Ramot, East Jerusalem
31°48′43″N 35°12′0″E / 31.81194°N 35.20000°E
- For the moshav in northern Israel, see Ramot (moshav).
Ramot (Hebrew רמות) or Ramot Alon (Hebrew רמות אלון) is one of the largest neighborhoods in Jerusalem, with about 40,000 residents. It is situated in the northwestern part of the city and divided into six sections, from Ramot 1, the oldest section, to Ramot 6, the newest section. Ramot 5 is the commercial center.
Because it was built on land annexed by the Jerusalem municipality from the West Bank after the Six-Day War it is often considered an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem.[1][2][3][4][5]
Name
In the Bible, during the story of the death of the prophet Samuel, it is written that as he died, all of Israel came to bury him in his home, in the Rama. Oral tradition indicates that place is the one of the highest peaks surrounding Jerusalem, some 855 meters above sea level. Ramot is located on the hills south of that peak.
There are Crusader era remains in Ramot 2 and Ramot 6.
The word Ramot in Hebrew means "heights" or "rises" (a plural of the word Rama). When used in reference to geography, the word is usually translated as "plateaus". The name Alon refers to Yigal Alon, a former prime minister of Israel. While the full name is Ramot Alon, the inhabitants refer to the neighborhood simply as Ramot.
Geography
The neighborhood is build upon two elongated ridges about 100-200 meters above the surrounding landscape (heights of 700-800 meters above sea level). Between the ridges is the Golda Meir highway, leading to Tel Aviv.
Population
The population is ethnically and religiously diverse, and housing ranges from expensive, single-family homes to inexpensive, multi-level apartments. Ramot is a relatively new area by Jerusalem standards; construction began in the 1970s and continues today.
All sections of Ramot have a large, growing population of young Orthodox and Haredi families. They have built and established many synagogues and yeshivas as well as communal institutions associated with Jewish religious life.
Ramot boasts a large English-speaking community, which is mostly located in Ramot 2 and 4.
References
- ^ "Settlements in East Jerusalem". Foundation for Middle East Peace.
- ^ "Security Council Resolution 476 (1980)". United Nations.
- ^ "Jerusalem Chronology; Period following the DOP: The Issue of Jerusalem after Oslo". Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs.
- ^ "Jerusalem the strangulation of the Arab Palestinian city". The Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem.
- ^ "The West Bank - Facts and Figures - June 2006". Peace Now.