Be'er Ya'akov

Be'er Ya'akov (Hebrew: בְּאֵר יַעֲקֹב, lit. Jacob's Well) is a city in central Israel, near Ness Ziona and Rishon Lezion. The town has an area of 8,580 dunams (~8.6 km²),[3] and had a population of 30,338 in 2022.[2]

Be'er Ya'akov
בְּאֵר יַעֲקֹב‎
بئر يعقوب
City (from 2021)[1]
Hebrew transcription(s)
 • ISO 259Bˀer Yaˁqob
 • Also spelledBe'er Ya'aqov (official)
Be'er Ya'akov is located in Central Israel
Be'er Ya'akov
Be'er Ya'akov
Coordinates: 31°56′33″N 34°50′1″E
Country Israel
DistrictCentral
Founded1907
Government
 • Head of MunicipalityNissim Gozlan
Area
 • Total9,480 dunams (9.48 km2 or 3.66 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total30,338
 • Density3,200/km2 (8,300/sq mi)
Name meaningJacob's well
Websiteb-y.org.il

History
Rabbi Yaakov Yitzhaki. The founder of the city Be'er Ya'akov
Be'er Ya'akov railway station

Be'er Ya'akov was established in 1907 on 2,000 dunams of land purchased by a company headed by Meir Dizengoff from a Lutheran German colony the previous year. It was divided into two sectors, one for immigrants from Russia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Argentina, and Iran, and the other for Mountain Jews from Dagestan. It was named after Yaakov Yitzhaki, a rabbi and pioneer from the Mountain Jewish community.[4] Yitzhaki headed the Mountain Jewish pioneers who settled there.

In 1909, there were 25 families living in Be'er Ya'akov, and tensions between the Ashkenazi and Dagestani families.[5] In 1910, the first elementary school was established. According to a census conducted in 1922 by the British Mandate authorities, Be'er Ya'akov had 131 inhabitants,[6] which had increased in the 1931 census to 265 residents in 58 houses.[7] By 1947, it had a population of 400.[8] It achieved local council status in 1949.

Be'er Ya'akov 1941 1:20,000
Be'er Ya'akov 1945 1:250,000

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and until the Israeli capture of Ramla in July 1948, Be'er Ya'akov was on 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.[9][10]

In 2017, a plan was approved to build on the land vacated by the Tzrifin military bases which are being relocated to the Negev. The plan envisions Be'er Ya'akov with a population of 100,000.[11][12] Be'er Ya'akov is currently undergoing a construction boom, with numerous residential and commercial developments planned or under construction, along with numerous schools and daycare centers, cultural institutions, and a 1,000-seat sports arena. A metro system for the city which will terminate at Ben Gurion International Airport is also planned, with work scheduled to commence in 2028.[13]

Economy

IAI's MLM Division, Israel's main missile assembly facility is located in the south of Be'er Ya'akov. The Jericho and Arrow missiles and the Shavit launch vehicle are assembled there. The facility area is situated east of Diezengoff Street.[14]

Healthcare

Two hospitals are located in Be'er Ya'akov: Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center (near Tzrifin), and Shmuel HaRofe Geriatric Hospital.

Sports

Transportation

Be'er Ya'akov is served by the Be'er Ya'akov Railway Station, for trains on the Binyamina-Ashkelon line.

Notable residents

References
  1. Yuri Yalon, באר יעקב משתדרגת – והופכת לעיר, Israel Hayom, August 8, 2021
  2. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  3. "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.
  4. 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.
  5. Munzik, Eliyahu (July 29, 1909). "ישבנו החדש" [We Have Returned in Be'er Ya'akov]. Hapoel Hatzair (in Hebrew). Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  6. "Palestine Census ( 1922)". Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via Internet Archive.
  7. Mills, 1932, p. 18
  8. Jewish National Fund (1949). Jewish Villages in Israel. Jerusalem: Hamadpis Liphshitz Press. p. 14.
  9. Jewish National Fund, p191
  10. Kibbutz Buchenwald, Judy Baumel Bar Ilan University
  11. "Part 3 – Southern Israel's Boom Towns". Haaretz. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  12. Chudy, Ori (June 14, 2017). "Beer Yaakov to become city of 100,000". Globes. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  13. From fields to high-rises, Be’er Yaakov turns into a ‘young and vibrant city’
  14. "Systems Missiles Space | IAI".
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