Yeruham
Encyclopedia
Yeruham is a town (local council
) in the Southern District
of Israel
, in the Negev
desert. It covers 38,584 dunam
s (~38.6 km²) and had a population of 9,400 in 2006. It is named after the Biblical
Jeroham
. The mayor of Yeruham was Amram Mitzna
but his term ended in early 2011, and he was succeeded by Michael Bitton of Kadima, who was elected mayor in November of 2010.
For many years, Yeruham was economically depressed and suffered from image problems, but major efforts to improve the quality of life are under way.
drew water for her son Ishmael
.
s, created to settle frontier areas in the early days of the state. It was located near the Large Makhtesh
, an area thought at the time to be rich with natural resources.
The first influx of olim (immigrants) came from Romania
, many of them Holocaust survivors, followed by olim from North Africa, Persia, India
and elsewhere, who make up the majority of the town's population today (appr. 40%, 5%, 20%, 10% respectively). By 1961, the town's population was 1,574. The name was changed to Yeruham in 1962. Yeruham was originally founded on the Petroleum Road in the Negev (today roads 224 and 225) and its initial growth was stymied by the construction of Highway 25
and the Beersheba
– Mitzpe Ramon
section of Highway 40
, which created a new route to Eilat and made the Petroleum Road obsolete.
Since autumn 1990, Yeruham is actively involved in absorbing hundreds of olim from the Former USSR, who comprise 25% of the town's nearly 10,000 residents. In recent years young couples and families from other localities have moved to Yeruham, and some have purchased lots and built their homes in the town’s new neighborhoods.
Members of the "Young People in Yeruham" Student Settlement Group are involved in local social action projects, organize cultural events for young people, and attract young people to settle in Yeruham. In April 2008, the Ayalim Student Village opened in Yeruham to allow students in Negev institutions of higher education to live and volunteer in the town. North American volunteers from Nativ College Leadership Program
engage in community service every spring.
, 15 km from Dimona
, 520 meters above sea level.
, Negev Nuclear Research Center
, Dead Sea Works
, Soroka Medical Center
in Beer Sheva, Ben-Gurion University, and in Sde Boker
. Yeruham has suffered in the past from high unemployment rates, although today the rate is lower than the national average.
Tourism projects include development of the Lake Park and Large Makhtesh. Professional training programs in computers, chemistry, engineering and other fields needed by industry. Local industrial zones have doubled in size and offer space for rental and construction.
Up to 2011, residential construction in Yeruham had been done in a non-profit manner, either by Amidar
or the residents themselves. In anticipation of military personnel moving into Yeruham to server in the future adjacent City of Training Bases, land had been released for private for-profit construction.
, where the "Anyone Can Do It" program has consistently raised the number of those eligible for Bagrut
matriculation certificates to twice the national level. All schools in Yeruham use GBS, an online system which enables pupils to work at home on material from school. The "City Plays Music" program provides musical education to pupils in all the elementary schools, and organizes two orchestras for more advanced pupils.
The Bilvav Shalem high school yeshiva
for boys and the Kamah junior high for girls attract pupils from all over the region and the country. The Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham
(institute of higher Jewish religious education for men combining study with army service), and founded over a decade ago, attracts students from all over the country, and runs a special leadership program for Ethiopian young men. Midreshet Be'er offers a track for religious young women who graduate high school: a year of study and communal-educational experience in Yeruham, two years of IDF
or National Service, usually in educational roles, and a final half-year of social action projects in Yeruham.
Over 250 residents study in institutions of higher education, especially in Beer Sheva. Education and training for over-30 adults are coordinated by the Ofek Center for Human Resources Development.
Joint programs with the Weizmann Institute, Ben-Gurion University, the Open University
, the Hebrew University Center for Enrichment in Education, and volunteer tutoring by scientists at the Nuclear Research Center – all aim to improve educational achievements and personnel and provide enrichment, especially in the sciences.
, English
, and Marathi
, which is an Indian language, and offers enrichment activities for pre-school and elementary school students, meetings with authors, computer training, workshops for parents and children, a creative writing group, and more.
The Youth Department of the MATNAS is responsible for the “Machsan 52” youth club, youth rock bands, two youth councils (older and younger) which organize activities for local youth, and for the Scouts (including Sea Scouts) and Bnai Akiva youth movements.
Midreshet Beyahad Seminar Center and youth hostel provides guided hikes, workshops, and other programming for visiting groups, mainly students, as well as Jewish programming in local schools.
Atid BaMidbar R.A. initiated the "Teudat Zehut" (Yeruham Identity Card) project for community empowerment through documentation, and the BAMIDBAR Regional Center for Creative, Pluralistic Jewish Renewal. The association runs weekly programs of study and encounter integrating creative arts related to Jewish heritage for children, youth and adults of all backgrounds from Yeruham and all over the Negev
, cultural and communal events, teacher training workshops, and special programs for visiting groups, as well as a communal archives and volunteer projects.
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 Southern District
South District (Israel)
The Southern District is one of Israel's six administrative districts, and is the largest in terms of land area as well as the most sparsely populated. It covers most of the Negev desert, as well as the Arabah valley. The population of the Southern District is 1,002,400. It is 86% Jewish and 14%...
of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
desert. It covers 38,584 dunam
Dunam
A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...
s (~38.6 km²) and had a population of 9,400 in 2006. It is named after the Biblical
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
Jeroham
Jeroham
Jeroham is a name that means "cherished" or "one who finds mercy". A number of people by this name is referenced in the Bible:#Father of Elkanah, and grandfather of the prophet Samuel — in ....
. The mayor of Yeruham was Amram Mitzna
Amram Mitzna
Amram Mitzna is an Israeli politician and former general. He is the acting mayor of Yeruham, the former mayor of Haifa and led the Labour Party from 2002 to 2003.-Youth, studies and military service:...
but his term ended in early 2011, and he was succeeded by Michael Bitton of Kadima, who was elected mayor in November of 2010.
For many years, Yeruham was economically depressed and suffered from image problems, but major efforts to improve the quality of life are under way.
Antiquity
Yeruham is the site of Tel Rahma, dating back to the 10th century BCE. On the outskirts of Yeruham is an ancient well, Be'er Rahma (באר רחמה). Some archeologists have identified it as the well where the biblical HagarHagar (Bible)
Hagar , according to the Abrahamic faiths, was the second wife of Abraham, and the mother of his first son, Ishmael. Her story is recorded in the Book of Genesis, mentioned in Hadith, and alluded to in the Qur'an...
drew water for her son Ishmael
Ishmael
Ishmael is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, and was Abraham's first born child according to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Ishmael was born of Abraham's marriage to Sarah's handmaiden Hagar...
.
Modern era
Modern Yeruham was founded on January 9, 1951 as Kfar Yeruham . It was one of Israel's first development townDevelopment town
Development town is a term used to refer to the new settlements that were built in Israel during the 1950s in order to provide permanent housing to a large influx of Jewish refugees from Arab countries, Holocaust survivors from Europe and new immigrants , who arrived to the newly established State...
s, created to settle frontier areas in the early days of the state. It was located near the Large Makhtesh
Makhtesh Gadol
HaMakhtesh HaGadol is a makhtesh, a geological erosional landform of Israel's Negev desert.A makhtesh has steep walls of resistant rock surrounding a deep closed valley. One of five makhteshim in Israel and seven in the world, HaMakhtesh HaGadol is the second largest, being exceptional in that it...
, an area thought at the time to be rich with natural resources.
The first influx of olim (immigrants) came from Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, many of them Holocaust survivors, followed by olim from North Africa, Persia, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and elsewhere, who make up the majority of the town's population today (appr. 40%, 5%, 20%, 10% respectively). By 1961, the town's population was 1,574. The name was changed to Yeruham in 1962. Yeruham was originally founded on the Petroleum Road in the Negev (today roads 224 and 225) and its initial growth was stymied by the construction of Highway 25
Highway 25 (Israel)
Highway 25 is a rural highway in southern Israel. It begins northwest of Nahal Oz at the border with the Gaza Strip, and it passes through Netivot, Beersheba and Dimona. It continues southeast toward Arava Junction, where it meets Highway 90. Its length is estimated by the Israeli Department of...
and the Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
– Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon is a town in the Negev desert of southern Israel. It is situated on the northern ridge at an elevation of 860 meters overlooking a sizable erosion cirque known as the Ramon Crater.-History:...
section of Highway 40
Highway 40 (Israel)
Highway 40 is a north-south intercity road in Israel. At 302 km long, it is the second longest highway in Israel, after Highway 90. The highway runs from Kfar Sava in the center of Israel to the Arabah in the south, serving as a main connection between central Israel and Be'er Sheva.-Route...
, which created a new route to Eilat and made the Petroleum Road obsolete.
Since autumn 1990, Yeruham is actively involved in absorbing hundreds of olim from the Former USSR, who comprise 25% of the town's nearly 10,000 residents. In recent years young couples and families from other localities have moved to Yeruham, and some have purchased lots and built their homes in the town’s new neighborhoods.
Members of the "Young People in Yeruham" Student Settlement Group are involved in local social action projects, organize cultural events for young people, and attract young people to settle in Yeruham. In April 2008, the Ayalim Student Village opened in Yeruham to allow students in Negev institutions of higher education to live and volunteer in the town. North American volunteers from Nativ College Leadership Program
Nativ College Leadership Program
Nativ College Leadership Program is the gap year program in Israel, run by United Synagogue Youth. It includes an academic component in fall semester, travel, and a community service component in spring semster. It is associated with Conservative Judaism....
engage in community service every spring.
Geography
Yeruham is situated in the northern NegevNegev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
, 15 km from Dimona
Dimona
Dimona is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, to the south of Beersheba and west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. Its population at the end of 2007 was 33,600.-History:...
, 520 meters above sea level.
Economy
The main employers are local and regional industry (53% of employed residents) and services and commerce. Most of those are employed in industry work in local factories such as Agis-Perrigo (Careline cosmetics and pharmaceuticals), Negev Ceramics, Phoenicia Glass Works (which moved to Yeruham from Haifa in 1968) Brand Metals, Ackerstein, Yehu Clays, TTK electronics, and Tempo (some of which utilize raw materials from the region). The rest of those employed work in the surrounding region in companies such as, Ramat HovavRamat Hovav
Ramat Hovav is an industrial zone in southern Israel and the site of Israel's main hazardous waste disposal facility. Ramat Hovav Industrial Zone is the locus of 19 chemical factories, including Makhteshim Agan, a pesticide plant; Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, a pharmaceuticals plant; Israel...
, Negev Nuclear Research Center
Negev Nuclear Research Center
The Negev Nuclear Research Center is an Israeli nuclear installation located in the Negev desert, about thirteen kilometers to the south-east of the city of Dimona. The purpose of Dimona is widely assumed to be the manufacturing of nuclear weapons, and the majority of defense experts have...
, Dead Sea Works
Dead Sea Works
The Dead Sea Works is an Israeli potash plant in Sdom, on the Dead Sea coast of Israel.-History:The company was established in 1930 by Moshe Novomeysky. It was known then as the Palestine Potash Company...
, Soroka Medical Center
Soroka Medical Center
Soroka Medical Center is a hospital in Beersheba, Israel. It is the largest medical center in southern region of the country, and the fourth largest in Israel with approximately 1000 beds. It is owned by Clalit, the largest Health Maintenance Organization in Israel. Soroka services diverse ethnic...
in Beer Sheva, Ben-Gurion University, and in Sde Boker
Sde Boker
Sde Boker is a kibbutz in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Best known as the retirement home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council.-History:...
. Yeruham has suffered in the past from high unemployment rates, although today the rate is lower than the national average.
Tourism projects include development of the Lake Park and Large Makhtesh. Professional training programs in computers, chemistry, engineering and other fields needed by industry. Local industrial zones have doubled in size and offer space for rental and construction.
Up to 2011, residential construction in Yeruham had been done in a non-profit manner, either by Amidar
Amidar (Company)
Amidar is a state-owned housing company in Israel.The company was founded in 1949. Its mission statement is "to be involved in construction projects, development, population and maintenance in Israel"...
or the residents themselves. In anticipation of military personnel moving into Yeruham to server in the future adjacent City of Training Bases, land had been released for private for-profit construction.
Education
Yeruham has created a number of kindergartens, nursery schools, and day care centers to accommodate about 800 pre-school children. Yeruham's formal educational system includes 5 elementary schools (State-General and State-Religious, and 3 smaller Ultra-Orthodox schools), and a comprehensive high school affiliated with ORTORT Israel
ORT Israel is a non-government organization devoted to education in Israel. ORT Israel operates 190 schools and colleges around the country. ORT Israel is a branch of World ORT.-History:...
, where the "Anyone Can Do It" program has consistently raised the number of those eligible for Bagrut
Bagrut
Te'udat Bagrut is the official Israeli matriculation certificate. The bagrut is similar to the British A-levels, German Abitur, French Baccalauréat, and Austrian Matura...
matriculation certificates to twice the national level. All schools in Yeruham use GBS, an online system which enables pupils to work at home on material from school. The "City Plays Music" program provides musical education to pupils in all the elementary schools, and organizes two orchestras for more advanced pupils.
The Bilvav Shalem high school yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
for boys and the Kamah junior high for girls attract pupils from all over the region and the country. The Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham
Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham
Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham is a hesder yeshiva located in the development town of Yeruham, Israel. It was founded in 1993 and currently there are over 220 students.-History:...
(institute of higher Jewish religious education for men combining study with army service), and founded over a decade ago, attracts students from all over the country, and runs a special leadership program for Ethiopian young men. Midreshet Be'er offers a track for religious young women who graduate high school: a year of study and communal-educational experience in Yeruham, two years of IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
or National Service, usually in educational roles, and a final half-year of social action projects in Yeruham.
Over 250 residents study in institutions of higher education, especially in Beer Sheva. Education and training for over-30 adults are coordinated by the Ofek Center for Human Resources Development.
Joint programs with the Weizmann Institute, Ben-Gurion University, the Open University
Open University of Israel
The Open University of Israel is a distance-education university in Israel. , the Open University taught around 39,000 students.The Open University of Israel has more students than any other academic institution in Israel. The administration is based in the city of Ra'anana. Students from all over...
, the Hebrew University Center for Enrichment in Education, and volunteer tutoring by scientists at the Nuclear Research Center – all aim to improve educational achievements and personnel and provide enrichment, especially in the sciences.
Culture
The Yeruham Matnas (Local Community Center) organizes many social and cultural activities which include plays, performances, summer events, subscription series for children and adults, music lessons in the Music Conservatory, sports activities and workout room in the renovated Sports Hall, nature-oriented extracurricular activities, neighborhood clubs, immigrant absorption activities, a Yiddish choir, and communal theater group. The Library has 60,000 books in Hebrew, RussianRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, which is an Indian language, and offers enrichment activities for pre-school and elementary school students, meetings with authors, computer training, workshops for parents and children, a creative writing group, and more.
The Youth Department of the MATNAS is responsible for the “Machsan 52” youth club, youth rock bands, two youth councils (older and younger) which organize activities for local youth, and for the Scouts (including Sea Scouts) and Bnai Akiva youth movements.
Midreshet Beyahad Seminar Center and youth hostel provides guided hikes, workshops, and other programming for visiting groups, mainly students, as well as Jewish programming in local schools.
Atid BaMidbar R.A. initiated the "Teudat Zehut" (Yeruham Identity Card) project for community empowerment through documentation, and the BAMIDBAR Regional Center for Creative, Pluralistic Jewish Renewal. The association runs weekly programs of study and encounter integrating creative arts related to Jewish heritage for children, youth and adults of all backgrounds from Yeruham and all over the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
, cultural and communal events, teacher training workshops, and special programs for visiting groups, as well as a communal archives and volunteer projects.