Beit Shemesh


Beit Shemesh is a city located approximately west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District. A center of Haredi Judaism and Modern Orthodoxy, Beit Shemesh has a population of as of.
The city is named after and located near the remains of ancient Beth Shemesh, a biblical city of the territory of Judah.

History

Tel Beit Shemesh

The small archaeological tell northwest of the modern city was identified in the late 1830s as Biblical Beth Shemesh – it was known as Ain Shams – by Edward Robinson. The mound hosts the ruins of an ancient city that belonged to the tribe of Judah. Excavations were carried out in various phases during the 20th century.
There are also other ancient ruins and findings within the boundaries of the modern municipality. In the area of the neighborhood called Ramat Beit Shemesh, a series of Hebrew-language ostraca were found, dating from the period of the First Temple, which shed light on the Kingdom of Judah in the 7th century BCE.

Early development town years

The area that comprises Beit Shemesh today was under Ottoman rule and later the British Mandate of Palestine. The Ramat Beit Shemesh neighborhood area was the site belonging to the Arab village Bayt Nattif, which was built on remnants of an ancient Judean town, with various remnants of Jewish settlement from the time, such as a mosaic floor, wineries and other remains, especially from the period of the Hasmonean kings and earlier. This area is currently under dispute about preservation, having been the subject of a grassroots campaign. Under the proposed United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, the town was slated to be part of an internationalized Jerusalem. The Palestinian Arab population of Bayt Nattif fled the village following an Israeli Air Force bombing campaign in October 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Israeli forces later completely destroyed Bayt Nattif along with other Arab villages. Afterwards, the Harel Brigade drove out all Palestinian refugees they found in the area south of Bayt Nattif.
On 6 December 1950, the Hartuv displaced persons camp "Ma'abarat Har-Tuv" was established on the site of the current-day Moshav Naham. The first inhabitants were Jewish Bulgarian immigrants. They were joined by more Jewish immigrants from Bulgaria, Iran, Iraq, Romania, Morocco, and Kurdistan.
In 1952, the first permanent houses were built in Beit Shemesh. In its early years, Beit Shemesh came to typify the "Development Town" with a largely Maghrebi immigrant population. In 1977, following a writeup in Haaretz newspaper, Beit Shemesh was perceived as the main outpost for Menachem Begin's Likud party. He promised to rehabilitate neighborhoods and when the Likud party came to power that year, investment in the city increased.
Building of a new area of Beit Shemesh called "Givat Sharett" commenced on the hill adjacent to, and immediately to the south of, the original part of Beit Shemesh.

21st century

The Israel Police maintains a bomb disposal specialist unit and training center in Beit Shemesh.
The Nahala U'Menucha neighborhood, the Sheinfeld neighborhood, the Nofei Aviv neighborhood and the Migdal HaMayim neighborhood all began to be built in the early 1990s in Givat Sharret. Ramat Beit Shemesh started to be built on hills immediately south of Givat Sharett in the late 1990s, doubling the size of the city. In 2017, the Israeli government approved a master plan to build 17,000 new housing units along with zoned as new commercial space for businesses and hotels. It is expected that the city could be home to as many as 250,000 residents by 2025 and 350,000 by 2035. A new commercial center in the Ramat Beit Shemesh neighborhood is planned to be the city's largest. In 2020, the construction of a hospital in Beit Shemesh, which will be run as a branch of Hadassah Medical Center, was approved.

Climate

Beit Shemesh has a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, nearly rainless summers.

Demographics

When the city was built in the 1950s, it was initially settled by new immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Romania, Bulgaria, Morocco, and Iraqi Kurdistan. In the 1990s, the city saw a large influx of new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, and English-speaking countries, turning it into a major center for immigrants from English-speaking countries. Considerable numbers have come from North America, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia. This population tends to be Orthodox, educated, and from middle-income groups. At the same time, Orthodox Jews from within Israel also began moving to the city, seeking roomier, low-cost housing.
According to a city councilor, there were no "ultra-Orthodox" a/k Haredim groups in Beit Shemesh before the 1990s. Since then, Beit Shemesh has become increasingly religious, with a large Haredi sector, particularly in Ramat Beit Shemesh. Many synagogues and yeshivas have been built in the city. Religious communities represented in Beit Shemesh include Ger, Belz, American Modern Orthodox and American Yeshivish, French Sefardim, South African Modern Orthodox, Israeli Dati Leumi and more recently a Spanish speaking community. In 2011 Haredim made up 40% of the population. According to statistics published by the municipality, 63% of the city's schoolchildren in 2010 were Haredim. 75% of the children entering the first grade in the 2012/2013 academic year were registered in official Haredi institutions.

Ramat Beit Shemesh

Ramat Beit Shemesh is an expansion that lies directly adjacent to, and to the south of, the neighborhood of Givat Sharett in Beit Shemesh, which itself was an earlier extension of Beit Shemesh built on a hill immediately to the south of "Old Beit Shemesh". Ramat Beit Shemesh is located on a hill overlooking Givat Sharett. Ramat Beit Shemesh has a large, diverse Orthodox population. Originally, it consisted of two areas: Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef and Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet. In Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet, families belonging to Eda Haredit constitute the majority. In 2002, following tensions between the Haredi and non-religious population, plans were drawn up to build another secular neighborhood, HaShachar. In 2007, Ramat Shilo, considered a subdistrict of Ramat Beit Shemesh, with both Dati Leumi and Haredi residents was built. In 2009, it was announced that a new neighborhood, Ramat Beit Shemesh Gimmel, would be built as a largely Haredi neighborhood on a large block of state-owned land bordering southern Beit Shemesh. In 2016 the Israeli Land Authority published tenders for 3,268 new apartments, to be built in the newly proposed areas of Ramat Beit Shemesh Dalet and Hey. According to plans, ultimately there are to be 8,300 new apartments in RBS Dalet alone.

Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef

Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph is a neighborhood of Beit Shemesh comprising about 25,000 people. The neighborhood has numerous parks and public areas. The newest park is Yarmut Park, the biggest in Beit Shemesh. Shopping is plentiful as well, with 4 supermarkets and a shopping area with over 130 shops. The area has a few different sections each with its own unique touch and strong points. There is the Dolev section, the Revivim section, and the Mishkenos Yaakov section.
The Dolev section contains a heterogeneous mix of native Israelis and immigrants. Religiosity varies as well from Hareidi until Masorti or Dati Leumi, with each group having its own synagogues and schools, in general. Masos/Masot Mordechai is a place where all types come together to pray at all times of the day. Points of interest in the Dolev section are the Matnas, a community center that services all types of Jews of the RBS A community, and Park Center, a mini-mall of various stores and restaurants. Streets include Dolev, Lachish, Shimshon, Timnah, Yarkon, and Yarden.
The Revivim section is lower down than Dolev. This area is populated mostly by Haredim, both Israeli and of Anglo descent, with religious levels ranging from American religious all the way to a few Yerushalmis. With the majority being Olim, in this case primarily from the US, much of the neighborhood is connected to an American Minyan such as the Gra, Pnei Shmuel, or others. There is a big emphasis on living a Torah lifestyle which pervades the area. Streets include Revivim, Ramot, Gilo, Noam, and Achziv.
The Mishkenos Yaakov section is located next to the Merkaz. Here the population is almost exclusively Haredim, both Israelis and Chutznikim, although the Chuznikim tend to lean towards their Israeli counterparts regarding religious/cultural issues. There is an official Rav, Rav Mordechai Goldstein, who is looked up to as the respected opinion regarding religious questions and community projects. Points of interest in the Mishkenos Yaakov area include Lev Eliyahu, the synagogue with the most Minyanim in all of RBSA, and the Merkaz, the shopping center more than 130 stores of all types. Streets include Sorek, Kishon, Uriah, Micha, and Shacham.
A further expansion to Ramat Beit Shemesh is the leafy suburbs of Mishkafayim located at the eastern edge of Aleph overlooking the Zanoah quarry. The area, still under development, has started to be populated. The makeup is entirely by Orthodox Jews of all strands including Chasidish, Hareidi, and Dati Leumi/Modern Orthodox.
The area currently has 6 minyanim.
Organizations based in Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph include:
  • Hatzola Beit Shemesh – An independent organization combining first response and follow-up care of emergency medical situations.
  • Kupa Shel Tzedaka – A charity organization helping needy families to rehabilitate them to self-sufficiency.
  • Ezrat Achim – A medical aid organization such as trips to the hospital, x-rays, and loan of medical equipment.
  • Mishkan Adei Ad – An organization that assists needy families with the vast expenses of making weddings.
  • Hakeshiva – An organization that focuses on the prevention of, and giving aiding to, teens-at-risk.