Saris
Encyclopedia
Saris was a Palestinian
Arab
village that was depopulated during the major offensive launched by the Haganah
on 6 April 1948. Called Operation Nachshon
, and launched before the British had left Palestine, its objective was to capture villages between Jerusalem and the coastal plain.
(district) of Jerusalem and it had a population of 292. The villagers paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat
, barley
, olive
s fruit and carob, as well as on goat
s, beehive
s and vineyards.
In the late 19th century, Saris was described as being located on top of a hill, with olive trees growing below the village.
In 1944/45 its population was 560, with 3,677 dunum
s (over 900 acres) used for cereals and 366 dunums (≈90 acres) of orchards and irregated land.
of the JNF asking for a settlement to be established at Saris 'as soon as possible.'
The Scotsman
, Saturday 17 April 1948, reported 'Jews destroyed a mosque, village school, and 25 houses, killing three women in an attack on the Arab village of Saris early today (16th). There were about 500 attackers.' The New York Times carried the same report and gave the number of Arab dead as seven. A Haganah
statement is quoted as saying that the battalion stayed in the village for about five hours, blowing up 25 buildings and burning others.
The town of Shoresh
was established 1 km south west of the remains of the village in 1948. Sho'eva
was set up 0.5 km north east of the site in 1950. Both are on village land.
The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
described the village land in 1992: "The site is covered with stone rubble; iron bars protrude from the collapsed roofs. There are many open wells and several caves with arched roofs. A large number of trees, including cypress, fig, and almond trees, grow on the site. An abandoned grove of almond trees is located on the eastern side. In the middle of the slope are the remains of an artificial pool. The village cemetery
, surrounded by trees, is located southwest of the site. It contains several large tombs, one of which is surrounded by a small, roofless enclosure; an almond
tree grows in the center. The Shoresh forest, named after the Israeli settlement, was established by the youth of the Jewish National Fund
in Johannesburg
, South Africa
. Another forest in the area, dedicated to several notable Jews, have been planted under the auspices of the Center for European Jewry.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
village that was depopulated during the major offensive launched by the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
on 6 April 1948. Called Operation Nachshon
Operation Nachshon
Operation Nachshon was an Jewish military operation during the 1948 war. Lasting from 5–20 April 1948, its objective was to break the Siege of Jerusalem by opening the Tel-Aviv - Jerusalem road blockaded by Palestinian Arabs and to supply food and weapons to the isolated Jewish community of...
, and launched before the British had left Palestine, its objective was to capture villages between Jerusalem and the coastal plain.
History
During Ottoman rule in Palestine, in 1596, Saris was a village in the nahiya (subdistrict) of Jerusalem under the liwa'Liwa (arabic)
Liwa or Liwa is an Arabic term meaning district, banner, or flag, a type of administrative division. It was interchangeable with the Turkish term "Sanjak" in the time of the Ottoman Empire. After the fall of the empire, the term was used in the Arab countries formerly under Ottoman rule...
(district) of Jerusalem and it had a population of 292. The villagers paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s fruit and carob, as well as on goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, beehive
Beehive
A beehive is a structure in which bees live and raise their young.Beehive may also refer to:Buildings and locations:* Bee Hive, Alabama, a neighborhood in Alabama* Beehive , a wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings...
s and vineyards.
In the late 19th century, Saris was described as being located on top of a hill, with olive trees growing below the village.
In 1944/45 its population was 560, with 3,677 dunum
Dunum
Dunum is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
s (over 900 acres) used for cereals and 366 dunums (≈90 acres) of orchards and irregated land.
1948, and after
On 13 April, before the village was attacked, Israel Galili wrote to Yosef WeitzYosef Weitz
Yosef Weitz was the director of the Land and Afforestation Department of the Jewish National Fund. From the 1930s, Weitz played a major role in acquiring land for the Yishuv, the pre-state Jewish community in Palestine.-Biography:...
of the JNF asking for a settlement to be established at Saris 'as soon as possible.'
The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, Saturday 17 April 1948, reported 'Jews destroyed a mosque, village school, and 25 houses, killing three women in an attack on the Arab village of Saris early today (16th). There were about 500 attackers.' The New York Times carried the same report and gave the number of Arab dead as seven. A Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
statement is quoted as saying that the battalion stayed in the village for about five hours, blowing up 25 buildings and burning others.
The town of Shoresh
Shoresh
Shoresh is a moshav shitufi in the Jerusalem Corridor, Israel, under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. Located five kilometres from Sha'ar HaGai, it covers an area of 7,500 dunams . In 2006, it had a population of 577....
was established 1 km south west of the remains of the village in 1948. Sho'eva
Sho'eva
Sho'eva is a moshav in central Israel. Located west of Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 514....
was set up 0.5 km north east of the site in 1950. Both are on village land.
The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi is an Oxford University-educated Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is General Secretary and co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, established in Beirut in December 1963 as an independent research and publishing center...
described the village land in 1992: "The site is covered with stone rubble; iron bars protrude from the collapsed roofs. There are many open wells and several caves with arched roofs. A large number of trees, including cypress, fig, and almond trees, grow on the site. An abandoned grove of almond trees is located on the eastern side. In the middle of the slope are the remains of an artificial pool. The village cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
, surrounded by trees, is located southwest of the site. It contains several large tombs, one of which is surrounded by a small, roofless enclosure; an almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
tree grows in the center. The Shoresh forest, named after the Israeli settlement, was established by the youth of the Jewish National Fund
Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Another forest in the area, dedicated to several notable Jews, have been planted under the auspices of the Center for European Jewry.
External links
- Welcome to Saris
- Saris, from the Khalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural Center is an organization established in 1996. It is located at 4 Raja Street, Ramallah in the West Bank. The traditional manor that houses the centre was the former family home of Khalil Salem Salah, the mayor of Ramallah between 1947/1951, is now owned by the Palestinian...