Yad Binyamin

Yad Binyamin (Hebrew: יד בנימין, lit. Binyamin Memorial) is a communal settlement located in central Israel and the seat of Nahal Sorek Regional Council. Yad Binyamin is located adjacent to the junction of three major thoroughfares; Highway 3, Highway 6 and Highway 7 and a thirty minute drive to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Beersheba. The railroad from Tel Aviv to Beersheba passes nearby. The nearest cities and commercial areas are Gedera and Rehovot.

History

Yad Binyamin was originally founded as a religious settlement and educational center in 1962 by Agudat Israel Workers in partnership with the municipality of Nahal Sorek and named after the Minister of Postal Services, Binyamin Mintz. For many years, the community was a center of higher Jewish learning based around the yeshiva.

Over 200 families who were evicted from Gush Katif reside in temporary housing within the town. Some of them, the families of the Ganei Tal community, are slated to move en masse to Hafetz Haim, 100 families will be moving to Netzer Hazani adjacent to Yesodot, while others will be building permanent homes in Yad Binyamin.

The community size has more than doubled between 2002-2008. The total planned size for the entire Yad Binyamin community is approximately 700 families.

Transport

Yad Binyamin is located 3 kilometers from the Re'em Junction on Highway 3 and one kilometer from the intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 7. Israel Railways plans to upgrade the tracks of nearby Tel Aviv-Beersheba line and build a station at Kfar Menahem to serve the area. A number of Egged bus routes provide transport links to Jerusalem, Ashkelon and other cities.