Efrat
Encyclopedia
Efrat or officially Efrata , is an Israeli settlement
established in 1983 and a local council
in the Judean Mountains
of the West Bank
. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. Efrat is located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Jerusalem, between Bethlehem
and Hebron
, 6.5 kilometers east of the Green line
, inside of the Separation Barrier
. The settlement rises to a height of 960 meters (3150 feet) above sea level
and covers about 6,000 dunam (1,500 acres).
Efrat had 7,183 residents in 2009, a decline from over 8,000 in 2008. Although it is geographically located within Gush Etzion
("Etzion Bloc"), Efrat is independent from the Gush Etzion Regional Council
. Since November 2008, Oded Ravivi, an attorney and lieutenant colonel in the army and member of the Likud
Central Committee is the head of Efrat regional council.
. While according to the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, "Efrata" is the quotation from the Biblical verse, and therefore the town's name, Efrata's residents and municipality have maintained for many years that the reference isn't the location's name, but rather means "towards Efrat". The '-a' ending is very common in Hebrew and always means 'towards'. On the other hand, there are very clear biblical references to "Ephratah", in a context it cannot possibly mean "towards Ephrat", e.g. Ruth
4:11, 1 Chr
2:50, 1 Chr
4:4, Psa
132:6, Micah
5:2. Therefore, there are two names in use: Internal and private references speak of "Efrat", whereas all inter-city roadsigns, under purview of the National Government
, read "Efrata".
, Efrat is considered illegal under international law, though Israeli disputes this. The international community considers Israeli settlements to violate the Fourth Geneva Convention
's prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory. Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Palestinian territories as they had not been legally held by a sovereign prior to Israel taking control of them. This view has been rejected as without basis in international law by the International Court of Justice
and the International Committee of the Red Cross
.
. Archeological excavations revealed a cemetery consisting of a tumulus
built over a platform structure and more than twenty Bronze Age burial caves of the shaft tomb
type, many of which had been reused over long stretches of time. Additionally, one of the three ancient aqueduct
s supplying Jerusalem runs beneath Efrat.
Modern Efrat was established in 1983 by Moshe Moskovits who became the first mayor of Efrat and Shlomo Riskin
, an Orthodox
rabbi from New York
who settled in Efrat and became its Chief rabbi. In January of 2010, he made headlines, when he declared cigarettes as "treif" and together with Efrat's other chief rabbi Shimon Golan issued a prohibition against sale of cigarettes on halachic basis.
, with a small number of ultra-orthodox and of non-observant residents. There are more than twenty Orthodox synagogue
s, mainly Ashkenazi, but Sephardi and a Yemenite
synagogue also exist, and there are several Yeshivot, and Kollel
im. The population includes native-born Israelis, and immigrants who have made aliyah
from America, England, Australia, France, South Africa, Argentina, and Russia.
With a population of around 8,000 residents, Efrat is the largest settlement in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, one of the settlement blocs that all Israeli governments have said they want to retain under any final-status agreement with the Palestinians
.
In early 2009, the Israeli Civil Administration
declared some 1,700 dunams (170 hectares, 330 acres) of land called "Givat Eitam" (Eitam Hill) previously considered part of Bethlehem and the village of Artas
to be "state land", after a military appeals committee approved an August 2004 decision which rejected objections against the confiscation of the land filed by Palestinian landowners. The land in question is inside the official municipal boundaries of Efrat set in 1999. A plan exists to build some 2,500 housing units on the site, which would double the size of the settlement.
. Rimon correlates to pomegranate; Te'ena to fig; Gefen to grape; Zayit to olive; and Tamar to dates. Dekel means palm which is referring to the date palm. Dagan means grain and corresponds with both wheat and barley. The Dekel section is often divided into two sections, Dekel Alef (A), and Dekel Bet (B).
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...
established in 1983 and a local council
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...
in the Judean Mountains
Judean Mountains
The Judaean Mountains, ;, also Judaean Hills and Hebron Hills is a mountain range in Israel and the West Bank where Jerusalem and several other biblical cities are located. The mountains reach a height of 1,000 m.-Geography:...
of 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...
. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. Efrat is located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Jerusalem, between Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
and Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
, 6.5 kilometers east of the Green line
Green Line
- Geographic demarcations :* Green Line, a name for the Gothic Line or "Linea Gotica", a German defensive line in Italy during World War II, renamed the "Green Line" in June 1944...
, inside of the Separation Barrier
Israeli West Bank barrier
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...
. The settlement rises to a height of 960 meters (3150 feet) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
and covers about 6,000 dunam (1,500 acres).
Efrat had 7,183 residents in 2009, a decline from over 8,000 in 2008. Although it is geographically located within Gush Etzion
Gush Etzion
Gush Etzion is a cluster of Israeli settlements located in the Judaean Mountains directly south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank, Palestinian territories. The core group includes four agricultural villages that were founded in 1940-1947 on property purchased in the 1920s and 1930s, and ...
("Etzion Bloc"), Efrat is independent from the Gush Etzion Regional Council
Gush Etzion Regional Council
The Gush Etzion Regional Council is a regional council in the northern Judean Hills, the northern part of the southern area of the West Bank, administering the settlements in the Gush Etzion region, as well as others nearby...
. Since November 2008, Oded Ravivi, an attorney and lieutenant colonel in the army and member of the Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
Central Committee is the head of Efrat regional council.
Etymology
Efrat is named after the biblical place EphrathEphrath
Ephrath or Ephratah is the name of a Biblical place.The first mention of Ephrath occurs in Genesis, in reference to where Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin and is buried on the road from Bethel...
. While according to the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, "Efrata" is the quotation from the Biblical verse, and therefore the town's name, Efrata's residents and municipality have maintained for many years that the reference isn't the location's name, but rather means "towards Efrat". The '-a' ending is very common in Hebrew and always means 'towards'. On the other hand, there are very clear biblical references to "Ephratah", in a context it cannot possibly mean "towards Ephrat", e.g. Ruth
Book of Ruth
The Book of Ruth is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament. In the Jewish canon the Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings . In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel...
4:11, 1 Chr
Books of Chronicles
The Books of Chronicles are part of the Hebrew Bible. In the Masoretic Text, it appears as the first or last book of the Ketuvim . Chronicles largely parallels the Davidic narratives in the Books of Samuel and the Books of Kings...
2:50, 1 Chr
Books of Chronicles
The Books of Chronicles are part of the Hebrew Bible. In the Masoretic Text, it appears as the first or last book of the Ketuvim . Chronicles largely parallels the Davidic narratives in the Books of Samuel and the Books of Kings...
4:4, Psa
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
132:6, Micah
Book of Micah
The Book of Micah is one of fifteen prophetic books in the Hebrew bible/Old Testament, and the sixth of the twelve minor prophets. It records the sayings of Mikayahu, meaning "Who is like Yahweh?", an 8th century prophet from the village of Moresheth in Judah...
5:2. Therefore, there are two names in use: Internal and private references speak of "Efrat", whereas all inter-city roadsigns, under purview of the National Government
Politics of Israel
The Israeli system of government is based on parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of government and leader of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the Knesset. The Judiciary is independent of the executive...
, read "Efrata".
Status under international law
Like all Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territoriesIsraeli-occupied territories
The Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and others to refer to the territory seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria...
, Efrat is considered illegal under international law, though Israeli disputes this. The international community considers Israeli settlements to violate the Fourth Geneva Convention
Fourth Geneva Convention
The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, commonly referred to as the Fourth Geneva Convention and abbreviated as GCIV, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It was adopted in August 1949, and defines humanitarian protections for civilians...
's prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory. Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Palestinian territories as they had not been legally held by a sovereign prior to Israel taking control of them. This view has been rejected as without basis in international law by the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
and the International Committee of the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
.
History
The area in which Efrat was constructed was the site of a settlement during the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. Archeological excavations revealed a cemetery consisting of a tumulus
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
built over a platform structure and more than twenty Bronze Age burial caves of the shaft tomb
Shaft tomb
A shaft tomb or shaft grave is a type of burial structure formed from a deep and narrow shaft sunk into natural rock. Burials were then placed at the bottom...
type, many of which had been reused over long stretches of time. Additionally, one of the three ancient aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
s supplying Jerusalem runs beneath Efrat.
Modern Efrat was established in 1983 by Moshe Moskovits who became the first mayor of Efrat and Shlomo Riskin
Shlomo Riskin
Shlomo Riskin is the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City, which he led for 12 years; founding chief rabbi of the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the West Bank; dean of Manhattan Day School in New York City; and founder and dean of the Ohr Torah Stone...
, an 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...
rabbi from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
who settled in Efrat and became its Chief rabbi. In January of 2010, he made headlines, when he declared cigarettes as "treif" and together with Efrat's other chief rabbi Shimon Golan issued a prohibition against sale of cigarettes on halachic basis.
Demography
Efrat's population are mainly religious ZionistReligious Zionism
Religious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
, with a small number of ultra-orthodox and of non-observant residents. There are more than twenty Orthodox synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s, mainly Ashkenazi, but Sephardi and a Yemenite
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews are those Jews who live, or whose recent ancestors lived, in Yemen . Between June 1949 and September 1950, the overwhelming majority of Yemen's Jewish population was transported to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet...
synagogue also exist, and there are several Yeshivot, and Kollel
Kollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
im. The population includes native-born Israelis, and immigrants who have made aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
from America, England, Australia, France, South Africa, Argentina, and Russia.
With a population of around 8,000 residents, Efrat is the largest settlement in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, one of the settlement blocs that all Israeli governments have said they want to retain under any final-status agreement with the Palestinians
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
.
In early 2009, the Israeli Civil Administration
Israeli Civil Administration
The Civil Administration , is the Israeli governing body that operates in Judea and Samaria. It was established by the government of Israel in 1981, in order to carry out practical bureaucratic functions within the territories conquered in 1967...
declared some 1,700 dunams (170 hectares, 330 acres) of land called "Givat Eitam" (Eitam Hill) previously considered part of Bethlehem and the village of Artas
Artas, Bethlehem
Artas is a Palestinian village located four kilometers southwest of Bethlehem in the Bethlehem Governorate in the central West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 3,663 in 2007.-History:...
to be "state land", after a military appeals committee approved an August 2004 decision which rejected objections against the confiscation of the land filed by Palestinian landowners. The land in question is inside the official municipal boundaries of Efrat set in 1999. A plan exists to build some 2,500 housing units on the site, which would double the size of the settlement.
Neighborhoods
There are a total of seven neighborhoods currently in Efrat. Rimon, Te'ena, Gefen, Dekel, Zayit, Tamar, and Dagan. All 7 are named after different species in the Seven SpeciesSeven Species
The Seven Species are seven agricultural products - two grains and five fruits - that are listed in the Hebrew Bible as being special products of the Land of Israel....
. Rimon correlates to pomegranate; Te'ena to fig; Gefen to grape; Zayit to olive; and Tamar to dates. Dekel means palm which is referring to the date palm. Dagan means grain and corresponds with both wheat and barley. The Dekel section is often divided into two sections, Dekel Alef (A), and Dekel Bet (B).