Yad Hashmona (Hebrew: יַד הַשְּׁמוֹנָה), (lit. Memorial for the Eight) is a small moshav shitufi in central Israel, located in the Judean Mountains near Jerusalem, within the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council.
[edit] History
Wooden cabin, Yad HaShmona guesthouse
Yad Hashmona was founded in 1971 by a small group of Finnish Christians. [1] It is named for eight Jewish refugees from Austria who escaped to Finland in 1938. The Finnish government, collaborating with the Nazis, handed the refugees over to the Gestapo in 1942. Seven of them died in Auschwitz.[2] In 1978, a group of messianic Jews joined the moshav. Most of the members are now Israelis and the main spoken language is Hebrew. [3]
[edit] Economy
The community runs a guesthouse, convention center and banquet hall. In 2000, a biblical village was inaugurated with the assistance of the Swiss Beth Shalom society and the Israel Antiquities Authority.[4] A Biblical garden planted on the hillside replicates agriculture in ancient times. Apart from tourism, the economy is based on carpentry.
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 31°48′37.08″N 35°5′20.39″E / 31.8103°N 35.0889972°E / 31.8103; 35.0889972
