other two being cities and regional councils. As of 2003, there were 144 local councils in Israel, these being settlements which pass a minimum threshold enough to justify their operations as independent...
. Neither is Karmiel
Karmiel
Karmiel is a city in northern Israel. Established in 1964 as a development town, Karmiel is located in the Beit HaKerem Valley which divides upper and lower Galilee. The city is located south of the Acre-Safed road, from Safed and from Acre...
, a city which lies in the heart of the Misgav region but does not belong to the regional council. The population of Karmiel alone is more than twice that of the entire Misgav Regional Council.
History
In the early 1970s, the GalileeGalilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
region in general, including what is now the area of Misgav, was predominantly populated by Arab communities including those of Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
and 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:...
origin who were living on and farming much of the arable land. Those involved in the development of the region designated that land which wasn't in use as nature reserves in light of the rapid urbanization which Israel was seeing at the time. That area which wasn't designated as a nature reserve, was planned to be a series of settlements on the Galilean hilltops - the idea of the mitzpeh
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....
was conceived.
Mitzpeh literally means an observation point but the term has a much broader connotation. In Misgav, most of the villages are defined as community settlements with the families conducting their daily life completely independently from one another. Because, however, of the size of the communities, and because each community is fairly isolated a limited interdependence is required to maintain the normal frameworks and mutual interests of the residents. As a result, community run childcare centers, youth activities, and the maintenance of communal buildings and property tend to be run on a volunteer basis, unique to this region, and Israel in general, through an elected resident's committee in addition to
From its inception, the Misgav area attracted modern day pioneers who were willing to give up basic comforts to live in temporary and cramped quarters in order to realize a pioneering dream of a better life for themselves and their children. People from the entire spectrum of political and Jewish background arrived united by an overall goal of creating a new center of Jewish communal revival in the heart of the Galilee.
Today, Misgav can be seen in many ways as resembling a typical Israeli suburb surrounding a large city, except for the fact that it is spread out over an area of 50,000 acres (200 km²) with a population of just 15,000 including 4,500 Bedouin Arabs. Like the suburbs, the area houses most families in detached, one-family homes surrounded by yards, and the majority of adults drive to work in the urban centers every day while the children are bused to the local schools.
There are however, certain factors that make Misgav entirely unique. Firstly, the sheer diversity of the communities is exemplary. Among the Misgav settlements there are five kibbutzim, including a Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
community, a Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
community, a mixed Orthodox-Secular community, and a strictly observant Jewish village, all of which exist peacefully and respectfully alongside each other. Misgav is also unique in its relations with its non-Jewish residents and neighbors. Five local Bedouin settlements have been absorbed by the regional council and are active members of the Misgav community, which also cooperates with the large Muslim Arab, Christian Arab, and Druze populations in the region. This cooperation can be shown by the fact that the region is the location of one of the country's first dual language (Arab-Hebrew) educational institutions, the Galil Jewish-Arab School
Galil Jewish-Arab School
Galil Jewish-Arab School is the first joint Arab-Jewish primary school in Israel, founded in 1998 by the Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish Arab Education in Israel, which also runs three other bilingual schools in Israel...
.
Kibbutzim
- EshbalEshbalEshbal is a small kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee near Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 53.The village was founded in 1979 as a Nahal settlement...
- YahadYahad, IsraelYahad is a small kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. It has a population of 25 families....
- KishorKishorKishor is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee near Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council....
- LotemLotemLotem is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 460.The village was founded in 1978...
- MoranMoran, IsraelMoran is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee near Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 175....
- PelekhPelekhPelekh |Spindle]]) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee near Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. Named after the Bible together with the nearby kibbutz Kishor, whose name is the corresponding word of the same sentence.The village was...
- TuvalTuvalTuval is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 205. In the year 2000 a community neighborhood was set up within the boundaries of Tuval...
Community settlements
- AtzmonAtzmonAtzmon , formerly known as Segev, is a communal settlement in Gush Segev in the Galilee. It was established in 1975, and situated beside the Yavor junction in 1978. The present location is less than 1 km west of the Misgav Regional Council, and was inhabited by the founders in 1983.There are about...
- AvtalionAvtalionAvtalion is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee to the south of Arraba, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 329....
- EshharEshharEshhar is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee to the south of Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 432....
- GilonGilonGilon is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee on Mount Gilon seven kilometres west of Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council...
- Har HalutzHar HalutzHar Halutz , officially known as Halutz is a communal settlement in the central Galilee in northern Israel. Har Halutz is located in the rocky terrain of Gush Tefen and belongings to the Misgav Regional Council....
- HararitHararitHararit is a communal settlement in Galilee. It is administered by the Misgav Regional Council.The settlement was founded in 1980 by a group of Jewish practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation program.Hararit is the home for about 60 families....
- HarashimHarashimHarashim is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee to the north of Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 196....
- KamonKamon, IsraelKamon is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee on the two eastern peaks of Mount Kammon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 580....
- KoranitKoranitKoranit is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee on Mount Shekhanya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 655....
- LavonLavon, IsraelLavon is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee four kilometres north of Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 268....
- Ma'ale Tzviya
- Manof
- MikhmanimMikhmanimMikhmanim is a communal village in the hills of the Galilee. Established in 1980, it is situated atop Mt. Kammon, the highest peak in the Lower Galilee, overlooking the city of Karmiel...
- Mitzpe AvivMitzpe AvivMitzpe Aviv is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near I'billin and Tamra, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 708.The village was established in 1981...
- MoreshetMoreshetMoreshet is a national-religious communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee between Karmiel and Shefa-'Amr, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 1,000....
- RakefetRakefetRakefet is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee near Sakhnin, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. The name means "Cyclamen".In 2006 it had a population of 761....
- ShekhanyaShekhanyaShekhanya is a communal settlement in northern Israel. It is named after a priest family from the Bible . Located in the Galilee between Karmiel and Shefa-'Amr, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council...
- ShorashimShorashimShorashim is a Hebrew word meaning roots which may refer to:* Shorashim, a village in the Galilee* Shorashim, a nonprofit organization devoted to building bridges between Jews in Israel and around the world....
- Tal ElTal ElTal El is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee between Acre and Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 929....
- TzuritTzuritTzurit is a hilltop village located in the Misgav Regional Council in Israel's Western Galilee region, west of Karmiel. It was formed in 1982 and it currently has a population of approximately 658.-External links:*...
- YuvalimYuvalimYuvalim is a communal settlement in the Misgav Regional Council in the Galilee.It was established in 1982 by a core group of Rafael employees and their families....
Bedouin
- Arab al-Na'imArab al-Na'imArab al-Na'im is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. It has a population of around 600, most of whom are children....
- DmeideDmeideDmeide is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near Kfar Manda, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 608....
- HamdonHamdonHamdon is an unrecognised Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near Lotem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council....
- HussniyyaHussniyyaHussniyya is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 545....
- KamannehKamannehKamanneh or Kamane is a Bedouin village in Misgav Regional Council in Israel. It is the result of the merger between Suweid and Kamun and the new village consists of six main neighborhoods. It is located off Mount Kamun north of the Israeli-Arab city of Sakhnin...
- Ras al-EinRas al-EinRas al-Ein is a small Arab Palestinian village in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near the Tzalmon Stream, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 284....
- SallamaSallama, IsraelSallama is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near the Tzalmon Stream, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 2,100.The village was recognised by the state in 1976....
Go North Program
In the late 2000s, the Jewish charity Nefesh B'NefeshNefesh B'Nefesh
Nefesh B'Nefesh is an organization that encourages immigration by Jewish people to Israel from North America and the United Kingdom...
launched its Go North program. Keeping with the organization's purpose of facilitating Jewish immigration to Israel, the program is designed to entice new immigrants and residents who have been in the country for a short time to move to several developing Jewish communities in the country's northern region. The Misgav Regional Council is a partner in the program, whereas its towns Lavon, Har Halutz
Har Halutz
Har Halutz , officially known as Halutz is a communal settlement in the central Galilee in northern Israel. Har Halutz is located in the rocky terrain of Gush Tefen and belongings to the Misgav Regional Council....
, Moreshet
Moreshet
Moreshet is a national-religious communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee between Karmiel and Shefa-'Amr, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 1,000....
, Eshchar, Shorashim
Shorashim
Shorashim is a Hebrew word meaning roots which may refer to:* Shorashim, a village in the Galilee* Shorashim, a nonprofit organization devoted to building bridges between Jews in Israel and around the world....
, Manof
Manof
Manof is a community settlement in the Misgav Regional Council in northern Israel. It is located in the Lower Galilee between Shefa-'Amr and Karmiel...
, and Tal El
Tal El
Tal El is a communal settlement in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee between Acre and Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 929....
are listed by the organization as preferred destinations for participants.
Controversy
In December 2009, Haaretz reported "Jewish town won’t let Arab build home on his own land". Aadel Suad first went to the planning committee of the Misgav Local Council in 1997. Suad, an educator, sought a permit to build a home on a plot of land he owns in the community of Mitzpeh Kamon. A senior official on the committee told him: "Don’t waste your time, we’ll keep you waiting for 30 years."Suad has now been fighting the committee’s red tape for 12 years to build a home on his own land. He and his family are convinced there is only one reason for the refusal, the local council doesn’t want Arabs. Suad says. "My grandfather has been here since the Turks. We have a land registry document proving ownership of three acres."
Misgav's planning policy has been in the news before. In 2005 Ali Zbeidat, his Dutch wife Terese and their two teenage daughters, Dina and Awda, Palestinian citizens of Israel were threatened with demolition of their home, built on land belonging to his family for decades and physically located inside the Arab town of Sakhnin.