Be'er Ya'akov
Template:Infobox Israel municipality
Be'er Ya'akov (Template:Lang-he-n, lit. Jacob's Well; Arabic: بئر يعقوب) is a town with local council status in central Israel, near Ness Ziona and Rishon Lezion. The town has an area of 8,580 dunams (~8.6 km²),[1] and had a population of 31,325 in 2022.[2]
History
Established in 1907, Be'er Ya'akov was named after Ya'akov Yitzhaki, a rabbi and Jewish pioneer, from the Mountain Jews community.[3] According to a census conducted in 1922 by the British Mandate authorities, Be'er Ya'akov had 131 inhabitants.,[4] which had increased in the 1931 census to 265 residents, in 58 houses.[5] By 1947 it had a population of 400.[6] It achieved local council status in 1949.
During the 1948 Arab–Israeli war, and until the Israeli capture of Ramla in July 1948, Be'er Ya'akov was in the front line. The population at that time was evacuated and a new settlement, Be'er Shalom, was established nearby by members of Kibbutz Buchenwald, the first pioneer training group formed in post-World War II Germany.[7][8]
Two hospitals are located in Be'er Ya'akov: Assaf HaRofeh Hospital (near Tzrifin), and Shmuel HaRofe Geriatric Hospital.
The town is growing rapidly, with massive urban development, including the construction of new neighborhoods taking place. It is expected that city status will eventually be granted, and that it will be home to around 80,000 people by 2030.[9]
Sports
- Maccabi Be'er Ya'akov is the local football club.
- Maccabi Be'er Ya'akov B.C., the local basketball club, plays in Liga Leumit, the second tier.
Transportation
Be'er Ya'akov is served by the Be'er Ya'akov Railway Station, for trains on the Binyamina-Ashkelon line.
Notable residents
- Ron Atias, taekwondo athlete who represented Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Noam Dar, professional wrestler
References
- ^ "Local Authorities in Israel 2005, Publication #1295 - Municipality Profiles - Be'er Ya'akov" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
- ^ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ HaReuveni, Immanuel (1999). Lexicon of the Land of Israel (in Hebrew). Miskal - Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books. p. 76. ISBN 965-448-413-7.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Mills, 1932, p. 18
- ^ Jewish National Fund (1949). Jewish Villages in Israel. Jerusalem: Hamadpis Liphshitz Press. p. 14.
- ^ Jewish National Fund, p191
- ^ Kibbutz Buchenwald, Judy Baumel Bar Ilan University
- ^ http://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-labels/israeli-realestate/1.720457?v=DD563D2F1796EE3D512E3A8A458EA550
