Yehud
Encyclopedia
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 (not including Neve Monosson
- see below).
), in the area of what was roughly the Kingdom of Judah
which issued small silver coins
inscribed with the three letters Yehud. The actual size of Yehud during this time remains debated by scholars (e.g., did it occupy the entirety of the previous kingdom, or was it much smaller). Yehud's constituency also remains debated (e.g., was it composed only of those Judeans who returned from Babylon, or did these intermix with "the people (already) in the land" - עם הארץ). In later centuries Yehud became the Arab town of Al-Yehudiya
(in literal Arabic: "place of the Jews"), also called Al-'Abbasiyya, but the Arab population left in its entirety during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
. The town was repopulated in the early 1950s by Ladino-speaking Jews of Turkish
extraction and subsequently also by Jews from Bialystok, Poland
and other parts of the Diaspora
. The town greatly expanded in later years, developed an industrial and hi-tech area with companies such as IAI and Mercury Interactive
and attracted thousands of academics and professionals in new, highly-invested neighborhoods such as Givat Avia and Kiryat HaSavyonim.
In June 2011, the city's officials announced they would undertake a massive construction project to replicate the old town square of the Swiss city of Lugano
in the center of their city, to reinvigorate commerce and tourism. The replica will be replete with neoclassical columns and colonnades.
Municipality
was formed to provide municipal services to Yehud and the neighboring community of Neve Monosson
(pop. 2,600). Under the terms of the merger, Neve Monosson remains with a high level of autonomy under the Neve Monosson
Local Administration (minhelet). The Neve Monosson
Local Administration was granted municipal status as an autonomous borough (vaad rova ironi) by the Interior Minister in 2005 within the implementation of the merger plan. In a practical sense, the Yehud-Monosson Municipality really functions as the municipality of Yehud whilst providing basic statutory municipal services to Neve Monosson on an outsourcing basis.
According to CBS, in 2001 there were 10,500 males and 11,100 females. The population of the city was spread out with 33.4% 19 years of age or younger, 16.1% between 20 and 29, 19.9% between 30 and 44, 18.8% from 45 to 59, 2.9% from 60 to 64, and 8.8% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 2.6%.
company majority owned by Lev Leviev
.
spent several seasons in the top division of Israeli football during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and won the State Cup
in 1982. However, after several relegations the club folded in 1998.
A new club, Hapoel Ironi Yehud, was established in 2004 and currently plays in Liga Gimel
.
Yehud was also the city in which "Yehud Hold'em" poker was invented.
Center District (Israel)
The Central District of Israel is one of six administrative districts, including most of the Sharon region. The district capital is Ramla. It is further divided into 4 sub-districts: Petah Tikva, Ramla, Sharon and Rehovot. The district's largest city is Rishon LeZion. Its population as of 2008 was...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
that is part of the joint municipality of Yehud-Monosson
Yehud-Monosson
Yehud-Monosson is the joint municipality of the town of Yehud and the neighboring communal settlement of Neve Monosson in central Israel, created by their partial municipal merger in 2003, under the terms of which Neve Monosson retained municipal autonomy under a Local Administration ...
. In 2007, Yehud's population was approximately 25,600 (not including Neve Monosson
Neve Monosson
Neve Monosson , also known as Neve Efraim and Neve Efraim Monosson, commonly called Monosson by its residents, is a communal settlement in central Israel with the autonomous status of a municipal borough within the joint municipality of Yehud-Monosson...
- see below).
History
Yehud is mentioned in the Bible in a list of towns in the area ("and Yehud and Bnei Brak and Gat Rimon" - Book of Joshua 19, 45). The Aramaic term Yehud refers to a province under the Persian empire (see Yehud MedinataYehud Medinata
Yehud Medinata or simply Yehud, was an Achaeminid autonomous province covering Judea and parts of Samaria, located south to Eber-Nari...
), in the area of what was roughly the Kingdom of Judah
Kingdom of Judah
The Kingdom of Judah was a Jewish state established in the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. It is often referred to as the "Southern Kingdom" to distinguish it from the northern Kingdom of Israel....
which issued small silver coins
Yehud coinage
The Yehud coinage is a series of small silver coins bearing the Aramaic inscription Yehud. They derive their name from the inscription YHD, "Yehud", the Aramaic name of the Persian province of Yehud; others are inscribed YHDH, the same name in Hebrew; it is possible that the former group date from...
inscribed with the three letters Yehud. The actual size of Yehud during this time remains debated by scholars (e.g., did it occupy the entirety of the previous kingdom, or was it much smaller). Yehud's constituency also remains debated (e.g., was it composed only of those Judeans who returned from Babylon, or did these intermix with "the people (already) in the land" - עם הארץ). In later centuries Yehud became the Arab town of Al-Yehudiya
Al-'Abbasiyya
Al-'Abbasiyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Jaffa. It was attacked under Operation Hametz during the 1948 Palestine War, and finally depopulated under Operation Dani. It was located 13 km east of Jaffa...
(in literal Arabic: "place of the Jews"), also called Al-'Abbasiyya, but the Arab population left in its entirety 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...
. The town was repopulated in the early 1950s by Ladino-speaking Jews of Turkish
History of the Jews in Turkey
Turkish Jews The history of the Jews in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey covers the 2,400 years that Jews have lived in what is now Turkey. There have been Jewish communities in Asia Minor since at least the 5th century BCE and many Spanish and Portuguese Jews expelled from Spain were welcomed to the...
extraction and subsequently also by Jews from Bialystok, Poland
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...
and other parts of the Diaspora
Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora is the English term used to describe the Galut גלות , or 'exile', of the Jews from the region of the Kingdom of Judah and Roman Iudaea and later emigration from wider Eretz Israel....
. The town greatly expanded in later years, developed an industrial and hi-tech area with companies such as IAI and Mercury Interactive
Mercury Interactive
Mercury is now part of Hewlett-Packard. The combination of Mercury Interactive and HP OpenView formed HP Software Division, a global business unit within HP Enterprise Business...
and attracted thousands of academics and professionals in new, highly-invested neighborhoods such as Givat Avia and Kiryat HaSavyonim.
In June 2011, the city's officials announced they would undertake a massive construction project to replicate the old town square of the Swiss city of Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
in the center of their city, to reinvigorate commerce and tourism. The replica will be replete with neoclassical columns and colonnades.
Government and politics
In 2003 the Yehud-MonossonYehud-Monosson
Yehud-Monosson is the joint municipality of the town of Yehud and the neighboring communal settlement of Neve Monosson in central Israel, created by their partial municipal merger in 2003, under the terms of which Neve Monosson retained municipal autonomy under a Local Administration ...
Municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
was formed to provide municipal services to Yehud and the neighboring community of Neve Monosson
Neve Monosson
Neve Monosson , also known as Neve Efraim and Neve Efraim Monosson, commonly called Monosson by its residents, is a communal settlement in central Israel with the autonomous status of a municipal borough within the joint municipality of Yehud-Monosson...
(pop. 2,600). Under the terms of the merger, Neve Monosson remains with a high level of autonomy under the Neve Monosson
Neve Monosson
Neve Monosson , also known as Neve Efraim and Neve Efraim Monosson, commonly called Monosson by its residents, is a communal settlement in central Israel with the autonomous status of a municipal borough within the joint municipality of Yehud-Monosson...
Local Administration (minhelet). The Neve Monosson
Neve Monosson
Neve Monosson , also known as Neve Efraim and Neve Efraim Monosson, commonly called Monosson by its residents, is a communal settlement in central Israel with the autonomous status of a municipal borough within the joint municipality of Yehud-Monosson...
Local Administration was granted municipal status as an autonomous borough (vaad rova ironi) by the Interior Minister in 2005 within the implementation of the merger plan. In a practical sense, the Yehud-Monosson Municipality really functions as the municipality of Yehud whilst providing basic statutory municipal services to Neve Monosson on an outsourcing basis.
Demographics
According to CBS, in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was all Jewish. See Population groups in Israel.According to CBS, in 2001 there were 10,500 males and 11,100 females. The population of the city was spread out with 33.4% 19 years of age or younger, 16.1% between 20 and 29, 19.9% between 30 and 44, 18.8% from 45 to 59, 2.9% from 60 to 64, and 8.8% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 2.6%.
Income
According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 8,479 salaried workers and 831 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is ILS 6,679, a real change of 8.4% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 8,549 (a real change of 7.8%) versus ILS 4,889 for females (a real change of 8.5%). The mean income for the self-employed is 8,327. There are 396 people who receive unemployment benefits and 479 people who receive an income guarantee.Economy
Yehud serves as the base of the large Africa Israel InvestmentsAfrica Israel Investments
Africa Israel Investments Ltd. - AFI GROUP - is an international holding and investment company based in Yehud, Israel.AFI Group consists of several private and public companies active in areas such as real estate, construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, tourism and leisure.The company’s...
company majority owned by Lev Leviev
Lev Leviev
Lev Avnerovich Leviev is a Bukharian-Israeli billionaire businessman, with a net worth of roughly $1.5 billion following the 2008 global financial crisis. Leviev is one of the most prominent Mizrahi Jewish individuals in the world and has been a major philanthropist for Jewish causes in Eastern...
.
Education
According to CBS, there are 10 schools and 5,159 students in the city. They are spread out as 6 elementary schools and 2,252 elementary school students, and 5 high schools and 2,907 high school students. 54.2% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001.Sport
Hapoel YehudHapoel Yehud F.C.
Hapoel Yehud was an Israeli football club based in Yehud. They spent eight seasons in the top division in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and won the State Cup in 1982.-History:The club was founded in 1950...
spent several seasons in the top division of Israeli football during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and won the State Cup
Israel State Cup
The State Cup , is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israeli Football Association.The State Cup was first held in 1927–28 as the Palestine Cup...
in 1982. However, after several relegations the club folded in 1998.
A new club, Hapoel Ironi Yehud, was established in 2004 and currently plays in Liga Gimel
Liga Gimel
Liga Gimel is the fifth and bottom tier of Israeli football league system, a position it has held since 2009.-History:Between 1999 and 2009 it was the sixth tier after Liga Bet, Between 1974 and 1999 it was the fifth tier after the creation of Liga Artzit, and between 1949 and 1974 it was the...
.
Yehud was also the city in which "Yehud Hold'em" poker was invented.