- published: 11 May 2007
- views: 122246
- author: StrangelyBrownNo1
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- 38th Chess Olympiad
- 39th Chess Olympiad
- 4th millennium BC
- ??????????? ??????
- Abimelech
- Abraham
- Adana
- Addis Ababa
- Ahmed Djemal
- Almog Cohen
- Amalek
- Amos (prophet)
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- Apartment building
- Ar'arat an-Naqab
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- Arabic language
- Arad, Israel
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Adana
Adana (pronounced [aˈda.na]) is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea, in south-central Anatolia. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province and has a population of 1.6 million, making it the fifth most populous city in Turkey. Adana-Mersin metropolitan area, with a population of 3 million, stretches over 100 km from east to west and 25 km from north to south; encompassing the cities of Mersin, Tarsus, Adana, and Ceyhan.
Adana lies in the heart of Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region that covers the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye, and Hatay. Home to approximately six million people, the region is mostly a large stretch of flat, fertile land regarded as one of the most agriculturally productive areas of the world.
According to numerous sources, the name Adana is derived from the Hittite URUAdaniya of Kizzuwatna, while others assert that it is related to the legendary character Danaus, or to the Danaoi, a mythological Greek tribe who came from Egypt[citation needed] and established themselves in the Greek city Argos.The earlier Egyptian texts for a country Danaja are inscriptions from Thutmosis II (1437 BC) and Amenophis III (1390-1352 BC). After the collapse of the Mycenean civilization (1200 BC) some refugeees from the Aegean area went to the coast of Cilicia. The inhabitants Dananayim or Danuna are identified as one group of the sea-peoples who attacked Egypt on 1191 BC during the reign of Ramesses III. Denyen are identified as inhabitants of the city Adana. It is also possible that the name is connected with the PIE da-nu (river) Da-na-vo (people living by the river), Scythian nomad people, water demons in Rigveda (Danavas).
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Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (sometimes spelled Addis Abeba, the spelling used by the official Ethiopian Mapping Authority) is the capital city of Ethiopia. (In Ethiopian languages: Amharic, Addis Abäba [ad�?i�?s aβəβa] "new flower"; Oromo, Finfinne;Ge'ez ኣዲ�?� ኣበባ) It is the largest city in Ethiopia, with a population of 3,384,569 according to the 2007 population census.
As a chartered city (ras gez astedader), Addis Ababa has the status of both a city and a state. It is where the African Union and its predecessor the OAU are based. It also hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and numerous other continental and international organizations. Addis Ababa is therefore often referred to as "the political capital of Africa", due to its historical, diplomatic and political significance for the continent. The city is populated by people from different regions of Ethiopia – the country has as many as 80 nationalities speaking 80 languages and belonging to a wide variety of religious communities. It is home to Addis Ababa University. The Federation of African Societies of Chemistry (FASC) and Horn of Africa Press Institute (HAPI) are also headquartered in Addis Ababa.
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Arabah
The Arabah (Hebrew: הָעֲרָבָה, HaArava, lit. "desolate and dry area"; Arabic: وادي عربة, Wādī ʻAraba), also known as Aravah, is a section of the Jordan Rift Valley running in a north-south orientation between the southern end of the Sea of Galilee (as the Jordan river valley) down to the Dead Sea and continuing further south where it ends at the Gulf of Aqaba. It includes most of the border between Israel to the west and Jordan to the east. Many modern geographers no longer acknowledge the northern section, between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee to be part of the Arabah, but in antiquity up to the early 20th century this full expanse of Rift Valley was all considered part of the Arabah.
The hottest, southern stretch of the Arabah is 166 km (103 mi) in length from the Gulf of Aqaba to the southern shore of the Dead Sea. Topographically, the region is divided into three sections. From the Gulf of Aqaba northward, the land gradually rises over a distance of 77 km (48 mi), and reaches a height of 230 m (750 ft) above sea level, which represents the watershed divide between the Dead Sea and Red Sea. From this crest, the land slopes gently northward over the next 74 km (46 mi) to a point 15 km (9.3 mi) south of the Dead Sea. In the last section, the Arabah drops steeply to the Dead Sea, which at 417 m (1,368 ft) below sea level, is the lowest point on earth (and historically falling).
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Argentina
Argentina
i/ˌɑrdʒənˈtiːnə/, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina [reˈpuβlika aɾxenˈtina]), is a country in South America, the continent's second largest by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth-largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations.
Argentina's continental area is between the Andes mountain range in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It borders Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and Chile to the west and south. Argentine claims over Antarctica, as well as overlapping claims made by Chile and the United Kingdom, are suspended by the Antarctic Treaty of 1961. Argentina also claims the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which are administered by the United Kingdom as British Overseas Territories.
A recognised middle power, Argentina is Latin America's third-largest economy, with a "very high" rating on the Human development index. Within Latin America, Argentina has the fifth highest nominal GDP per capita and the highest in purchasing power terms. Analysts have argued that the country has a "foundation for future growth due to its market size, levels of foreign direct investment, and percentage of high-tech exports as share of total manufactured goods", and it is classed by investors as middle emerging economy. Argentina is a founding member of the United Nations, Mercosur, the Union of South American Nations, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization, and is one of the G-15 and G-20 major economies.
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Ashdod
Ashdod (Hebrew: אַשְׁדּוֹד
(audio) (help·info); Arabic: اشدود, إسدود Isdud), is the sixth-largest city in Israel, located in the Southern District of the country, on the Mediterranean coast, located 32 kilometres (20 mi) south of Tel Aviv and 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Ashkelon and 53 kilometres (33 mi) west of Jerusalem. Ashdod is an important regional industrial center. The Port of Ashdod is Israel's largest port accounting for 60% of the country's imported goods.
The first documented settlement in Ashdod dates to the Canaanite culture of 17th century BCE, making the city one of the oldest in the world. Ashdod is mentioned 13 times in the Bible. During its history the city was settled by Philistines, Israelites, Byzantines, Crusaders and Arabs.
Modern Ashdod was established in 1956 on the sand hills near the site of the ancient town, and incorporated as a city in 1968, with a land-area of approximately 60 square kilometres (23 sq mi). Being a planned city, expansion followed a main development plan, which facilitated traffic and prevented air pollution in the residential areas, despite population growth. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Ashdod had a population of 206,400 at the end of 2009, the sixth largest city in Israel, and had an area of 47,242 dunams (47.242 km2; 18.240 sq mi).
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Ashkelon
Ashkelon (also Ashqelon and Ascalon; Hebrew: אַשְׁקְלוֹן (audio) (help·info); Arabic: عسقلان (ˁAsqalān); Latin: Ascalonia; Akkadian: Isqalluna) is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Tel Aviv, and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age. In the course of its history, it has been ruled by the Canaanites, the Philistines, the Israelites, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Persians, the Egyptians and the Crusaders, until it was destroyed by the Mamluks in 1270. The Arab village of al-Majdal (Arabic: المجدل, Hebrew: אל-מג'דל, מגדל), was established nearby in the 16th century, under Ottoman's own rule.
In 1918, Ashkelon became part of the British Mandate for Palestine. In the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Majdal was the forward position of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force based in Gaza. The village was occupied by Israeli forces on November 5, 1948, by which time most of the Arab population of 11,000 had been forced to leave. In 2010, the population of Ashkelon was 112,900.
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Australia
Australia ( /əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
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Bat Yam
Bat Yam (Hebrew: בַּת יָם (audio) (help·info)) is a city located on Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast, on the central coastal strip, just south of Tel Aviv. Part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area, in the Tel Aviv District, the city is home to 130,000 people.
Bat Yam was established in 1926 as Bayit VaGan (Hebrew: בית וגן; House and Garden). During the 1929 Palestine riots, the town was attacked by Palestinian fighters from Jaffa and was evacuated by British Authorities. In 1930, it was re-settled. In 1936, it was granted local council status and renamed Bat Yam. By 1945, 2,000 Jews were living in Bat Yam. According to the Jewish National Fund, in 1947 it had a population of 4,000.
Following the United Nations vote in favour of a partition plan on November 29, 1947 and the subsequent civil war, inhabitants of both Bat Yam and Jaffa complained on violent incidents, including sniping. On May 13, 1948, Jaffa surrendered to Jewish forces.
In the years following Israel's creation, Bat Yam grew dramatically due to mass immigration and gained city status in 1958. A small Hasidic enclave of Bobover Hasidim, known as Kiryat Bobov, was established in 1959. The city gained a sizeable community of Jews from Turkey (est. 23% of the population). Bat Yam again experienced a period of rapid growth in the early 1980s to the late 1990s with the mass immigration of Jews from the former Soviet Union, and Ethiopia. There is also a fairly large Arab community in Bat Yam, both Muslim and Christian many of whom relocated from Jaffa. The vast majority of Vietnamese-Israelis or Vietnamese people of Israeli origin, live in Bat Yam.
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Beersheba
Beersheba (/bɪərˈʃiːbə/; officially Be'er Sheva; Hebrew: בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע [bəʔe̞rˈʃe̞va]; Greek: Βηρσαβεε; Latin: Bersabee; Arabic: بئر السبع, Bi'r as-Sab` (info); Turkish: Birüssebi) is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300.
Beersheba grew in importance in the 19th century, when the Ottoman Turks built a regional police station there. The Battle of Beersheba was part of a wider British offensive in World War I aimed at breaking the Turkish defensive line from Gaza to Beersheba. In 1947, Bir Seb'a (Arabic: بيئر شيبع), as it was known, was envisioned as part of the Arab state in the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Following the declaration of Israel's independence, the Egyptian army amassed its forces in Beersheba as a strategic and logistical base. In October 1948, the city was conquered by the Israel Defense Forces.
Beersheba has grown considerably since then. A large portion of the population is made up of Jews who immigrated from Arab countries after 1948, and has been significantly boosted since 1990 by immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. With the influx of Russian immigrants, chess became a major sport in Beersheba. The city is now Israel's national chess center, home to more chess grandmasters than any city in the world.
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Beit Shemesh
Beit Shemesh (Hebrew: בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ,; Greek: Βαιθσαμύς; Latin: Bethsames) is a city located approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District, with a population of 80,600 in 2010. The history of Beit Shemesh goes back to pre-biblical times. The modern city of Beit Shemesh was founded in 1950.
The ancient city of Beit Shemesh ("house of the sun" or "temple of the sun" in Hebrew) was originally named after the Canaanite sun-goddess Shemesh, who was worshipped there in antiquity. The ruins of the ancient biblical city can still be seen in the tell of Beit Shemesh, located near the modern city.
Several important and unique archaeological discoveries have been made in recent digs at the tel. The most ancient iron workshop in the world was discovered here in 2003. The only remnants of a fortified city with an advanced water system, from the time of the early Kingdom of Judah was found here. The bones of animals found in the 12th-11th centuries BCE layer indicate a diet typical of the Israelites who inhabited the hill country in this period. These together with the pottery finds indicate the cultural influences on the inhabitants of this border town. However, it is not possible to determine their specific ethnic identity, which could be Canaanite, Philistine or Israelite.
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Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak (or Bene Beraq) (Hebrew: בְּנֵי בְרַק (audio) (help·info), Bəne βəraq) is a city located on Israel's central Mediterranean coastal plain, just east of Tel Aviv, in the Dan metropolitan region and Tel Aviv District. Bnei Brak is a center of Orthodox Judaism.
Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares. According to figures of the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the population was 154,400, with an annual growth rate of 1.7%. Bnei Brak is one of the poorest and most densely populated cities in Israel.
Bnei Brak takes its name from the ancient Biblical city of Beneberak, preserved in the name of the Palestinian village of Ibn Ibraq ("Son of Ibraq/Barak") which was located 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) to the south of where Bnei Barak was founded in 1924.
Bnei Brak was founded as an agricultural village by Yitzchok Gerstenkorn and a group of Polish chasidim. Due to a lack of land many of the founders turned to other occupations and the village began to develop an urban character. Arye Mordechai Rabinowicz, formerly rabbi of Kurów in Poland, was the first rabbi. He was succeeded by Rabbi Yosef Kalisz, a scion of the Vurker dynasty. The town was set up as a religious settlement from the outset, as is evident from this description of the pioneers: "Their souls were revived by the fact that they merited what their predecessors had not. What particularly revived their weary souls in the mornings and toward evening, when they would gather in the beis medrash situated in a special shack which was built immediately upon the arrival of the very first settlers, for tefilla betzibbur (communal prayer) three times a day, for the Daf Yomi shiur, and a Gemara shiur and an additional one in Mishnayos and the Shulchan Oruch."bnei brak was once mentioned in a mishnah
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Canada
Canada ( /ˈkænədə/) is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9,900,000 km2 (3,800,000 sq mi), Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.
The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French colonial expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy; the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Britain.
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Dimona
Dimona (Hebrew: דִּימוֹנָה) is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, 36 kilometres (22 mi) to the south of Beersheba and 35 kilometres (22 mi) west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. Its population at the end of 2007 was 33,600.
The city's name is derived from a biblical town, mentioned in Joshua 15:21-22.
Dimona was one of the development towns created in the 1950s under the leadership of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. Dimona itself was conceived in 1953, and settled in 1955, mostly by new immigrants from Northern Africa, who also constructed the city's houses. The emblem of Dimona (as a local council), adopted 2 March 1961, appeared on a stamp issued on 24 March 1965.
When the Israeli nuclear program started later that decade, a location not far from the city was chosen for the Negev Nuclear Research Center due to its relative isolation in the desert and availability of housing.
In spite of a gradual decrease during the 1980s, the city's population began to grow once again with the beginning of the Russian immigration in the 1990s. Currently, Dimona is the third largest city in the Negev, with the population of 33,900.[citation needed]
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Eilat
Eilat (Hebrew: אֵילַת, Arabic: إيلات (audio) (help·info)) is Israel's southernmost city, a busy port as well as a popular resort, located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba. Home to 46,600 people, the city is part of the Southern Negev Desert, at the southern end of the Arava. The city is adjacent to the Egyptian village of Taba to the south, the Jordanian port city of Aqaba to the east, and within sight of Saudi Arabia to the south-east, across the gulf. Eilat's arid desert climate and low humidity is moderated by proximity to a warm sea. Temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in summer, and 21 °C (70 °F) in winter, while water temperatures range between 20 and 26 °C (68 and 79 °F). Eilat averages up to 360 sunny days a year. The city's beaches, nightlife and desert landscapes make it a popular destination for domestic and international tourism.
The geology and landscape are varied: igneous and metamorphic rocks, sandstone and limestone; mountains up to 892 metres (2,927 ft) above sea level; broad valleys such as the Arava, and seashore on the Gulf of Aqaba. With an annual average rainfall of 28 millimetres (1.1 in) and summer temperatures of 40 °C (104 °F) and higher, water resources and vegetation are limited. "The main elements that influenced the region's history were the copper resources and other minerals, the ancient international roads that crossed the area, and its geopolitical and strategic position. These resulted in a settlement density that defies the environmental conditions."
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Ethiopia
Ethiopia (
/ˌiːθiˈoʊpiə/) (Ge'ez: ኢትዮጵያ ʾĪtyōṗṗyā), officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With its capital at Addis Ababa, it is also the most populous landlocked nation in the world.
Ethiopia was a monarchy for most of its history, and the Ethiopian dynasty traces its roots to the 2nd century BC. Ethiopia is also one of the oldest sites of human existence known to scientists today, having yielded some of humanity's oldest traces. It may be the region from which Homo sapiens first set out for the Middle East and points beyond. Alongside Rome, Persia, China and India, the Ethiopian Aksum Empire was considered one of the great world powers of the 3rd century. During the Scramble for Africa, Ethiopia was the only African country beside Liberia that retained its sovereignty as a recognized independent country, and was one of only four African members of the League of Nations. After a brief period of Italian occupation, Ethiopia became a charter member of the United Nations. When other African nations received their independence following World War II, many of them adopted the colors of Ethiopia's flag, and Addis Ababa became the location of several international organizations focused on Africa.
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France
France (Englishi/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] (
listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
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Gaza
Gaza (Arabic: غزة Ġazzah, Arabic pronunciation: [ˈɣazːa]), also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories. Inhabited since at least the 15th-century BCE, Gaza has been dominated by several different peoples and empires throughout its history. The Philistines made it a part of their pentapolis after the Ancient Egyptians had ruled it for nearly 350 years. Under the Romans and later the Byzantines, Gaza experienced relative peace and its port flourished. In 635 CE, it became the first city in Palestine to be conquered by the Rashidun army and quickly developed into a centre of Islamic law. However, by the time the Crusaders invaded the city in the late 11th-century, it was in ruins. In later centuries, Gaza experienced several hardships—from Mongol raids to floods and locusts, reducing it to a village by the 16th-century when it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. During the first half of Ottoman rule, the Ridwan dynasty controlled Gaza and under them the city went through an age of great commerce and peace.
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Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (Arabic: قطاع غزة Qiṭāʿ Ġazzah, IPA: [qitˤaːʕ ɣazza]) lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, within the Middle East (at 31 25 N, 34 20 E). The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest, 11km long, and Israel on the east and north, 51km long. It is about 41 kilometres (25 mi) long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres (4–7.5 mi) wide, with a total area of 360 square kilometres (140 sq mi). It has a 40 km coastline onto the Mediterranean Sea, but has no maritime claims due to Israeli administration. The territory takes its name from Gaza-city, its main city and administrative center.
The Gaza Strip has a temperate climate, with mild winters, and dry and hot summers, subject to drought. The terrain is flat or rolling, with dunes near the coast. The highest point is Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda), at 105 metres above sea level. Main resources are arable land (about a third of the strip is irrigated), and recently discovered natural gas. Environmental issues include desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; and depletion and contamination of underground water resources.
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Germany
Germany (i/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
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Hadera
Hadera (Hebrew: חֲדֵרָה, Ḥadera; Arabic: الخضيرة, Al-Ḫuḍayraḧ) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately 45 kilometers (28.0 mi) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along 7 kilometers (4 mi) of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain. The city has a population of 80,200 which includes a high proportion of immigrants arriving since 1990, notably from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union.
Hadera was established in 1891 as a farming colony by members of the Zionist group, Hovevei Zion, from Lithuania and Latvia. By 1948, it was a regional center with a population of 11,800. It was declared a city in 1952. With an area of jurisdiction of 53,000 dunams.
Several projects are under way to improve the quality of life in Hadera, including regenerating the city center, constructing a hi-tech business park, and building the world's largest desalination plant.
Hadera was founded in 1891, in the early days modern Zionism by Eastern European immigrants from Lithuania and Latvia on land purchased by Yehoshua Hankin, known as the Redeemer of the Valley. The land was purchased from Christian effendi Selim Khuri. This was the largest purchase of land in Palestine by a Zionist group, although the land was of low quality and mostly swampland. The only inhabitants prior to the purchase were a few families raising water buffaloes and selling reeds. The town may derive its name from the Arabic word khadra, meaning "green" in reference to the wild weeds which covered the marshes on which the town is built.
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Haifa
Haifa (Hebrew: חֵיפָה, Hebrew pronunciation: [χeiˈfä], Ḥefa; Arabic: حيفا Ḥayfā) is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher. Together these areas form a contiguous urban area home to nearly 600,000 residents which makes up the inner core of the Haifa metropolitan area. Haifa is a mixed city: 90% are Jews, more than a quarter of whom are immigrants from the former Soviet Union, while 10% are Arabs, predominantly of the Christian religion. It is also home to the Bahá'í World Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, the history of settlement at the site spans more than 3,000 years. The earliest known settlement in the vicinity was Tell Abu Hawam, a small port city established in the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE). In the 3rd century CE, Haifa was known as a dye-making center. Over the centuries, the city has changed hands: It has been conquered and ruled by the Phoenicians, Persians, Hasmoneans, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, British, and the Israelis. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the city has been governed by the Haifa Municipality.
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Haifa District
Haifa District (Hebrew: מחוז חיפה, Mehoz Ḥeifa; Arabic: منطقة حيفا) is an administrative district surrounding the city of Haifa, Israel. The district is one of six administrative districts of Israel, and its capital is Haifa. The district land area is 864 km2 (299.3 mi2).
According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2005, the population of the district stood at 858,000, of which 71.27% are Jewish, 18.81% are Arab Muslims, 1.78% are Arab Christians, 2.52% are Druze, and 4.9% are "not classified by religion", and grew at an average annual rate of 0.8%.
Coordinates: 32°35′N 35°00′E / 32.583°N 35°E / 32.583; 35
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Hatzerim
Hatzerim (Hebrew: חֲצֵרִים, lit. Farmyards) is a kibbutz located 8 kilometers west of Beersheba in the Negev desert in Israel. It is named after the Bible (Deuteronomy 2:23), mentionning a site nearby: "the Avvites who lived in farmyards as far as Gaza".
Established in October 1946 by a young group of scouts then later joined by refugees from Iran who were referred to as “The Children of Tehran”. They then learned agriculture and military training becoming part of the Haganah ground forces. In the 1960s the Hatzerim Airbase was built nearby.
Hatzerim was one of the first kibbutzim (pl.) to break the mould from traditional agriculture and start a business. Netafim is the kibbutz business that started in 1965, that designs, manufactures and distributes irrigation systems. The business is also run with two other kibbutzim, Magal and Yiftach. There are also factories around the world, California, USA, South Africa, Western Australia and more. Netafim soon became a world leader in their field as a multinational corporation that grosses over $300 million a year.
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Herzliya
Herzliya (Hebrew: הֶרְצְלִיָּה) is a city in the central coast of Israel, at the western part of the Tel Aviv District. It has a population of 87,000 residents. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya covers an area of 26 km². At its western municipal boundaries is Herzliya Pituah, one of Israel's most affluent districts, home to ambassadors, foreign diplomats and businessmen.
Herzliya, named after Theodor (Benyamin Zeev) Herzl, was founded in 1924 as a semi-cooperative farming community (moshava) with a mixed population of new immigrants and veteran residents. In the 1920s, the father and grandfather of Tal Brody helped build the country's first airfield in Herzliya. After the establishment of the state in 1948, large numbers of immigrants settled there. In 1960, when the population reached 25,000, Herzliya was declared a city.
According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, residents of Herzliya are among the wealthiest in Israel. In 2003–2005, average monthly salaries were NIS 8,211, or about NIS 1,500 above average in a survey of Israel's 15 largest cities. However, there is a large gap between the city's seven working class neighborhoods, among them Yad Tisha, Neve Yisrael and Neve Amal, and upscale Herzliya Pituah. The population is older than that of other cities in the Sharon region: 18% are under 14 years old, compared to a national average of 27.5%.
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Holon
Holon (Hebrew: חוֹלוֹן (audio) (help·info)) is a city on the central coastal strip south of Tel Aviv, Israel. Holon is part of the metropolitan Gush Dan area. In 2009, it had a population of 184,700. Holon has the second-largest industrial zone in Israel, after Haifa.[citation needed]
The name of the city comes from the Hebrew word holon, meaning "(little) sand". The name Holon also appears in the Bible: "And Holon with its suburbs, and Debir with its suburbs" (Book of Joshua, 21:15).
Holon was founded on sand dunes six kilometers from Tel Aviv in 1935. The Łódzia textile factory was established there by Jewish immigrants from Łódź, Poland, along with many other industrial enterprises. In the early months of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Holon was on the front line, with constant shooting taking place on the border with the village of Tel A-Rish to its northwest—a suburb of Arab Jaffa—and clashes also in the direction of the town of Yazur to the east. An attack by the Holon-based Haganah militia units on Tel A-Rish was repulsed with considerable losses. After the establishment of the state, Holon expanded to include Tel A-Rish (renamed "Tel Giborim", "The Mound of the Heroes") and the orange groves of Yazur.
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Hura
Hura (Hebrew: חוּרָה, חוּרָא, Arabic: حورة) is a Bedouin village in the South District of Israel. It is located near Beersheba and beside the town Meitar. The village was established in 1990, and was declared a local council in 1996.
In Hura lives people called "Hurer" Its population is 16,600 (2009 census), and its jurisdiction is 6,646 dunams.
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Israel
Coordinates: 31°N 35°E / 31°N 35°E / 31; 35
Israel, officially the State of Israel ( /ˈɪzriːəl/ or /ˈɪzreɪəl/; Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Medīnat Yisrā'el, IPA: [me̞diˈnät jisʁäˈʔe̞l] ( listen); Arabic: دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل, Dawlat Isrāʼīl, IPA: [dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl]), is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwest, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to the south, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel is defined as a Jewish and Democratic State in its Basic Laws and is the world's only Jewish-majority state.
Following the adoption of a resolution by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 29 November 1947 recommending the adoption and implementation of the United Nations plan to partition Palestine, on 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, a state independent from the British Mandate for Palestine. Neighboring Arab states invaded the next day in support of the Palestinian Arabs. Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Portions of these territories, including east Jerusalem, have been annexed by Israel, but the border with the neighboring West Bank has not yet been permanently defined.[neutrality is disputed] Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have so far not resulted in peace.
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Jenin
Jenin (Arabic: جنين (help·info) Ǧanīn, Hebrew: ג'נין) is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 39,004 Jenin is under the administration of the Palestinian Authority.
Jenin was known in ancient times as the village of "Ein-Jenin" or "Tel Jenin". Tell Jenin, is located at the center of what is today Jenin's business district. The word "'ayn" means "water spring" in Arabic and the word "Jenin" might be related to the Arabic word جنّة (janna), which means "garden".[citation needed] The arabicized name "Jenin" ultimately derives from this ancient name. The association of Jenin with the biblical city of Ein-Ganim was recognized by Ishtori Haparchi.[citation needed]
Jenin overlooks both the Jordan Valley to the east and the Jezreel Valley (known in Arabic as "Marj Ibn Amer") to the north, and from the south it connects to the Samaria mountains.
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Jerusalem
Jerusalem ( /dʒəˈruːsələm/; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushaláyim ; Arabic: القُدس al-Quds and/or أورشليم Ûrshalîm) is the capital of Israel, though not internationally recognized as such, and one of the oldest cities in the world. It is located in the Judean Mountains, between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern edge of the Dead Sea. If the area and population of East Jerusalem is included, it is Israel's largest city in both population and area, with a population of 801,000 residents over an area of 125.1 km2 (48.3 sq mi). Jerusalem is also a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. The oldest part of the city was settled in the 4th millennium BCE. In 1538, walls were built around Jerusalem under Suleiman the Magnificent. Today those walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters. The Old City became a World Heritage site in 1981, and is on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Modern Jerusalem has grown far beyond its boundaries.
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Jerusalem District
The Jerusalem District (Hebrew: מחוז ירושלים; Arabic: منطقة القدس) is one of six administrative districts of Israel. The district capital is Jerusalem. The Jerusalem District has a land area of 652 km². The population of 910,300 is 67.8% Jewish and 30.6% Arab. A fifth (21%) of the Arabs in Israel live in the Jerusalem District, which includes both East and West Jerusalem.
The majority of Arabs in the Jerusalem District are Palestinians, eligible for citizenship under Israeli law, but non-citizens by collective choice. The minority are Israeli Arabs living in Abu Ghosh, Beit Safafa and East Jerusalem, where Israeli Arab professionals have settled since the late 1970s, mainly for the provision of legal and other services to the local population. The non-Jewish population is 28.3% Muslims, 1.8% Christians and 1.4% unclassified by religion.
Coordinates: 31°45′N 35°00′E / 31.75°N 35°E / 31.75; 35
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Kfar Saba
Kfar Saba (Hebrew: כְּפַר סָבָא, lit. "Grandfather's Village"), officially Kfar Sava, is a city in the Sharon region, of the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2009, Kfar Saba had a population of 83,600.
Kfar Saba (ancient Capharsaba) was an important settlement during the Second Temple period, and is mentioned for the first time in the writings of Josephus, in his account of the attempt of Alexander Jannaeus to halt an invasion from the North led by Antiochus (Antiquities, book 13, chapter 15). Kfar Saba also appears in the Talmud in connection to corn tithing and the Capharsaba sycamore fig tree. The settlement was probably named after a person called Sava, though this person's importance is not known.
Excavations on the site have revealed the remains of a large Roman bathhouse. In the Byzantine periods the ruins of the bathhouse were first converted into fish pools, and later into some form of industrial installation.
In 1596, the Arab village of Kafr Saba was inhabited by 42 Muslim families. In the 1870s it was described as "a mud village of moderate size with mud-ponds around it and good water in the wells of Neby Yemin, to the east." The Jewish town of Kfar Saba was established in 1898 on 7,500 dunams of land purchased from the Arab village. Despite attractive advertisements in Jerusalem and London, attempts to sell plots to private individuals were unsuccessful, as the land was located in a desolate, neglected area far from any other Jewish settlement. The Ottoman pasha of Nablus, to whose governorate the land belonged, refused to give building permits, therefore the first settlers lived in huts made of clay and straw. They earned their living by growing almonds, grapes and olives. Most of the manual laborers on the land were peasants from Qalqilya. Only in 1912 were permits given and the settlers moved to permanent housing.
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Kiryat Ata
Kiryat Ata (Hebrew: קִרְיַת אָתָא; also Qiryat Ata) is a city in the Haifa District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 50,700. It is also still known by its former name of Kfar Ata (Hebrew: כְּפַר עָטָּה).
Archeological surveys at Khirbet Sharta in the northeast part of the city revealed traces of habitation dating to the Bronze, Iron, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Mamluk eras.
In the early 20th century, the lands of the Arab village of Kofrita were purchased by a Warsaw religious foundation named "Avodat Israel" through intermediaries in the American Zion Commonwealth. Avodat Israel founded Kfar Ata in 1925, which was renamed Kiryat Ata in 1965 when the village was merged with adjacent Kiryat Binyamin. During the 1929 riots the town was attacked and abandoned. A year later the residents returned and rebuilt the community. The town was known for the Ata textile factory, established in 1934 by Erich Moller. In 1969, Kiryat Ata was declared a city.
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Kiryat Gat
Kiryat Gat (Hebrew: קִרְיַת גַּת, Arabic: كريات جات), is a city in the Southern District of Israel. It lies 56 kilometres (35 mi) south of Tel-Aviv, 43 kilometres (27 mi) north of Beersheba and 68 kilometres (42 mi) from Jerusalem. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 47,400.
Kiryat Gat is named for Gath, one of the five major cities of the Philistines. In Hebrew, "gat" means "press". In the 1950s, archaeologists found ruins at a nearby tell which were mistaken for the Philistine city of Gath. The real Gath was later discovered thirteen kilometers to the northeast at Tel es-Safi/Tel Gath. Gath was the hometown of the biblical giant Goliath the Gittite.
Kiryat Gat was established in 1955 as a development town by 18 families from Morocco. It was situated on land of the nearby village of Iraq al-Manshiyya, which was depopulated in 1948. The population rose from 4,400 inhabitants in 1958 to 17,000 in 1969, mostly Jewish immigrants from North Africa. The economy was initially based on processing the agricultural produce of the Lachish region, such as cotton and wool. In December 1972, Kiryat Gat's municipal status was upgraded and it became Israel's 31st city.
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Kiryat Malakhi
Kiryat Malakhi (Hebrew: קִרְיַת מַלְאָכִי, also Qiryat Malakhi or Kiryat Malachi) is a city council-governed municipality in Israel's Southern District, 17 kilometres (11 mi) from Ashkelon. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 20,600. Its jurisdiction is 4,632 dunams (~4.6 km²).
Kiryat Malakhi, literally "City of Angels", was established in 1951 as a ma'abara, or tent city, to house the masses of Jewish immigrants who arrived during the early days of the state, many of them part of the Jewish exodus from Arab lands. The name was chosen to honor the Jewish community of Los Angeles, California, which contributed much of the funding for its establishment. It later became one of several development towns in the Negev.
Moshe Katsav, later Israel's eighth president, was elected mayor in 1969 at the age of 24. His younger brother, Lior Katsav, was also mayor of Kiryat Malakhi, whilst Yosef Vanunu held the post from 1981 until the 1990s. The current mayor is Motti Malka.
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Kuseife
Kuseife (Hebrew: כְּסֵיפָה, Kseifa; Arabic: كسيفة) is a Bedouin town (local council) in the Southern District of Israel.
According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the population of Kuseife was 10,300 in December 2006. Kuseife's jurisdiction is 13,692 dunams (~13.7 km²).
Kuseife was founded in 1982 as part of a government project to settle Bedouins in permanent settlements.
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La Plata
La Plata (English: The Silver) is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the 2001 census [INDEC], the partido has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants. The city itself has a population of 186,524.
La Plata was planned and developed to serve as the provincial capital after the city of Buenos Aires was federalized in 1880, and it was officially founded by Governor Dardo Rocha on 19 November 1882. Its construction is fully documented in photographs by Tomás Bradley Sutton. La Plata was renamed Eva Perón City (Ciudad Eva Perón) between 1952 and 1955.
The city is home to two football (soccer) teams that play in the first division: Estudiantes de La Plata and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.
Rocha decided to erect a new city to host the provincial government institutions and the planned university. Urban planner Pedro Benoit designed a city layout based on a rationalist conception of urban centers. The city has the shape of a square with a central park and two main diagonal avenues, north-south and east-west. (In addition, there are numerous other shorter diagonals.) This design is copied in a self-similar manner in small blocks of six by six blocks in length. Every six blocks, one finds a small park or square. Other than the diagonals, all streets are on a rectangular grid, and are numbered consecutively. Thus, La Plata is nicknamed "la ciudad de las diagonales" ("city of diagonals"). It is also called "la ciudad de los tilos" ("city of tilia (linden trees)") because of the large number of linden trees lining many streets and squares.
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Lakiya
Lakiya, or Laqye (Hebrew: לָקִיָּה) is a Bedouin town (local council) in the Southern District of Israel.
According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the population of Lakiya was 7,600 in December 2004. Lakiya's jurisdiction is 5,600 dunams (5.6 km²).
Lakiya was founded in 1982 as part of a government project to settle Bedouins in permanent settlements.
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Lehavim
Lehavim (Hebrew: לְהָבִים) is a town in the Southern District of Israel, in the northern Negev desert. Founded in 1983, it is located 15 km north of Beersheba. In 2009, the population was 6,000.
Lehavim, originally called "Givat Lahav," covers an area of 2,525 dunams (2.5 km²). It is one of Beersheba's three satellite towns (the others two are Omer and Meitar). Most of the inhabitants commute to Beersheba for work. Lehavim is an upper-middle class community of detached homes surrounded by palm trees and gardens. The town has a library, a country club, kindergartens, a school, two synagogues, and a commercial center. Lehavim achieved municipal status in 1988.According to the CBS, Lehavim is one of the wealthiest municipalities in Israel, ranking 9 out of 10 on the socio-economic status of its citizens.
Lehavim is located near the intersection of Highway 40 (Beersheba–Tel Aviv) and Highway 31 (Arad–Rahat), known as the Lehavim Junction. The Lod–Beersheba railway line passes through this crossing. The Lehavim Railway Station, inaugurated in 2007 on the western side of Lehavim, as well as its proximity to Highway 6, have served as an economic catalyst.
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Lod
Lod (Hebrew: לוֹד; Arabic: الْلُدّ al-Ludd; Greco-Latin: Lydda, Diospolis) is a city 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2011, it had a population of 74,000.
The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod. When al-Ludd, as it was known by its Arab inhabitants was captured by Israel, the Arab inhabitants fled or were expelled and the city was settled by Jewish immigrants, most of them refugees from Arab countries. Of the former Arab population, only 1,056 inhabitants remained. It is today known as Lod, its biblical name.
Israel's main international airport, Ben Gurion International Airport (previously known as Lydda Airport, RAF Lydda, and Lod Airport) is located on the outskirts of the city.
The Hebrew name Lod appears in the bible as a town of Benjamin, founded by Shamed or Shamer (1 Chronicles 8:12; Ezra 2:33; Nehemiah 7:37; 11:35). In the New Testament it appears as its Greek form, Lydda. The city also finds reference in an Islamic Hadith, as the location of the battlefield where 'Dajjal' (the Anti-Christ) will be slayed before the Day of Judgment.
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Lyon
Coordinates: 45°45′35″N 4°50′32″E / 45.7597°N 4.8422°E / 45.7597; 4.8422
Lyon (French pronunciation: [ljɔ̃] ( listen), locally: [lijɔ̃]; Occitan: Lion [liˈu]; Arpitan: Liyon [ʎjɔ̃]; English: /liːˈɒn/), traditionally spelt Lyons in English, is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located approximately 470 km (292 mi) from Paris, 320 km (199 mi) from Marseille, 420 km (261 mi) from Strasbourg, 160 km (99 mi) from Geneva, 280 km (174 mi) from Turin. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais.
The city of Lyon has 483,181 inhabitants. Together with its suburbs and satellite towns, Lyon forms the largest conurbation in France outside Paris with a population estimated to be 1,422,331; its overall metropolitan area was estimated to have a population of 2,118,132. Its urban region represents half of the Rhône-Alpes region population with 2.9 million inhabitants. Lyon is the capital of this region, as well as the capital of the smaller Rhône département.
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Meitar
Meitar (Hebrew: מֵיתָר) is a small local council north-east of Beersheba, in Israel's Southern District. The town lies on Highway 60 just south of the Green Line on the southern edge of Mount Hebron, alongside the Yatir Forest. Meitar was founded in 1984.
According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the population of Meitar was 6,200 at the end of 2009. Its area is 16,696 dunams (~16.7 km²). It is ranked very highly on the Israeli socio-economic scale, with a score of 9/10.
The area drew national attention during the Shai Dromi trial.
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Meknes
Meknes (Arabic: مكناس, Berber: ⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ Mknas or Ameknas, French: Meknès, Spanish: Mequinez) is a city in northern Morocco, 130 kilometres (81 mi) from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672–1727), before it was relocated to Marrakech. The population is 985,000 (2010 census). It is the capital of the Meknes-Tafilalet region. Meknes is named after a Berber tribe which was known as Miknasa (native Berber name: Imeknasen) in the medieval North African sources.
The original community from which Meknes can be traced was an 8th century Kasbah. A Berber tribe called the Miknasa, originated from the Tunisian south, settled there in the 9th century, and a town consequently grew around the previous borough.
The Almoravids founded here a fortress in the 9th century. It resisted to the Almohads rise, and was thus destroyed by them, only to be rebuilt in larger size with mosques and large fortifications. Under the Merinids it received further madrasas, kasbahs and mosques in the early 14th century, and continued to thrive under the Wattasid dynasty. Meknes saw its golden age as the imperial capital of Moulay Ismail following his accession to the Sultanate of Morocco (1672–1727). He installed under the old city a large prison to house Christian sailors captured on the sea, and also constructed numerous edifices, gardens, monumental gates, mosques (whence the city's nickname of "City of the Hundred Minarets") and the large line of wall, having a length of 40 km.
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Mishmar HaNegev
Mishmar HaNegev (Hebrew: מִשְׁמַר הַנֶּגֶב, lit. Guard of the Negev) is a kibbutz in the northern fringe of the Negev desert in Israel. It is located on Road 264, about 2 kilometres south of the Bedouin city of Rahat and around 10 km from Beersheba and is part of the Bnei Shimon Regional Council. In 2006 its population was 547.
Mishar HaNegev was founded as one of the 11 points in the Negev settlements established upon the breaking of the fast of Yom Kippur on 6 October 1946. The 30 founders were members of the Borochov movement. Today the kibbutz is a member of the Kibbutz Movement and is non-religious.
Like several other kibbutzim today, Mishar HaNegev specialises in hosting weddings, with the standard wedding hall and ornamental gardens. It also has two factories which manufacture plastic and insulation materials and electronic goods.
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Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon (Hebrew: מִצְפֵּה רָמוֹן, lit. Ramon Lookout) is a town in the Negev desert of southern Israel. It is situated on the northern ridge at an elevation of 860 meters (2,800 feet) overlooking a sizable erosion cirque known as the Ramon Crater. In 2009, Mitzpe Ramon had a population of 4,789.
Mitzpe Ramon was founded in 1951 as a camp for the workers building the road to Eilat. The town's first permanent residents, immigrants from North Africa and Romania, settled there in the 1960s, and it became the southernmost of the Negev's development towns. The mayor is Flora Shoshan, sister of former Israeli defense minister Amir Peretz and wife of the former mayor, Sami Shoshan.
Ramon Crater, known as a makhtesh, is 38 km long, 6 km wide and 450 meters deep. Mitzpe Ramon experiences hot, dry summers and cold winters. There are moderate to strong winds all year long, caused by its location above the crater, which make Mitzpe Ramon feel much colder than it really is. Snowfall occurs on average once in a couple of years.
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Montreal
Montreal (
i/ˌmʌntriːˈɒl/;French: Montréal; pronounced [mɔ̃ʁeal] (
listen)) is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the fifteenth largest in North America. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", the city takes its present name from Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French (Mont Royal in present French). The city is located on the Island of Montreal, which took its name from the same source as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard.
As of May 10, 2011, Statistics Canada identifies Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) (land area 4,259 square kilometres (1,644 sq mi)) as Canada's second most populous with an estimated metropolitan area population of 3,824,221 and a population of 1,886,481 in the urban agglomeration of Montreal, which includes all of the municipalities on the Island of Montreal. The city of Montreal proper had a population of 1,649,519.
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Morocco
Morocco (Arabic: المغرب al-Maghrib ; Berber: ⵍⵎⴻⵖⵔⵉⴱ / ⴰⵎⴻⵔⵔⵓⴽElmeɣrib / Amerruk), officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of about 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², including the disputed region of the Western Sahara, seen by and mostly administered by Morocco as the Southern Provinces. Morocco is part of the Maghreb region, in addition to Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Libya, with which it shares cultural, historical and linguistic ties.
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The King of Morocco holds vast executive powers, including the power to dissolve the parliament. Executive power is exercised by the government but more importantly by the king himself. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Assembly of Representatives and the Assembly of Councillors. The king can also issue decrees called dahirs which have the force of law. The latest Parliamentary elections were held in November 25, 2011, and were considered by some neutral observers to be mostly free and fair. Voter turnout in these elections was estimated to be 43% of registered voters, but only about 25% of Moroccan adult citizens actually voted. The rest either chose not to vote or they were not registered as voters. The political capital is Rabat, but the largest city is Casablanca; other main cities include Marrakesh, Tetouan, Tangier, Salé, Fes, Agadir, Meknes, Oujda, Kenitra, and Nador.
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Nahariya
Nahariya (Hebrew: נַהֲרִיָּה) is the northernmost coastal city in Israel, with an estimated population of 51,200.
Nahariya, takes its name from the river - nahar in Hebrew - that bisects it.
A church from the Byzantine period, dedicated to St. Lazarus, was excavated in the 1970s. It was destroyed by fire, probably at the time of the Persian invasion in 614.
Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants from the Fifth Aliyah in the 1930s. Construction of homes started in 1933, and the first two families permanently settled in Nahariya on February 10, 1935, which is now considered the official founding date of Nahariya.
Nahariya was intended to be an agricultural village, but the residents soon realized that agriculture was impractical and chose to focus on tourism, taking advantage of the natural surroundings and beaches. During the British Mandate of Palestine, many British officers coming from Khartoum stopped in Nahariya.
Nahariya became a development town in the 1950s after the nearby ma'abara was integrated. The town hence become a home to many Jewish refugees from North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. During the 1990s, the city absorbed a significant number of immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Nahariya experienced a construction boom.
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Nazareth
Nazareth ( /ˈnæzərəθ/; Hebrew: נָצְרַת, Natzrat or Natzeret; Arabic: اَلنَّاصِرَة an-Nāṣira or an-Naseriyye) is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel"; the population is made up predominantly of Arab citizens of Israel, the majority of whom are Muslim. In the New Testament, the city is described as the childhood home of Jesus, and as such is a center of Christian pilgrimage, with many shrines commemorating biblical events.
Nazareth is not mentioned in pre-Christian texts and appears in many different Greek forms in the New Testament. There is no consensus regarding the origin of the name. One theory holds that "Nazareth" is derived from the Hebrew noun ne·ṣer, נֵ֫צֶר, meaning branch.Ne·ṣer is not the common Hebrew word for "branch," but one understood as a messianic title based on a passage in the Book of Isaiah. Alternatively, the name may derive from the verb na·ṣar, נָצַר, "watch, guard, keep." The negative references to Nazareth in the Gospel of John suggest that ancient Jews did not connect the town's name to prophecy.
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Negev
The Negev (Hebrew: נֶּגֶב, Tiberian vocalization: Néḡeḇ; Arabic: النقب al-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. 185,000), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort city of Eilat. It contains several development towns, including Dimona, Arad and Mitzpe Ramon, as well as a number of small Bedouin cities, including Rahat and Tel as-Sabi. There are also several kibbutzim, including Revivim and Sde Boker; the latter became the home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, after his retirement from politics.
The desert is home to the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, whose faculties include the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research and the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, both located on the Midreshet Ben-Gurion campus adjacent to Sde Boker.
The origin of the word negev is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'. In the Bible the word Negev is also used for the direction 'south'. In Arabic, the Negev is known as al-Naqab, although it was created with the establishment of the Egypt-Palestine frontier in the 19th century and has no single traditional Arabic name. During the British Mandate it was called Beersheba sub-district.
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Netanya
Netanya (Hebrew: נְתַנְיָה, lit., "gift of God"), sometimes spelled Nathania, is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located 30 km (18.64 mi) north of Tel Aviv, and 56 km (34.80 mi) south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north. Netanya was named in honor of Nathan Straus, a prominent Jewish American merchant and philanthropist in the early twentieth century.
Its 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) of beaches have made the city a very popular tourist resort. Today the city houses a notably large population of English-speaking immigrants from the United Kingdom, USA, and Canada.
According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 183,200. An additional 150,000 people live in the local and regional councils within 10 kilometers from Netanya which serves as a regional center for them. The city mayor is Miriam Feirberg. The city is expected to reach a population of 350,000 by 2020.
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Netivot
Netivot (Hebrew: נְתִיבוֹת) is a city in the Southern District of Israel in Israel. At the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 26,700. It was founded in 1956 as a development town along with Sderot to the north, and Ofakim to the south. Netivot attracts a number of mainly Sephardi Jewish pilgrims, who come to pray at the tomb of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, a Moroccan-born tzaddik and kabbalist known as the "Baba Sali" (died 1984) who is buried there.
According to CBS, in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.9% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population. There are 78 recent immigrants who are in their initial stages of absorption.
According to CBS, in 2001 there were 10,500 males and 10,600 females. The population of the city was spread out with 46.3% 19 years of age or younger, 16.2% between 20 and 29, 17.6% between 30 and 44, 10.4% from 45 to 59, 2.8% from 60 to 64, and 6.8% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 3.9%.
The city is ranked relatively low in the socioeconomic index (3 out of 10)
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Niš
Niš (Serbian: Ниш, pronounced [nîːʃ] ( listen)) is the largest city of southern Serbia and the third-largest city in Serbia (after Belgrade and Novi Sad). According to the preliminary results of the 2011 census, the city has an urban population of 182,208 inhabitants, while its municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of 597 km², including the urban core, town of Niška Banja and 68 suburbs. Niš is the administrative center of the Nišava District.
It is one of the oldest cities in the Balkans and Europe, and has from ancient times been considered a gateway between the East and the West. The Paleo-Balkan Thracians first inhabited the area in the Iron Age, and Triballians dwelled here prior to the Celtic invasion in 279 BC which established the Scordisci as masters of the region. Modern-day Niš was among the cities taken in the Roman conquest in 75 BC. The Romans built the Via Militaris in the 1st century, with Naissus being one of the key towns. Niš is also notable as the birthplace of Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman Emperor and the founder of Constantinople, as well as two other Roman emperors, Constantius III and Justin I. It is home to one of Serbia's oldest churches dating to the 4th century AD in the suburb of Mediana.
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Ofakim
Ofakim (Hebrew: אֳפָקִים), (lit. "horizons") is a city in southern Israel, 20 kilometers west of Beersheba. It was founded as a development town on April 19, 1955. In 2008, Ofakim had a population of 24,800. The mayor is Zvika Greengold.
Ofakim was established as a regional center for the rural communities in the area. The early residents were Jewish immigrants from North Africa and India.
In 2001, the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.7% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population. There were 11,200 males and 11,800 females – 41.8% 19 years of age or younger, 14.5% between 20 and 29, 18.5% between 30 and 44, 12.5% from 45 to 59, 3.6% from 60 to 64, and 9.1% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 0.6%.
About 30 percent of the residents are ultra-Orthodox, many of them newly observant. Another 30 percent are immigrants, mostly from the former Soviet Union. The rest are descendants of the founding generation, immigrants from North Africa and India who arrived in the town in the 1950s and 1960s. Ofakim also has a small community of Ethiopian Jews.
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Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva (Hebrew: פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, IPA: [ˈpetaħ tiqˈva], "Opening of Hope") known as Em HaMoshavot ("Mother of the Moshavot"), is a city in the Center District of Israel, 10.6 km (6.59 mi) east of Tel Aviv.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately 5,800 inhabitants per square kilometre (15,000 /sq mi). Petah Tikva's jurisdiction covers 35,868 dunams (~35.9 km² or 15 sq mi).
The name of Petach Tikva was chosen by its founders in 1878 from the prophecy of Hosea (2:15), "And I will give her vineyards from thence, and the Valley of Achor for an opening of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt."
Petach Tikva's emblem appears on a postage stamp designed by Yitzhak Goldenhirsch, a founding member of Petah Tikva. The plow symbolizes Petach Tikva's origins as an agricultural settlement, the field symbolizes the drying of the Yarkon River swamps and cultivation of the land, and the orange tree symbolizes Petach Tikva's citrus industry, starting with the first tree planted by Rabbi Arye Leib Frumkin.
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Rafah
Rafah (Arabic: رفح), also known as Rafiah, is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. Located 30 kilometers (19 mi) south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,003 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. Rafah camp and Tall as-Sultan form separate localities. Rafah is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate. Yasser Arafat International Airport, Gaza's only airport, is located just south of the city; the airport operated from 1998 to 2001, when it was bombed and bulldozed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) after the killing of Israeli soldiers by members of Hamas. Rafah is the site of the Rafah Border Crossing, the only crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Over the ages it has been known as "Robihwa" by the ancient Egyptians, "Rafihu" by the Assyrians, "Ῥαφία, Rhaphia" by the Greeks, "Raphia" by Romans, "Raphiaḥ" [pronounced Rafiach] by the Israelites, "Rafh" by the Arab Caliphate.
Rafah has a history stretching back thousands of years. It was first recorded in an inscription of Egyptian Pharaoh Seti I, from 1303 BCE as Rph, and as the first stop on Pharaoh Shoshenq I's campaign to the Levant in 925 BC. In 720 BCE it was the site of the Assyrian king Sargon II's victory over the Egyptians, and in 217 BC the Battle of Raphia was fought between the victorious Ptolemy IV and Antiochus III. (It is said to be one of the largest battles ever fought in the Levant, with over a hundred thousand soldiers and hundreds of elephants).
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Rahat
Rahat (Hebrew: רַהַט, Arabic: راهط) is a predominantly Bedouin city in the South District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 51,700. As such, it is the largest Bedouin settlement in the world, and the only one in Israel to have city status.
Rahat was established in 1972, by the government of Israel, as a new settlement for Bedouins who lived in the surrounding area without permanent domicile. Until 1980, Rahat was part of the Bnei Shimon Regional Council and from then on (until 1994) it was a local council (administered by a private board until 1989). In 1994 it was recognized as a city—the first Bedouin city in Israel.
The city has a total of 33 neighborhoods. All but one of the neighborhoods consist entirely of separate Bedouin clans but one is a mixed-clan neighborhood. Between every neighborhood, there is a wadi. The city also has a market, public and commercial services, neighborhood parks, public areas, women's employment centers, children's play areas, and several mosques.
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Railway to Beersheba
The Railway to Beersheba (Hebrew: מסילת הרכבת לבאר שבע, Mesilat HaRakevet LiV'er Sheva) is the common name for the railroad which currently stretches from central Israel to the Zin Factories (Mount Zin) in southern Israel, with spurs to the Be'er Sheva Center Railway Station, Ramat Hovav and the Arad phosphate mines and factories in Tzefa. It is part of the main line of Israel Railways, of which the northern starting point of the line designated as the line to Beersheba is usually indicated as beginning at Na'an junction, where the railway splits to Beersheba and Jerusalem. Because the line is not limited to Beersheba, it is often called the Southern Railway in Israeli context.
Since the opening of the Dimona Railway Station in 2005, it has been used for passenger service from Nahariya to Be'er Sheba Center and from Be'er Sheva North to Dimona. The other two spurs are used exclusively for freight services.
The railway traces its origins to the Ottoman rule in Palestine and the Sinai and Palestine military campaign of World War I. The main Turkish objective in the Middle East during WWI was to either capture or disable the Suez Canal, which would have put the British Empire at a great disadvantage. However, transporting troops and supplies from Constantinople to the front lines took months by camel caravan.
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Ramat Gan
Ramat Gan (Hebrew: רָמַת גַּן (audio) (help·info)) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of Tel Aviv. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, many high-tech industries, and Israel's tallest building, the Moshe Aviv Tower.
Ramat Gan was established in 1921 as a moshava, a communal farming settlement. At the end of 2009, the population was 145,000. The mayor of Ramat Gan is Zvi Bar.
Ramat Gan was established by the Ir Ganim association in 1921 as a satellite town of Tel Aviv. The first plots of land were purchased between 1914–1918. The settlement was initially a moshava, a Zionist agricultural colony that grew wheat, barley and watermelons. The name of the settlement was changed to Ramat Gan (lit: Garden Heights) in 1923. The settlement continued to operate as a moshava until 1933, although it achieved local council status in 1926. At this time it had 450 residents. In the 1940s, Ramat Gan became a battleground in the country's language war: A Yiddish language printing press in Ramat Gan was blown up by Hebrew-language extremists.
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Rambam Square
The Rambam Square Towers are a complex of two residential skyscrapers in the Israeli city of Beersheba. Rambam Square 1 was completed in 2001, and is 100 meters high, with 26 floors. It was the tallest tower in the city until the completion of Rambam Square 2 in 2003. This tower is 112 meters high with 32 floors and is the tallest residential tower outside of the Gush Dan Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area.
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Ramla
Ramla (Hebrew: רַמְלָה Ramlāh; Arabic: الرملة ar-Ramlah, also Ramlah,Ramle, Remle and sometimes Rama), is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region. Ramla lies along the route of the Via Maris, connecting old Cairo (Fustat) with Damascus, at the intersection of the roads connecting the port of Jaffa with Jerusalem.
It was conquered many times in the course of its history, by the Abbasids, the Ikhshidids, the Fatamids, the Seljuqs, the Crusaders, the Mameluks, the Turks, the British, and the Israelis. After an outbreak of the Black Death in 1347, which greatly reduced the population, an order of Franciscan monks established a presence in the city. Under Arab and Ottoman rule the city became an important trade center. Napoleon's French Army occupied it in 1799 on its way to Acre.
Most of the town's Arab residents were expelled or fled during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War while others remained in the town. The town was subsequently repopulated by Jewish immigrants. In 2001, 80% of the population were Jewish and 20% Arab (16% Muslim Arabs and 4% Christian Arabs).
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Rehovot
Rehovot (Hebrew: רְחוֹבוֹת) is a city in the Center District of Israel, about 20 km (12 mi) south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 112,700. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.
Rehovot was built on the site of Doron, a Jewish community that existed in the time of the Mishna. The site was also the location of Khirbet Duran, populated during the Roman, Byzantine and early Arab periods. The city is named after a biblical town of the same name (Rehoboth in the KJV Bible), which stood at a different location, in the Negev Desert.[citation needed]
Rehovot was founded in 1890, in the coastal plain relatively sparsely settled by Arabs, by Polish Jews who wanted a township independent of the Baron Edmond James de Rothschild's aid and management. Israel Belkind, one of the original founders of the settlement, proposed the name Rehovot (lit. 'wide expanses') based on Genesis 26:22 : "And he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said: 'For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.'" The name was accepted. In 1908 they were joined by immigrants from Yemen, who settled in the city's Sha'arayim district. These early settlers planted vineyards, almond orchards and citrus groves. They withstood agricultural failures, plant diseases, and marketing problems.
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Rishon LeZion
Rishon LeZion (Hebrew: רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן (audio) (help·info), lit. First to Zion), is the fourth-largest city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain 12 kilometers south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area.
The city had a population of 228,200 at the end of 2009. Founded in 1882 by European Jewish immigrants, it was the second Jewish farm colony established in Land of Israel in the 19th century, after Petah Tikva.
The name Rishon LeZion is derived from a biblical verse: "First to Zion are they, and I shall give herald to Jerusalem" (Hebrew: ראשון לציון הנה הינם, ולירושלים מבשר אתן) (Isaiah 41:27) and literally translates as "First to Zion".
Rishon LeZion was founded on July 31, 1882 by ten Hovevei Zion pioneers from Kharkov, Ukraine (then the Russian Empire) headed by Zalman David Levontin. Reuven Yudalevich was also a member of the group. The pioneers purchased 835 acres (337.91 ha) of land southeast of present-day Tel Aviv, part of the townland of the Arab village of Ayun Kara (literally ' fountain of the crier'). Ayun Kara was the scene of a bloody battle between Turkish and New Zealand troops on November 14, 1917. A stone cenotaph was erected by the people of Rishon LeZion to the memory of the New Zealanders who fell that day, but it has since been destroyed.
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Romania
Romania (i/roʊˈmeɪniə/ roh-MAY-nee-ə; dated: Roumania; or Rumania;Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a] ( listen)) is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south.
At 238,400 square kilometers (92,000 sq mi), Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union by area, and has the seventh largest population of the European Union with over 19 million people. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, the tenth largest city in the EU with about two million people.
The Kingdom of Romania emerged when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were united under Prince Alexander Ioan Cuza in 1859. Independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared on 9 May 1877, and was internationally recognized the following year. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the Kingdom of Romania. Greater Romania emerged into an era of progression and prosperity that would continue until World War II. By the end of the War, many north-eastern areas of Romania's territories were occupied by the Soviet Union, and Romania forcibly became a socialist republic and a member of the Warsaw Pact.
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Sderot
Sderot /sdɛˈʁɔt/ (Hebrew: שְדֵרוֹת) is a western Negev city in the Southern District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2011 the city had a total population of 24,000. The city has been an ongoing target of Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip for more than 10 years, almost every day.
Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza (the closest point is 840 meters).The constant barrage of rocket attacks on the city has killed 13 Israelis[update], wounded dozens, caused millions of dollars in damage and profoundly disrupted daily life. The frequent air-raid sirens and explosions of incoming projectiles have caused severe psychological trauma. From mid-June 2007 to mid-February 2008, 771 rockets and 857 mortar bombs were fired at Sderot and the western Negev, an average of three or four each a day.
Sderot was founded in 1951 as a transit camp for Mizrahi Jewish refugees (including Kurdish, Morrocan and Persian) who had fled to Israel as part of the Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries. They lived in tents and shacks before permanent housing was completed for them in 1954. It was built on semi-arid lands, that was farm land associated with the Arab village of Najd which was located a few miles to the south of Sderot. In 1956, Sderot was recognized as a local council.
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Seattle
Seattle (pronounced /siːˈætɫ̩/ ( listen) see-AT-əl or /siːˈæɾɫ̩/) is the county seat of King County, in the U.S. state of Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country. The city is a major coastal seaport situated on a narrow isthmus between Puget Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about 114 miles (183 km) south of the Canada–United States border. In 2010, Seattle was the sixth busiest port in the United States, serving as a major gateway for trade with Asia.
The Seattle area had been inhabited by Native Americans for at least 4,000 years before the first permanent white settlers.Arthur A. Denny and his group of travelers, subsequently known as the Denny Party, arrived at Alki Point on November 13, 1851. The settlement was moved to its current site and renamed "Seattle" in 1853, after Chief Seattle of the local Duwamish and Suquamish tribes.
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Serbia
Serbiai/ˈsɜrbiə/, officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: Република Србија / Republika Srbija, pronounced [rɛpǔblika sř̩bija]), is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans. Serbia borders Hungary to the north; Romania and Bulgaria to the east; the Republic of Macedonia to the south; and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the west; additionally, it borders Albania through Kosovo, whose status as part of Serbia is disputed. Serbia covers an area of 88,361 km2 and has a population of just over 7.1 million, while the capital and largest city is Belgrade.
The arrival of the Serbs to the Balkans in the 7th century, established several states, eventually forming the Serbian Empire in the 14th century. By the 16th century, Serbia was conquered and occupied by the Ottoman Empire, at times interrupted by the Habsburgs. In the early 19th century the Serbian revolution re-established the country as the region's first constitutional monarchy, which subsequently expanded its territory and pioneered the abolition of feudalism in the Balkans. The former Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina united with Serbia in 1918. Following World War I, Serbia formed Yugoslavia with other South Slavic peoples which existed in several forms up until 2006, when the National Assembly of Serbia declared independence and the legal succession to the former State Union. In February 2008 the parliament of UNMIK-governed Kosovo, Serbia's southern province, declared independence, with mixed responses from international governments.
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Soviet Union
The Soviet Union (Russian: Советский Союз, tr. Sovetsky Soyuz), officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR; Russian: Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик, tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik; IPA: [sɐˈjus sɐˈvʲetskʲɪx sətsɨəlʲɪˈstʲitɕɪskʲɪx rʲɪsˈpublʲɪk] ( listen); abbreviated СССР, SSSR), was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991.
The Soviet Union was a single-party state ruled by the Communist Party from its foundation until 1990. A union of 15 subnational Soviet republics, the Soviet state was structured under a highly centralized government and economy.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 caused the downfall of the Russian Empire. Following the Russian Revolution, there was a struggle for power between the Bolshevik party, led by Vladimir Lenin, and the anti-communist White movement. In December 1922, the Bolsheviks won the civil war, and the Soviet Union was formed with the merger of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.
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Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, officially Tel Aviv-Yafo (Hebrew: תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ; Arabic: تل أبيب), is the second most populous city in Israel. It has a population of 404,400 within city limits, on a land area of 52 km2 (20 sq mi). The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in central-west Israel. In 2010, it was the largest and most populous city in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area of 3,325,700 residents, known as Gush Dan. The city is governed by the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality, headed by Ron Huldai. Residents of Tel Aviv are referred to as Tel Avivim.
Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 by the Jewish Community of Jaffa (Hebrew: יָפוֹ Yafo; Arabic: يافا Yāfā), on the outskirts of the ancient port city. The growth of Tel Aviv soon outpaced Jaffa, which had a majority Arab population at the time. Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged into a single municipality in 1950, two years after the establishment of the State of Israel. Tel Aviv's White City, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, comprises the world's largest concentration of Bauhaus buildings.
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Tel Aviv District
The Tel Aviv District (Hebrew: מחוז תל אביב; Arabic: منطقة تل أبيب) is the smallest and most densely populated of six administrative districts of Israel with a population of 1.2 million residents. It is 99.0% Jewish and 1.0% Arab (0.7% Muslim, 0.3% Christian)[citation needed].
The district's capital is Tel Aviv and the metropolitan area created by the Tel Aviv district and its neighboring cities is named Gush Dan.
Coordinates: 32°05′N 34°48′E / 32.083°N 34.8°E / 32.083; 34.8
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Tel Aviv University
Tel-Aviv University (TAU) (Hebrew: אוניברסיטת תל־אביב Universitat Tel Aviv) is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.
Located in Israel's cultural, financial and industrial core, Tel Aviv University is a major center of teaching and research, comprising 9 faculties, 27 schools, 98 departments and 128 research institutes and centers. Its origins go back to 1956, when three research institutes – the Tel Aviv School of Law and Economics, the Institute of Natural Sciences, and the Institute of Jewish Studies – joined together to form the University of Tel Aviv. Initially operated by the Tel Aviv municipality, the university was granted autonomy in 1963. The Ramat Aviv campus, covering an area of 170-acre (0.69 km2), was established that same year.
The university also maintains academic supervision over the Center for Technological Design in Holon, the New Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, and the Afeka College of Engineering in Tel Aviv. The Wise Observatory is located in Mitzpe Ramon.
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Turkey
Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( Türkiye Cumhuriyeti (help·info)), is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia (mostly in the Anatolian peninsula) and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between East Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.
Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. The vast majority of the population are Muslims. The country's official language is Turkish, whereas Kurdish and Zazaki languages are spoken by Kurds and Zazas, who constitute 18% of the population.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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Vasermil Stadium
The Arthur Vasermil Municipal Stadium, commonly known as the Vasermil Stadium, is a football stadium in Beersheba, Israel. The stadium is designed as an open bowl (though a small part of one side has cover), and formerly had a running track, though this has now been bricked over. The stadium is all-seated, and the capacity is 13,000. The 2007 film Vasermil is set in Beersheva and named for the stadium.
It has been the home stadium of Hapoel Be'er Sheva since its construction and opening in 1960. During the 2005–06 season, it also served as the home ground for Maccabi Be'er Sheva for their Liga Leumit campaign whose primary pitch capacity does not meet the Leumit minimum. Maccabi returned to their grounds with their relegation back to Liga Artzit.
The Israel national team hosted the U.S. at the stadium in an international friendly on November 15, 1973. Israel defeated the US, 2-0 in front of 3,000 spectators.
The stadium has hosted European football, as Hapoel played in the UEFA Cup in 1994–95 and 1995–96 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1997–98. By far the most illustrious visitors were Barcelona, who left the Vasermil Stadium with a 7–0 victory.
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Wadi
Wadi (Arabic: وادي wādī; also: Vadi) is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.
In North Africa the transcription Oued, pronounced as Wad, is used. The term kouri is used in Hausa speaking and surrounding areas of West Africa. The Hebrew term nahal (נחל) and Hindi/Urdu term "Nala" is synonymous in meaning and usage.
Some names of Spanish locations are derived from Andalusian Arabic toponyms where wādī was used to mean a permanent river, for example: Guadalcanal, Guadalajara from wādī al-hidjārah = "river of stones", or Guadalquivir from al-wādī al-kabīr = "the great river". Seasonal streams, frequent in south-east Spain, are called rambla instead.
The term wādī is very widely found in Arabic toponyms.
Modern English usage differentiates a wadi from another canyon or wash by the action and prevalence of water. Wadis, as drainage courses, are formed by water, but are distinguished from river valleys or gullies in that surface water is intermittent or ephemeral. Wadis, cut by stream in a desert environment, generally are dry year round except after a rain. The desert environment is characterized by a sudden but infrequent heavy rainfall often resulting in flash floods. Crossing wadis at certain times of the year can be dangerous because of unexpected flash floods. Such flash floods cause several deaths each year in North America and many Middle Eastern countries.
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West Bank
The West Bank (Arabic: الضفة الغربية aḍ-Ḍaffah l-Ġarbiyyah, Hebrew: הגדה המערבית, HaGadah HaMa'aravit also known as Hebrew: יהודה והשומרון Yehuda ve-Ha'Shomron (Judea and Samaria)) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The West Bank also contains a significant coastline along the western bank of the Dead Sea. Since 1967, most of the West Bank has been under Israeli military occupation and is referred to as Judea and Samaria Area by Israel. A smaller part of the West Bank is administered by the Israeli civilian authorities as part of Jerusalem District.
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Winnipeg
Winnipegi/ˈwɪnɪpɛɡ/ is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers (a point commonly known as The Forks).
The name "Winnipeg" comes from the Cree for "muddy waters". The Winnipeg area was a trading centre for Aboriginal peoples prior to the arrival of Europeans. The first fort was built there in 1738 by French traders. A settlement was later founded by the Selkirk settlers in 1812, the nucleus of which was incorporated as the City of Winnipeg in 1873 with a population of 1,869. Winnipeg is the seventh-largest municipality in Canada, with a population of 663,617 in the Canada 2011 Census.
Winnipeg has a diversified economy, with sectors in finance, manufacturing, food and beverage production, culture, retail and tourism. Winnipeg is a major transportation hub, served by Richardson International Airport. The city has railway connections to the United States and Eastern and Western Canada through three Class I rail carriers.
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Yeruham
Yeruham (Hebrew: יְרוּחָם, יְרוֹחַם, Yeroham) is a town (local council) in the Southern District of Israel, in the Negev desert. It covers 38,584 dunams (~38.6 km²) and had a population of 9,400 in 2006. It is named after the Biblical Jeroham. The mayor of Yeruham was Amram Mitzna but his term ended in early 2011, and he was succeeded by Michael Bitton of Kadima, who was elected mayor in November 2010.
For many years, Yeruham was economically depressed and suffered from image problems, but major efforts to improve the quality of life are under way.
Yeruham is the site of Tel Rahma, dating back to the 10th century BCE. On the outskirts of Yeruham is an ancient well, Be'er Rahma (באר רחמה). Some archeologists have identified it as the well where the biblical Hagar drew water for her son Ishmael.
Modern Yeruham was founded on January 9, 1951 as Kfar Yeruham (Hebrew: כְּפַר יְרֻחָם). It was one of Israel's first development towns, created to settle frontier areas in the early days of the state. It was located near the Large Makhtesh, an area thought at the time to be rich with natural resources.
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Abimelech
Two pictures by Wenceslaus Hollar
Abimelech (also spelled Abimelek or Avimelech; Hebrew: אֲבִימֶלֶךְ / אֲבִימָלֶךְ, Modern Aviméleḫ / Avimáleḫ Tiberian ʼĂḇîméleḵ / ʼĂḇîmāleḵ ; "father/leader of a king; my father/leader, a king") was a common name of the Philistine kings.
Abimelech was most prominently the name of a king of Gerar who is mentioned in two of the three wife-sister narratives in Genesis. The Haggada identifies them as separate people, the second being the first Abimelech's son, and that his original name was Benmelech ("son of the King") but changed his name to his father's. At the time of Abimelech, there was an Egyptian governor of Tyre named Abimilki. They could possibly be the same person. Abimilki's name appears on the Amarna tablets.
Abimelech's name has three main translations, though none treats the name as being completely Hebrew, and all are slightly contorted. The first is my father is king, which could be considered simply as a generic title given to a crown prince. This is supported in the Haggada when "Benmelech" son of Abimelech changes his name to Abimelech when he becomes king. The other two are more interesting, both essentially being my father is MLK, with MLK being the reference found elsewhere in the Bible in prohibitions such as do not pass your children through the fire to MLK, in which case the following possibilities arise:
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Abraham
Abraham (Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם (help·info), Modern: Avraham, Tiberian: ʼAḇrāhām, Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom, Arabic: إبراهيم Ibrāhīm, Ge'ez: አብርሃም ʼAbrəham, Greek: Aβραάμ, Russian: Авраам), whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. According to both the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, through his sons Ishmael and Isaac, Abraham is the forefather of many tribes, namely the Ishmaelites, Israelites, Midianites and Edomites. Abraham was a descendant of Noah's son, Shem. Christians believe that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham through Isaac, and Muslims believe that Muhammad was a descendant of Abraham through Ishmael. Abraham is notable for his advocation and promotion of monotheism.
The Book of Genesis narrative that records the life of Abraham presents his role as one that could only be fulfilled through a monotheistic covenant established between him and God. The Qur'an has stories about Abraham and his offspring that are similar to the Bible's. In Islam, Abraham is recognised as a prophet, patriarch and messenger, archetype of the perfect Muslim, and reformer of the Kaaba.
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Almog Cohen
Almog Cohen (Hebrew: אלמוג כהן, born 1 September 1988) is an Israeli footballer currently playing for 1. FC Nuremberg in the Bundesliga.
Cohen began his career with Beitar Tubruk and signed for Maccabi Netanya in summer 2006. In February 2010, Maccabi Netanya F.C. confirmed that he was set to join 1. FC Nuremberg in the 2010 summer transfer window. He made his league debut for the club on the third day of the 2010–11 Bundesliga season, starting Nuremberg's match at Hamburg. Coincidentally, his debut goal in the Bundesliga was also against Hamburg, Nuremberg won the game 2–0 with Almog Cohen scoring the second goal of the match.
He has represented the Israel national under-21 football team and now plays for the Israel national football team.
As of 29 January 2012 (2012 -01-29)[update].
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Amalek
Amalek (Hebrew: עֲמָלֵק, Modern Amalek Tiberian ʻĂmālēq) is a figure in the Hebrew Bible. According to the Book of Genesis and 1 Chronicles, Amalek was the son of Eliphaz and of the concubine Timna. Timna was a Horite and sister of Lotan. Amalek was the grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:12; 1 Chr. 1:36) who was the chief of an Edomite tribe (Gen. 36:16).
At Genesis 36:16, Amalek is described as the "chief of Amalek", and thus his name can be construed to refer to a clan or a territory over which he ruled. Josephus calls him a 'bastard' (νόθος), though in a derogative sense.A late extra-Biblical tradition, recorded by Nachmanides, maintains that the Amalekites were not descended from the grandson of Esau but from a man named Amalek, from whom the grandson took his name. An eponymous ancestor of the Amalekites is also mentioned in Old Arabian poetry.[citation needed]
The Amalekites were a people mentioned a number of times in the book of Genesis, and considered to be Amalek's descendents. In the chant of Balaam at Numbers,24:20, Amalek was called the 'first of the nations', attesting to high antiquity.
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Anat Draigor
Anat Draigor (b. 22 March 1960 in Beersheba, Israel) is a professional basketball player who in 2006 set the Guinness world record for the number of points scored in a single game by a female. On April 6, 2006, 46-year-old Draigor of Israel set that record by scoring 136 points in a single game. The record occurred during a game between Draigor's Mate Yehuda and Elitzur Givat Shmuel in third basketball league. (Overall: 158-41).
Draigor started to play basketball when she was 14 years old.[citation needed]
Draigor played professionally from the season 1985-86 until 1993-94. She played most of her career in Israel, in the team of Elitzur Holon, and played in France in 2 occasions: in 1980-81, in Clermont-Ferrand (where she took the French championship); and in 1991-92 in Racing club de Paris.[citation needed]
Until the early nineties, the female Israeli basketball primary league was closed to foreign players; and when the league officials allowed foreign players to participate, it was Draigor's big challenge to test her abilities against American and Eastern Europe professionals. Anat remained one of the leading scorer and rebounder in the league until her retirement from professional playing.[citation needed]
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Avishay Braverman
Avishay Braverman (Hebrew: אבישי ברוורמן, born 15 January 1948) is an Israeli economist and politician. A former president of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, he is currently a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party. Between 2009 and 2011 he served as Minister of Minorities.
Braverman studied statistics and economics in Tel Aviv University and received his PhD in economics from Stanford. After serving as a senior official in the World Bank in Washington, specializing in economic development with an emphasis on social justice, Braverman returned to Israel to become president of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev for the next sixteen years. He was well regarded in this position and received an award from the city of Be'er Sheva for his work.
In November 2005, Braverman announced his intention to become involved in politics. Despite rumors that he would join Kadima, in a move viewed as surprising, he ended up joining Labor. He was elected to the Knesset in the 2006 elections. Within the party, he was inititally associated with Amir Peretz and later with Ami Ayalon.
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Dani Karavan
Dani Karavan (Hebrew: דני קרוון, born 1930 ) is an Israeli sculptor best known for site specific memorials and monuments which merge into the environment.
Daniel (Dani) Karavan was born in Tel Aviv. His father Abraham was the chief landscape architect of Tel Aviv from the 1940s to the 1960s. At the age of 14 Karavan began studying painting. In 1943, he studied with Marcel Janco in Tel Aviv and from 1943 to 1949 at the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem. After living on a kibbutz from 1948 to 1955, he returned to art. From 1956 to 1957 he studied fresco technique at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Florence and drawing at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris.
Karavan made permanent installations in the form of wall reliefs in Israeli courts and research institutions. Examples of his artwork for courts are the 1966 Jerusalem City of Peace wall relief in the Knesset assembly hall and the environmental sculptures comprising 35 wall reliefs & iron sculpture made between 1962 and 1967 at the Court of Justice in Tel Aviv. For the Weizmann Institute of Science he made the From the Tree of Knowledge to the Tree of Life wall relief in 1964 and the Memorial to the Holocaust in 1972.
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David
David (Hebrew: דָּוִד, דָּוִיד, Modern David Tiberian Dāwîḏ; ISO 259-3 Dawid; Strong's Daveed; beloved; Arabic: داوود or داود Dāwūd) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the second king of the United Kingdom of Israel and, according to the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, an ancestor of Jesus. David is seen as a major Prophet in Islamic traditions. His life is conventionally dated to c. 1040–970 BC, his reign over Judah c. 1010–1003 BC,[citation needed] and his reign over the United Kingdom of Israel c. 1003–970 BC.[citation needed] The Books of Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles are the only sources of information on David, although the Tel Dan stele records "House of David", which some take as confirmation of the existence in the mid-9th century BC of a Judean royal dynasty called the "House of David".
David is very important to Jewish, Christian and Islamic doctrine and culture. In Judaism, David, or David HaMelekh, is the King of Israel, and the Jewish people. Jewish tradition maintains that a direct descendant of David will be the Messiah. In Islam, he is known as Dawud, considered to be a prophet and the king of a nation. He is depicted as a righteous king, though not without faults, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician, and poet, traditionally credited for composing many of the psalms contained in the Book of Psalms.
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David Tuviyahu
David Tuviyahu (Hebrew: דוד טוביהו; 1898–1975) was the first mayor of the Israeli city of Beersheba.
Appointed in 1950 when Beersheba was small dusty town in the Negev, Tuviyahu oversaw the development of the city, including the connection to the electricity grid, the national road network and mass housing building for the many new immigrants, particularly those from North Africa, who were living in nearby tent cities. He also oversaw the construction of the Soroka Medical Center and helped establish the Negev University, later renamed in honor of David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister and a proponent of developing the Negev desert.
He was succeeded in 1961 by Ze'ev Zrizi. Today one of the city's main streets (heading west in the direction of Ofakim and Sderot) is named in his honour.
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Eli Zizov
Eli Zizov (Hebrew: אלי זיזוב; born 30 January 1991 in Beersheba) is an Israeli footballer who currently plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Zizov is of paternal Georgian Jewish descent.
When he was six years old, he joined the Maccabi Tel Aviv academy. Zizov has briefly trained with FC Barcelona and was a target of Chelsea F.C., but eventually he joined Levski Sofia, with whom he has already played an official match in the A PFG: against PFC Rodopa Smolyan in September 2006 when he was 16 years, 2 month and 15 days old and thus he became the youngest foreign player making an appearance in the Bulgarian Championship.
Zizov decided to return to Israel, because he refused to sign a contract with PFC Levski Sofia, due to disagreements regarding his salary and playing opportunities.
In January 2010, he made his debut for the Portuguese side Sporting Clube de Braga senior team in a Taça da Liga game against U.D. Leiria.
On 3 July 2011, he signed with the Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Zizov can play as a winger, striker or second striker.
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Elijah
Elijah ( /ɨˈlaɪdʒə/; also Elias /ɨˈlaɪ.əs/; Hebrew: אֱלִיָּהוּ, Eliyahu, meaning "Yahweh is my God";Arabic:إلياس, Ilyās), was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings.
According to the Books of Kings, Elijah defended the worship of Yahweh over that of the Phoenician god Baal; he raised the dead, brought fire down from the sky, and was taken up in a whirlwind (either accompanied by a chariot and horses of flame or riding in it). In the Book of Malachi, Elijah's return is prophesied "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord," making him a harbinger of the Messiah and the eschaton in various faiths that revere the Hebrew Bible. Derivative references to Elijah appear in the Talmud, Mishnah, the New Testament, and the Qur'an.
In Judaism, Elijah's name is invoked at the weekly Havdalah ritual that marks the end of Shabbat, and Elijah is invoked in other Jewish customs, among them the Passover seder and the Brit milah (ritual circumcision). He appears in numerous stories and references in the Haggadah and rabbinic literature, including the Babylonian Talmud.
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Eliyahu Nawi
Eliyahu Nawi (Hebrew: אליהו נאווי, born 1920) is a former judge, lawyer, poet, Politician, Bible investigator, and mayor of Beersheba. He was born in Basra, Iraq, and started his public career in 1947.
Nawi served in the Israel Defense Forces and attained the rank of major in the intelligence services. He later became a judge in the Beersheba magistrates' court.
Prior to the 1963 municipal elections in Beersheba, the leadership of Mapai chose Nawi to head the party's electoral list in Beersheba. Nawi was chosen both for his formal education and his Iraqi descent, important in light of ethnic tensions in the city at the time. During his election campaign, Nawi rejected the notion that he was chosen for his ethnic background, but twelve years later wrote that this had been in fact the reason. In the election, held on August 28, 1963, Nawi won against David Hakham, then deputy mayor and himself a former Mapai member, and Ze'ev Zrizi of Mapam. Nawi continued his tenure until 1986. During most of his tenure, Ze'ev Zrizi served as his deputy.
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Elyaniv Barda
Elyaniv Felix Barda (Hebrew: אליניב פליקס ברדה), born December 15, 1981 in Beersheba, Israel) is an Israeli football forward and winger. Formerly a player for Israeli clubs Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv, he is currently contracted to Belgian club Racing Genk. He is also a member of the Israel national football team.
Barda began through the youth ranks of his hometown team, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and then the first team. Between 1998 and 2002, which included seasons in both the Israeli Premier League and the second division, he scored 19 goals in 78 matches.
In 2003, Barda transferred to Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa, who went on to win the next three championships. At Maccabi Haifa, Barda played in the championship winning teams of 2003-04 and 2004-05. In two seasons at Maccabi Haifa, the forward scored 12 goals in 63 appearances.
On the eve of the 2005-06 Israeli season, Barda, along with Haifa teammate Walid Badir, was signed by Hapoel Tel Aviv. Barda played 62 matches for Hapoel Tel Aviv, scoring on 17 occasions. He also scored 3 goals in Hapoel's successful 2006-07 UEFA Cup campaign, where the Israeli team progressed past the group stages. Barda won silverware at Hapoel when he was a member of two Israel State Cup winning sides; in the 2005-06 season and the 2006-07 season.
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Gary Karr
Gary Karr b. November 20, 1941 in Los Angeles, California, is an American classical double bass virtuoso and teacher.
Although he comes from seven generations of bassists, he was not encouraged by them to go into music. In an interview with ActiveBass magazine he said that he has no contact with the professional bassists in his family.
His major teachers include Herman Reinshagen and Stuart Sankey, with whom he studied at the Aspen Music Festival and the Juilliard School. Karr's breakthrough came in 1962, when he was featured as a soloist in a nationally televised New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. On that famous telecast, Karr performed "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. Karr also recorded the piece with Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. He has since appeared as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, and with all the major orchestras of Australia. He has premiered new works written for him by Gunther Schuller (Concerto for Double Bass), Hans Werner Henze (Concerto for Double Bass), Vittorio Giannini (Psalm CXX), Alec Wilder (Sonata for Double Bass and Piano and Suite for Double Bass and Guitar), John Downey (Concerto for Double Bass), Ketil Hvoslef (Concerto for Double Bass), and Robert Xavier Rodriguez (Ursa, Four Seasons for Double Bass and Orchestra). Gary Karr is known as one of the best bassists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
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Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon (June 20, 1954 – February 1, 2003; Hebrew: אילן רמון, born Ilan Wolferman) was a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, and later the first Israeli astronaut.
Ramon was the space shuttle payload specialist of STS-107, the fatal mission of Columbia, in which he and six other crew members were killed in the re-entry accident. Ramon is the only foreign recipient of the United States Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
Ramon was born in Ramat Gan, Israel, and grew up in Beersheba. His mother and grandmother were survivors of the Auschwitz concentration camp. His first name, Ilan, means "tree" in Hebrew. Ilan changed his last name from Wolferman when he joined the IAF just as many other Israeli aviators.
Ramon graduated from high school in 1972. In 1987, he graduated with a B.Sc. degree in electronics and computer engineering from Tel Aviv University.
Ilan Ramon was a Colonel (Aluf Mishne) and fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, with thousands of hours flying experience. In 1974, he graduated as a fighter pilot from the Israel Air Force (IAF) Flight School. From 1974–76 he participated in A-4 Basic Training and Operations. 1976–80 was spent in Mirage III-C training and operations. In 1980, as one of the IAF's establishment team of the first F-16 Squadron in Israel, he attended the F-16 Training Course at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. From 1981–83, he served as the Deputy Squadron Commander B, F-16 Squadron.
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Isaac
Isaac ( /ˈaɪzək/;Hebrew: יִצְחָק, Modern Yitsẖak Tiberian Yiṣḥāq, ISO 259-3 Yiçḥaq, "he will laugh"; Yiddish: יצחק, Yitskhok; Ancient Greek: Ἰσαάκ, Isaak; Latin: Isaac; Arabic: إسحاق or Arabic: إسحٰقʼIsḥāq) as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites. According to the Book of Genesis, Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, and Sarah was beyond childbearing years.
Isaac was the only biblical patriarch whose name was not changed, and the only one who did not leave Canaan. Compared to those of Abraham and Jacob, Isaac's story relates fewer incidents of his life. He died when he was 180 years old, making him the longest-lived patriarch.
The anglicized name Isaac is a transliteration of the Hebrew term Yiṣḥāq which literally means "He laughs/will laugh."Ugaritic texts dating from the 13th century BCE refer to the benevolent smile of the Canaanite deity El. Genesis, however, ascribes the laughter to Isaac's parents, Abraham and Sarah, rather than El. According to the biblical narrative, Abraham fell on his face and laughed when Elohim imparted the news of their son's eventual birth. He laughed because Sarah was past the age of childbearing; both she and Abraham were advanced in age. Later, when Sarah overheard three messengers of the Lord renew the promise, she laughed inwardly for the same reason. Sarah denied laughing when Elohim questioned Abraham about it.
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Jacob
Jacob ( /ˈdʒeɪkəb/; Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב Standard Yaʿakov, Tiberian Yaʿăqōḇ (help·info); Septuagint Greek: Ἰακώβ Iakōb; Arabic: يَعْقُوب Yaʿqūb; "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל, Standard Yisraʾel, Tiberian Yiśrāʾēl; Septuagint Greek: Ἰσραήλ Israēl; Arabic: إِسْرَائِيل Isrāʾīl; "persevere with God"), as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.
In the Hebrew Bible, he is the son of Isaac and Rebekah, the grandson of Abraham and Sarah and of Bethuel, and the younger twin brother of Esau. Jacob had twelve sons and at least one daughter, by his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and by their female slaves Bilhah and Zilpah. The children named in Genesis were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, daughter Dinah, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Before the birth of Benjamin, Jacob is renamed "Israel" by an angel (Genesis 32:28-29 and 35:10). The name "Israel" can be translated as "God contended", but other meanings have also been suggested. Some commentators say the name comes from the verb śœarar ("to rule, be strong, have authority over"), thereby making the name mean "God rules" or "God judges". Other possible meanings include "the prince of God" (from the King James Version) or "El fights/struggles".
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Jews
The Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדִים ISO 259-3 Yhudim Israeli pronunciation [jehuˈdim]), also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and an ethnoreligious group, originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation.Converts to Judaism, whose status as Jews within the Jewish ethnos is equal to those born into it, have been absorbed into the Jewish people throughout the millennia.
In Jewish tradition, Jewish ancestry is traced to the Biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the second millennium BCE. The modern State of Israel defines itself as a Jewish state in its Basic Laws, and Israel's Law of Return states: "Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh." Israel is the only country where Jews are a majority of the population. Jews achieved political autonomy twice before in ancient history. The first of these periods lasted from 1350 to 586 BCE, and encompassed the periods of the Judges, the United Monarchy, and the Divided Monarchy of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, ending with the destruction of the First Temple. The second was the period of the Hasmonean Kingdom spanning from 140 to 37 BCE. Since the destruction of the First Temple, most Jews have lived in diaspora. A minority in every country in which they live (except Israel), they have frequently experienced persecution throughout history, resulting in a population that has fluctuated both in numbers and distribution over the centuries.
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Negev Bedouin
The Negev Bedouin (Arabic: بدو النقب, Badū an-Naqab; Hebrew: הבדואים בנגב Habeduim Banegev) are traditionally pastoral semi-nomadic Arab tribes living in the Negev region in Israel who hold close ties to the Bedouin of the Sinai Peninsula. The government sponsored move away from their traditional lifestyle in modern times has led to sedentarization. Most of the Negev Bedouin tribes migrated to the Negev from the Arabian Desert, Transjordan, Egypt, and the Sinai from the eighteenth century onwards.
Estimated to number some 160,000, they comprise 12% of the Arab citizenry of Israel. Of Israel's total population, 12% live in the Negev, and Negev Bedouin constitute approximately 25% percent of the total population therein.
Negev Bedouin are defined today as Arab nomads who live by rearing livestock in the deserts of southern Israel. The Negev Bedouin community consists of tribes that used to be nomadic/semi-nomadic. The community is traditional and conservative, with a well-defined value system that directs and monitors behaviour and interpersonal relations.
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Orna Banai
Orna Banai (Hebrew: אורנה בנאי, born November 25, 1969) is an Israeli actress, comedian and entertainer.
Banai was born in Beersheba, Israel. Her father was a local judge, and her mother was an education executive for the City of Beer Sheva. Many of her relatives are successful Israeli actors and singers. The next generation of the Banai family, including Orna and her brothers, Meir and Eviatar, followed this tradition. After three years of studying acting in Nissan Nativ's studio in Tel Aviv, Banai started performing in stand-up comedy and entertainment shows.
Banai is most known for her character "Limor" in the humorous Israeli television shows Action and Rak BeIsrael (with Erez Tal). Since 2003, Banai has appeared in the popular satirical television show Eretz Nehederet. In addition, Banai acted in television dramas like Merchav-Yarkon and Max VeMoris. Banai also appeared in theatrical plays like Singles and The Last Striptease.
In 2006, Banai played "Efrat" in the television show Ima'lle, to which she contributed writing. The show was based on the story of Banai's own pregnancy and the birth of her son Amir.
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Paul Tortelier
Paul Tortelier (March 21, 1914 – December 18, 1990) was a French cellist and composer.
Tortelier was born in Paris, the son of a cabinet maker with Breton roots. He was encouraged to play the cello by his father Joseph and mother Marguerite (Boura), and at 12 he entered the Paris Conservatoire. He studied the cello there with Louis Feuillard and then Gérard Hekking. He won the first prize in cello at the conservatoire when he was 16, and then he studied harmony under Jean Gallon. His debut was with the Orchestre Lamoureux in 1931 at the age of 17. He performed Lalo's Cello Concerto.
In 1935 Tortelier joined the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra as first cellist and played with them until 1937. He gave performances under Bruno Walter and Arturo Toscanini, and he also played the solo part in Richard Strauss' Don Quixote under the composer. This is a piece which became closely associated with Tortelier, as he gave many performances and recorded it.
In 1937 he joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Serge Koussevitsky, performing as first cellist through 1940. In 1938 he began a solo career at Boston's Town Hall, accompanied by Leonard Shure. He was first cellist of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Paris, 1946–47. In 1947 he gave his British debut under Beecham, again performing Don Quixote at the Festival of Richard Strauss in London. "My boy" Beecham said "you will be successful in England because you have temperament". In 1950 Tortelier was selected by Casals to play as the principal cellist in the Prades Festival Orchestra. Tortelier believed that of all the cellists, it was Casals who influenced him the most. A French critic wrote of him: "If Casals is Jupiter, then Tortelier is Apollo." Tortelier performed for the Peabody Mason Concert series in Boston in 1952.
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Ronit Elkabetz
Ronit Elkabetz (Hebrew: רונית אלקבץ, born 27 November 1964) is an Israeli actress and filmmaker. She works in both Israeli and French cinema. She has won three Ophir Awards and has received a total of seven nominations.
Elkabetz was born in Beersheba in 1964 to a religious Moroccan Jewish family. She grew up in Kiryat Yam. Her mother was a hairdresser and her father was a postal employee. Her mother spoke French and Arabic, but her father insisted on speaking only Hebrew. She never studied acting and started her career as a model. She divides her time between her homes in Paris and Tel Aviv. She got married on 25 June 2010.
Her first film appearance was in The Intended (1990) next to Shuli Rand, who later became her partner. They both starred in Gidi Dar's Eddie King in 1992. In 1994 she starred in Sh'Chur, for which she won the Israeli Film Academy (Ophir) Award. In 1995 she wrote with her partner, Haim Buzaglo, the script for Scar, in which she also starred, and for which she learned French. In 1996 she starred in Amos Gitai's Metamorphosis of a Melody.
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Ruvik Danilovich
Ruvik Danilovich (Hebrew: רוביק דנילוביץ', born January 24, 1971) is an Israeli politician. In 2008, he was elected mayor of Beersheba, Israel, after serving as deputy mayor under Yaakov Turner.
Danilovich began his public career in Beersheba when he was about 20 years old. In 1998, he campaigned for Yaakov Turner to run for mayor, which ended with Turner's election victory. In return, Turner appointed Danilovich to serve as his deputy.
Danilovich's 2008 election victory over Turner was described as an "Oedipal story". Turner often referred to Danilovich as his designated successor. At a Purim parade several years prior to the election, Danilovich dressed up as a pilot, an obvious hint that he planned to succeed Turner, who was director of the nearby Israel Air Force Museum.
Danilovich won 60% of the vote. During the campaign, bogus death notices announcing Turner's supposed demise were put up on walls throughout the Negev city.
Shortly after his election, Danilovich was forced to contend with Grad missiles falling on his city during Operation Cast Lead. Following the operation, Danilovich presented a ten-year plan (2010–2020) for his city to transform it into an important metropolitan area in Israel. The plan includes improvements to education, infrastructure, job opportunities, etc.
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Shlomo Mintz
Shlomo Mintz (born October 30, 1957) is an Israeli violin virtuoso, violist and conductor. He regularly appears with orchestras and conductors on the international scene and is heard in recitals and chamber music concerts around the world.
Shlomo Mintz was born in Moscow. In 1959, at the age of two, his family immigrated to Israel, where he studied with Ilona Feher, one of the last representatives of the Central European Violin School. Feher introduced Shlomo Mintz to Isaac Stern, who became his mentor. He was also a student of Dorothy Delay in New York.
Mintz began his career at age 11 as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Soon afterwards he was called on a week's notice by Zubin Mehta to play Paganini's first Violin Concerto with the orchestra when Itzhak Perlman fell ill. He made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of sixteen with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the auspices of Isaac Stern and the American-Israel Cultural Foundation, and subsequently began his studies with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School of Music in New York.
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Victor Mikhalevski
Victor (Viktor) Mikhalevski (Hebrew: ויקטור מיכלבסקי; born 8 July 1972, Gomel, Belarus) is an Israeli chess grandmaster who lives in Beer Sheva.
As of March 2010[update] his Elo rating was 2611, making him the #7 player in Israel and the 171st-highest rated player in the world. His peak rating to date was 2632, which he reached on 1 January 2008.
He played for Israel as second reserve (+4 –1 =2) in the 37th Chess Olympiad at Turin 2006 and at third board (+1 -1 =4) in the 17th European Team Championship at Novi Sad 2009.
He won the Calvià Open in Majorca, Spain in October 2007, winning in each of the first seven rounds to finish with a score of 8/9 for a performance of 2876.Kevin Spraggett was second at 7/9. He also won a category 12 invitational tournament at Montreal in 2005 with 8/11 (+5 -0 =6) and tied for first at the 2008 Canadian Open Chess Championship in Montreal, with 6/9. He also was Israeli Vice-Champion in 1998 and tied for first in 1996 in Jerusalem and in 2008 in Haifa.
In major tournaments, he in 1991 and 1992 was Israel champion U-20, in 1991 tied for 2-3 in the Open Israel Championship. He also won the 1993 First Saturday tournament in Budapest with 10 out of 13, the 1994 International Festival in Tel Aviv, the 1995 Open tournament in Paris and the Tel Aviv Open, the 1997 International Festival in Rishon-Lezion, Israel, 2nd VAM Open in Hoogeveen, Netherlands in 1998, the 1998 14th International Festival in Tel Aviv, 2000 Open Championship of Rishon Lezion, Israel, the 2002 International Festival in Biel, Switzerland(rapid), 6th Itau Cup in São Paulo, Brazil, 1st and 2nd International tournaments in San Salvador, El Salvador in 2002 and 2003, 2003 Quebec Open in Montreal, Canada in all 3 sections(classical, rapid, blitz), 2005 Lake George Open, New York,US, 2006 category 10 Spring Invitational in Schaumburg, Illinois, US, with 7.5 out of 9, 2006 GM Slugfest in Bellevue, Washington, US, 2007 Curaçao Chess festival, Netherlands Antilles, 7.5 out of 9.
wn.com/Victor_Mikhalevski -
World War I
World War I (WWI), which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939 (World War II), and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all the world's great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (originally centred around the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy; but, as Austria–Hungary had taken the offensive against the agreement, Italy did not enter into the war). These alliances both reorganised (Italy fought for the Allies), and expanded as more nations entered the war. Ultimately more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. More than 9 million combatants were killed, largely because of enormous increases in lethality of weapons, thanks to new technology, without corresponding improvements in protection or mobility. It was the sixth-deadliest conflict in world history, subsequently paving the way for various political changes such as revolutions in the nations involved.
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Yaakov Turner
Yaakov Terner (Hebrew: יעקב טרנר, born 1935 in Kfar Yona, Israel) is the former mayor of Beersheba and Israeli general. Terner held the position for ten years, being elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2003. He lost the position in 2008 to his former deputy mayor, Rubik Danilovich. Terner won just 30 percent of the vote versus 60 percent for Danilovich.
Terner enlisted in the Israeli Air Force in 1953 and retired in 1985 as a Brigadier-General. In the Yom Kippur War he was an F-4 Phantom II pilot, and in the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition, he was the commander of an air combat squadron.
In 1985 he founded the Israeli Air Force Museum in Hatzerim airbase near Beersheba.
After his military service, he was enlisted into the Israel Police, where he became general commissioner (commander of the police) in 1990, a position which he held until 1993.
wn.com/Yaakov_Turner -
Yehudit Ravitz
Yehudit Ravitz (Hebrew: יהודית רביץ; born December 29, 1956) is an Israeli singer-songwriter, composer and music producer. She is one of the most successful and famous Israeli rock musicians, with a career spanning over thirty years. As of 2012, she has released 12 solo albums.
Ravitz was born in Be’er Sheva. She was accepted to the Combat Engineering Corps military band by Ehud Manor. While serving in the army, she joined the Israeli rock group "Sheshet".
She performed the song "Forgiveness", a composition to the song of the Israeli poet Leah Goldberg, at the 1977 pre-Eurovision contest. Ravitz finished 6th place at the festival, but the song became "Song of The Year" in 1977. As a result of her success, she left Sheshet and began a solo career. That same year, she participated in "A Beautiful Tropical Country", a tribute concert for Brazilian music, produced by Matti Caspi. In 1978, she joined Gidi Gov, Yoni Rechter and David Broza to record 'The 16th sheep', (written by Yehonatan Geffen). This album of children's music has enjoyed enduring popularity in Israel since.[citation needed]
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Yitzhak Rager
Yitzhak "Ijo" Rager (Hebrew: יצחק "איז'ו" רגר, 1932 – 1997) was an Israeli journalist, diplomat, and a Likud mayor of Beersheba.
Rager was born in Cairo, though immediately after his birth, his family moved to Mandate Palestine and settled in Jerusalem. In his IDF service he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and took part in the Six-Day War.
After his discharge he worked in the mass media; among his posts were as European correspondent for Kol Israel, the Israeli national radio service; editor of the periodical HaYom; and general director of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. During that period, he was affiliated with the General Zionists, a centrist political party, and particularly aligned with Yitzhak Rokeach. On behalf of Israel's Foreign Service, Rager was posted to New York as a consul, focused on the international efforts to open the gates of emigration from the USSR for Soviet Jewry. Afterwards he was made world president of the State of Israel Bonds.
As a business entrepreneur, Rager was among the founders of Kanyon HaNegev (lit. Negev Mall), the Negev's largest commercial center and one of the group established by Canadian developer David Azrieli. Its success was the source of some conflict in Beersheba: proponents touted the Kanyon's successful businesses and how the modernized facility offered local residents amenities comparable to the Westernized center of the country and abroad, purportedly raising their standard of living. However, the competition badly harmed the businesses of Beersheba's Old City, which have yet to recover.
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Zehava Ben
Zehava Ben (Hebrew: זהבה בן, born November 8, 1968) is one of the most popular Israeli female vocalists in the Mizrahi music genre; the Middle Eastern-style of singing rising from Israel's Mizrahi Jewish population, dominating Israeli music in the 1990s and popular ever since.
Zehava was born Zehava Benisty in Beer-Sheva, the capital city of the Negev in Southern Israel, to a Moroccan Jewish family. She was born in "Shikun Dalet" (D Neighborhood) a poverty, crime and drug infested neighborhood.
Zehava is very proud of her Moroccan heritage, and most of her music is quite distinctive of that, singing both in Hebrew and Arabic. She has appeared in many music festivals outside Israel, namely in Sweden and France.
Zehava became familiar in Israel in 1990, when the title track of a film she took part in, called "Tipat Mazal" (A Bit Of Luck), became a hit throughout Israel, primarily among Israel's Mizrahi Jews (Jews of Middle Eastern and North African backgrounds) and Arab Israelis.
Despite her music being banned in some Arab countries due to a boycott on products of Israeli origin, Zehava is also popular throughout the Arab world as an Arabic-language singer. Among her repertoire are re-makes of traditional Arabic hits, including "Enta Omri" (You Are My Life) by legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum.
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Zev Vilnay
Zev Vilnay (Hebrew: זאב וילנאי, 1900–1988) was an Israeli geographer, author and lecturer.
Zev Vilnay was born Volf Vilensky in Kishinev. He moved to Palestine with his parents at the age of six and grew up in Haifa. He served as a military topographer in the Haganah, and later in the Israel Defense Forces. Vilnay and his wife Esther lived in Jerusalem. Their son, Matan Vilnai is a member of the Knesset and Israel's deputy minister of defense.
He was a pioneer in the sphere of outdoor hiking and touring in Israel. Vilnay lectured widely on Israeli geography, ethnography, history and folklore. His Guide to Israel was published in 27 editions and translated into many languages.
In the 1974 edition of his guide, Vilnay describes how he helped bring back to Israel the boat of a British naval officer, Thomas Howard Molyneux, who sailed the Jordan River from Lake Kinneret to the Dead Sea to map the region in the 19th century.
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Zvika Hadar
Zvika Hadar (born 7 April 1966) (Hebrew: צביקה הדר) is an Israeli actor, comedian and television host.
Zvi (Zvika) Fruchter (later Hadar) was born in Beersheba, Israel, to Romanian Jewish family. As a child, he studied piano. Early in his career, he composed numbers for musicals.
He first appeared on television as "Jojo" in Ha-Comedy Store. He was the host of Kokhav Nolad, the Israeli version of Idol since 2003 for nine consecutive seasons in addition to a number of other shows. He has also acted in a number of Israeli movies including starring in Afula Express.
In 1999, he was nominated for Best Actor award at the Awards of the Israeli Film Academy for his role in Afula Express.
In 2005, he was voted the 37th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
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The Lighthorsemen - Attack on Beersheba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:59
- Updated: 09 Feb 2013
One for the surplus fans. In 1917 the British and ANZAC forces in what is now Israel were runnning out of water. While the British and New Zealanders had tried to take the town for months, a last ditch attempt was devised using the Australian Light Horse. Expecting the Australians to advance within a mile, dismount and attack on foot, as they normally did, the Australians mounted the last succesful Cavalry charge in the history of modern warfare - In three hours they achieved what the British Army had been attempting for three months. Ironically, all Australians know about Gallipoli, possibly one of the greatest disasters of WWI, but nobody knows of the amazing achievements by the Light Horse in the dark days of 1917.
http://wn.com/The_Lighthorsemen_Attack_on_Beersheba
One for the surplus fans. In 1917 the British and ANZAC forces in what is now Israel were runnning out of water. While the British and New Zealanders had tried to take the town for months, a last ditch attempt was devised using the Australian Light Horse. Expecting the Australians to advance within a mile, dismount and attack on foot, as they normally did, the Australians mounted the last succesful Cavalry charge in the history of modern warfare - In three hours they achieved what the British Army had been attempting for three months. Ironically, all Australians know about Gallipoli, possibly one of the greatest disasters of WWI, but nobody knows of the amazing achievements by the Light Horse in the dark days of 1917.
Beersheba residents hunker down for long night
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:29
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
Without protection, Beersheba residents hunker down for a long night as "Pillar of Defense" launched Full story by Ben Hartman Video, editing, & narration by Hadas Parush
http://wn.com/Beersheba_residents_hunker_down_for_long_night
Without protection, Beersheba residents hunker down for a long night as "Pillar of Defense" launched Full story by Ben Hartman Video, editing, & narration by Hadas Parush
- published: 14 Nov 2012
- views: 7150
- author: Jposttv
17.3.12 Israel - Beer Sheva part 1 with Djordje Balasevic sings Balkanski tango
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:18
- Updated: 13 Dec 2012
http://wn.com/17312_Israel_Beer_Sheva_part_1_with_Djordje_Balasevic_sings_Balkanski_tango
Barrage of rockets hit Israeli city of Beersheba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:46
- Updated: 28 Nov 2012
some were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, over 900 rockets have been launched into Israel by Hamas this year, nearly 250 in the past 5 days
http://wn.com/Barrage_of_rockets_hit_Israeli_city_of_Beersheba
some were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, over 900 rockets have been launched into Israel by Hamas this year, nearly 250 in the past 5 days
- published: 15 Nov 2012
- views: 56886
- author: golemsbar
Rocket Fired From Gaza Hits Car in Beersheba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:58
- Updated: 09 Feb 2013
On Nov. 20, 2012, a rocket fired from Gaza hit a car in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba and destroyed it completely. One bystander was injured. Palestinian terrorists have fired more than 13000 rockets into Israel in the past 12 years. On Nov. 14, 2012, the IDF launched Operation Pillar of Defense in order to cripple the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza and restore quiet to Israelis living under fire. Get all the live updates from Operation Pillar of Defense: www.idfblog.com
http://wn.com/Rocket_Fired_From_Gaza_Hits_Car_in_Beersheba
On Nov. 20, 2012, a rocket fired from Gaza hit a car in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba and destroyed it completely. One bystander was injured. Palestinian terrorists have fired more than 13000 rockets into Israel in the past 12 years. On Nov. 14, 2012, the IDF launched Operation Pillar of Defense in order to cripple the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza and restore quiet to Israelis living under fire. Get all the live updates from Operation Pillar of Defense: www.idfblog.com
- published: 20 Nov 2012
- views: 27358
- author: idfnadesk
Beer Sheva
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:45
- Updated: 03 Feb 2013
Beer sheva Israel, from toyota corolla
http://wn.com/Beer_Sheva
French Defense: Tatai vs Korchnoi Beersheba 1978
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:06
- Updated: 08 Feb 2013
French Defense: Stefano Tatai (2455) - Viktor Korchnoi (2665) [C01] Beer Sheva Beer Sheva (6), 1978 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 c5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Qe2+ Be7 7.dxc5 Nf6 8.h3 0--0 9.0--0 Bxc5 10.c3 Re8 11.Qc2 Qd6 12.Nbd2 Qg3 13.Bf5 Re2 14.Nd4 Nxd4 0--1
http://wn.com/French_Defense_Tatai_vs_Korchnoi_Beersheba_1978
French Defense: Stefano Tatai (2455) - Viktor Korchnoi (2665) [C01] Beer Sheva Beer Sheva (6), 1978 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 c5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Qe2+ Be7 7.dxc5 Nf6 8.h3 0--0 9.0--0 Bxc5 10.c3 Re8 11.Qc2 Qd6 12.Nbd2 Qg3 13.Bf5 Re2 14.Nd4 Nxd4 0--1
- published: 05 Nov 2012
- views: 3909
- author: MatoJelic
Beersheba Under Attack, IBA News
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:12
- Updated: 08 Feb 2013
Beersheba During Palestinian Rocket Attack with Arieh O'Sullivan, IBA News.
http://wn.com/Beersheba_Under_Attack,_IBA_News
Beersheba During Palestinian Rocket Attack with Arieh O'Sullivan, IBA News.
- published: 19 Nov 2012
- views: 1723
- author: Arieh o'sullivan
Iron Dome interception over Beersheba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:40
- Updated: 20 Nov 2012
http://wn.com/Iron_Dome_interception_over_Beersheba
Re-enactment of WWI Battle of Beersheba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:02
- Updated: 15 Dec 2012
Re-enactment of WWI Battle of Beersheba: 95 years ago, the Ottoman-controlled city of Beersheba fell to troops from Britain, Australian and New Zealand, in a battle that helped bring an end to the Ottoman Empire and the First World War. A critical part of the major battle was reenacted this week in the dunes surrounding the now-Israeli city, namely, a three-kilometre charge by the 4th Light Horse Brigade of the Australian Mounted Division. The recreation was the work of the Australian Light Horse Association, many of whose members are descendants of soldiers who took part in the battle in 1917. Michael Whitehead, Australian Light Horse Association: "It's a part of our history, a part of the history of the many people here - had grandfathers or great-grandfathers who rode there. And to come here and partake in this means more to them than anything else probably." Allied forces captured Beersheba on October 31st 1917. To this day, a monument to the Australian Light Horse Brigade still stands in the city.
http://wn.com/Re-enactment_of_WWI_Battle_of_Beersheba
Re-enactment of WWI Battle of Beersheba: 95 years ago, the Ottoman-controlled city of Beersheba fell to troops from Britain, Australian and New Zealand, in a battle that helped bring an end to the Ottoman Empire and the First World War. A critical part of the major battle was reenacted this week in the dunes surrounding the now-Israeli city, namely, a three-kilometre charge by the 4th Light Horse Brigade of the Australian Mounted Division. The recreation was the work of the Australian Light Horse Association, many of whose members are descendants of soldiers who took part in the battle in 1917. Michael Whitehead, Australian Light Horse Association: "It's a part of our history, a part of the history of the many people here - had grandfathers or great-grandfathers who rode there. And to come here and partake in this means more to them than anything else probably." Allied forces captured Beersheba on October 31st 1917. To this day, a monument to the Australian Light Horse Brigade still stands in the city.
- published: 01 Nov 2012
- views: 367
- author: JewishNewsOne
Beersheba,ISRAEL, Hamas fire rockets and israel iron-dome defense system kills it (VERY LOUD ALARM!)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:42
- Updated: 26 Jan 2013
ignore my voice and spread it out to show that HAMAS is a BITCH!
http://wn.com/Beersheba,ISRAEL,_Hamas_fire_rockets_and_israel_iron-dome_defense_system_kills_it_VERY_LOUD_ALARM!
ignore my voice and spread it out to show that HAMAS is a BITCH!
- published: 15 Nov 2012
- views: 1931
- author: JONNY PEK
Beersheba house hit by rocket, Tuesday
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:37
- Updated: 05 Jan 2013
On the 7th day of IDF Operation Pillar of Defense, rockets keep firing from Gaza into Souther Israeli cities.
http://wn.com/Beersheba_house_hit_by_rocket,_Tuesday
On the 7th day of IDF Operation Pillar of Defense, rockets keep firing from Gaza into Souther Israeli cities.
- published: 20 Nov 2012
- views: 8804
- author: Jposttv
Israeli Police arresting peaceful anti-Zionist Jewish protestors in Beersheba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:35
- Updated: 09 Feb 2013
news.yahoo.com
http://wn.com/Israeli_Police_arresting_peaceful_anti-Zionist_Jewish_protestors_in_Beersheba
Hammas Rocket Attacks Against Civilian Population of Beer Sheba
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:09
- Updated: 29 Nov 2012
Everybody in Israel clearly are aware of this, so this goes out to all my non-israeli friends. Please spread this video so the people of the world see what's really going on. This is a video footage of rockets launched against the civilian population of Be'er Sheba from the Gaza strip by Hammas. Since yesterday, November 14th, 120 rockets were launched against civilian population in the cities of Sderot, Ashqelon, Ashdod, Beer Sheba, Kiryat Malachi. These bombing also resulted in the death of two innocent men, one woman, the severe injury of a 4 year old boy, and an injury of 2 infant babies. Please spread this so everyone can know the truth. Thank you all and may god bless the citizens of the south of Israel in these hard times.
http://wn.com/Hammas_Rocket_Attacks_Against_Civilian_Population_of_Beer_Sheba
Everybody in Israel clearly are aware of this, so this goes out to all my non-israeli friends. Please spread this video so the people of the world see what's really going on. This is a video footage of rockets launched against the civilian population of Be'er Sheba from the Gaza strip by Hammas. Since yesterday, November 14th, 120 rockets were launched against civilian population in the cities of Sderot, Ashqelon, Ashdod, Beer Sheba, Kiryat Malachi. These bombing also resulted in the death of two innocent men, one woman, the severe injury of a 4 year old boy, and an injury of 2 infant babies. Please spread this so everyone can know the truth. Thank you all and may god bless the citizens of the south of Israel in these hard times.
- published: 15 Nov 2012
- views: 4024
- author: Yossi Tsafar
Australian Light Horse - Beersheba Day 2011
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:38
- Updated: 17 Nov 2012
Artist Wayne visited beautifull Murrurundi for the Commemorative Service to mark the 94th Anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba, Palestine On 31st October, 1917. The regiments commenced the charge on Beersheba at 4.30 pm, the 12th Australian Light Horse on the left and the 4th on the right. They advanced by squadrons with about 500 yards between squadrons. They were armed with bayonets in hand; their rifles were slung over their shoulders. The Australian 11th Light Horse Regiment and the British 5th Mounted Brigade followed more slowly to the rear, and the British 7th Mounted Brigade, which was attached to the Desert Mounted Corps headquarters, also approached from the south. The Ottoman artillery opened fire with shrapnel from long range but it was ineffective against the widely spaced horsemen. Ottoman machine guns that opened fire from the left (which might have inflicted heavy casualties) were quickly silenced by a battery of horse artillery. When the line of horsemen got within range of the Ottoman riflemen in the trenches, they started to take casualties but the defenders failed to allow for the speed of their approach so once they were within half a mile of the trenches, the defenders' bullets started passing overhead as they found it difficult to alter the sights on rifles quickly enough when confronted with rapidly moving horsemen. This kept the numbers of casualties low for the charging Light Horsemen. The light horsemen jumped the front trenches and dismounted ...
http://wn.com/Australian_Light_Horse_Beersheba_Day_2011
Artist Wayne visited beautifull Murrurundi for the Commemorative Service to mark the 94th Anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba, Palestine On 31st October, 1917. The regiments commenced the charge on Beersheba at 4.30 pm, the 12th Australian Light Horse on the left and the 4th on the right. They advanced by squadrons with about 500 yards between squadrons. They were armed with bayonets in hand; their rifles were slung over their shoulders. The Australian 11th Light Horse Regiment and the British 5th Mounted Brigade followed more slowly to the rear, and the British 7th Mounted Brigade, which was attached to the Desert Mounted Corps headquarters, also approached from the south. The Ottoman artillery opened fire with shrapnel from long range but it was ineffective against the widely spaced horsemen. Ottoman machine guns that opened fire from the left (which might have inflicted heavy casualties) were quickly silenced by a battery of horse artillery. When the line of horsemen got within range of the Ottoman riflemen in the trenches, they started to take casualties but the defenders failed to allow for the speed of their approach so once they were within half a mile of the trenches, the defenders' bullets started passing overhead as they found it difficult to alter the sights on rifles quickly enough when confronted with rapidly moving horsemen. This kept the numbers of casualties low for the charging Light Horsemen. The light horsemen jumped the front trenches and dismounted ...
- published: 06 Nov 2011
- views: 742
- author: Wayne Dowsent
Plan BEERSHEBA Announcement
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:23
- Updated: 09 Feb 2013
Minister for Defence Stephen Smith, Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare and Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Senator David Feeney, together with the Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison, announced Plan BEERSHEBA, a major restructure of the Australian Army on 12 December 2011.
http://wn.com/Plan_BEERSHEBA_Announcement
Minister for Defence Stephen Smith, Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare and Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Senator David Feeney, together with the Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison, announced Plan BEERSHEBA, a major restructure of the Australian Army on 12 December 2011.
- published: 14 Mar 2012
- views: 468
- author: AustralianArmyHQ
beersheba, australian cavalry charge
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:24
- Updated: 04 Feb 2013
31 october 1917,800 horsemen charge the Turkish artillery across 6000 yards of open terrain. This day, Australian lighthorsemen gone into military history. A tribute in the 90º anniversary
http://wn.com/beersheba,_australian_cavalry_charge
31 october 1917,800 horsemen charge the Turkish artillery across 6000 yards of open terrain. This day, Australian lighthorsemen gone into military history. A tribute in the 90º anniversary
- published: 02 Apr 2007
- views: 54107
- author: colacas
אזעקה בבאר שבע+12 ירוטים מוצלחים
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:35
- Updated: 09 Feb 2013
ההתקפה הראשונה בבאר שבע בתחילת מבצע"עמוד ענן" צולם בחתונה. ביצוע מדהים של כיפת ברזל יותר מ-12 יירוטים מוצלחים צילום:שי מלול The first attack in Beersheba(israel) early Mbtza"amod cloud "was filmed at the wedding. Making Iron Dome's(kipat barzel) amazing more than 12 Iirotim(Intercept) successful Photo: Malul shay
http://wn.com/אזעקה_בבאר_שבע+12_ירוטים_מוצלחים
ההתקפה הראשונה בבאר שבע בתחילת מבצע"עמוד ענן" צולם בחתונה. ביצוע מדהים של כיפת ברזל יותר מ-12 יירוטים מוצלחים צילום:שי מלול The first attack in Beersheba(israel) early Mbtza"amod cloud "was filmed at the wedding. Making Iron Dome's(kipat barzel) amazing more than 12 Iirotim(Intercept) successful Photo: Malul shay
- published: 15 Nov 2012
- views: 1163025
- author: Shay Malul
Anzac - Beyond Beersheba 1 - Introduction
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:02
- Updated: 31 Oct 2012
This is the introduction to a 90 minutes doco called Beyond Beersheba: Anzacs in the Holy Land that follows the hoofprints of the Light Horse from Beersheba to Damascus.
http://wn.com/Anzac_Beyond_Beersheba_1_Introduction
This is the introduction to a 90 minutes doco called Beyond Beersheba: Anzacs in the Holy Land that follows the hoofprints of the Light Horse from Beersheba to Damascus.
- published: 05 Jan 2010
- views: 2307
- author: anzacconnection
Wholemeal House - Beersheba Springs, TN
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:09
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
This is an out-of-breath running tour of the Wholemeal House in Beersheba Springs, TN.
http://wn.com/Wholemeal_House_Beersheba_Springs,_TN
This is an out-of-breath running tour of the Wholemeal House in Beersheba Springs, TN.
- published: 21 Apr 2010
- views: 1530
- author: David Dewese
BEER-LAHAI-ROI, BEER-SHEBA & WATER Wells & Wars of Genesis & DendeRah -- Sabbath Overflow RSS#6
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:55
- Updated: 15 Oct 2012
Live Streaming Online at: lojsociety.org Rasiadonis' BEER-LAHAI-ROI, BEER-SHEBA & ETHIOPIC WATER Wells of Genesis & DendeRah -- Sabbath Overflow RSS#6.mp4 rastafari rastas ethiopian hebrews beta israel EL-ROI RA egyptian mysteries nile tawaret tauret torah beerlahairoi beersheba queen sheba genesis ethiopic abraham isaac jacob Selassie amharic bible class torah studied orit egypt kmt kemit denderah yeyohannis raiy revelation sabbath overflow water wells shashamene shashemene ethiopia ewf land grant rasiadonis tafari
http://wn.com/BEER-LAHAI-ROI,_BEER-SHEBA_WATER_Wells_Wars_of_Genesis_DendeRah_-_Sabbath_Overflow_RSS_6
Live Streaming Online at: lojsociety.org Rasiadonis' BEER-LAHAI-ROI, BEER-SHEBA & ETHIOPIC WATER Wells of Genesis & DendeRah -- Sabbath Overflow RSS#6.mp4 rastafari rastas ethiopian hebrews beta israel EL-ROI RA egyptian mysteries nile tawaret tauret torah beerlahairoi beersheba queen sheba genesis ethiopic abraham isaac jacob Selassie amharic bible class torah studied orit egypt kmt kemit denderah yeyohannis raiy revelation sabbath overflow water wells shashamene shashemene ethiopia ewf land grant rasiadonis tafari
- published: 18 Nov 2010
- views: 2171
- author: EthiopianWorldNET
Anzac - Beyond Beersheba 3 - Light Horse Charge
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:55
- Updated: 31 Oct 2012
The Charge of the Light Horse at Beersheba, part 3 of a 90 minute doco called Beyond Beersheba: Anzacs in the Holy Land
http://wn.com/Anzac_Beyond_Beersheba_3_Light_Horse_Charge
The Charge of the Light Horse at Beersheba, part 3 of a 90 minute doco called Beyond Beersheba: Anzacs in the Holy Land
- published: 07 Jan 2010
- views: 1914
- author: anzacconnection
Anzac - Beyond Beersheba 12 - Megiddo
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:28
- Updated: 01 Jun 2012
Battle of Megiddo, part 12 of a 90 minute doco following the Australian Light Horse from Beersheba to Damascus, this episode covering the beginning of the great break out north from Tel Aviv in September 1918.
http://wn.com/Anzac_Beyond_Beersheba_12_Megiddo
Battle of Megiddo, part 12 of a 90 minute doco following the Australian Light Horse from Beersheba to Damascus, this episode covering the beginning of the great break out north from Tel Aviv in September 1918.
- published: 08 Jan 2010
- views: 708
- author: anzacconnection
photo: AP / Ugarit News via AP video
09 Feb 2013
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The video has gone viral in recent days. Syrian government soldiers, in camouflage gear, carrying rocket-propelled grenades and brandishing rifles, mugging for the camera while dancing in a circle to Usher’s hit song “Yeah!”. Enlarge This Image. Ugarit News, via Associated Press. In a video posted online, Syrian soldiers chant and dance to Usher’s hit song “Yeah!”. Related. U.N ... Twitter List ... Raw ... ....(size: 8.2Kb)
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
09 Feb 2013
NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian news channels are reporting that a Kashmiri man convicted in the 2001 attack on India's Parliament has been hanged ... World news. Last 24 hours....(size: 5.9Kb)
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
09 Feb 2013
Thick snow is blanketing the north-eastern US as a major storm cuts power to thousands of homes and plays havoc with transport schedules. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut and Maine are all on an emergency footing, with millions of residents being warned to stay indoors. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has temporarily banned all non-essential traffic on the state's roads ... Worse to come? ... Stay home." ... Light....(size: 5.7Kb)
photo: AP / Elaine Thompson
10 Feb 2013
Boeing sent a 787 up on a test flight Saturday, the first since the new airliner was grounded three weeks ago because of a battery fire ... The plan was to spend two and a half hours in the air ... ....(size: 1.0Kb)
photo: White House / Pete Souza
09 Feb 2013
For all of his liberal positions on the environment, taxes and health care, President Barack Obama is a hawk when it comes to the war on terror. From deadly drones to secret interrogations to withholding evidence in terror lawsuits, Obama's Democratic White House has followed the path of his predecessor, Republican President George W. Bush. The U.S ... 11, 2001 ... His confirmation was delayed for three weeks and nearly derailed ... soil ... security....(size: 9.1Kb)
The Washington Times
02 Feb 2013
Facebook. Follow @washtimes. Do you think Sylvester Stallone's support of gun control is hypocritical?. View results. The primary mission of military forces is to fight and win their nation’s wars. Whatever enhances martial capabilities is good; all else is superfluous and, in some cases, counterproductive ... winning ... victims, instigators (Helen of Troy and Beersheba) and warriors (Boadicea, Queen of the Inceni, and Joan of. Arc)....(size: 7.6Kb)
The Examiner
01 Feb 2013
Tweet. 0 Email. Report. Photo 1 of 20 ... Louis, MissouriOld Beersheba Inn slave quarters; Beersheba Springs, TennesseeMcLeod plantation; Charleston, South CarolinaNorthcut plantation; McMinnville, TennesseeOld Quarters, Wisconsin Avenue and Route 193; Bethesda, MarylandProspect Hill plantation; Trevilians, VirginiaSotterly plantation; Hollywood, St ... ESSENCE Magazine, February 2011. 2 Photos ... 20 Photos ... 19 Photos. Just viewed ... Read more ... ....(size: 4.5Kb)
Bloomberg
01 Feb 2013
There wasn’t much more he could say, because the fragmented results of Israel’s Jan ... Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer’s surprise decision to step down in June may push Netanyahu to form a government with Yair Lapid, the centrist second-place finisher, and settlement champion Naftali Bennett, said Dani Filc, a political scientist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba ... Party leaders had said they expected 45 ... Andrew J....(size: 6.1Kb)
Business Day
30 Jan 2013
"It’s encouraging to find these signs because it opens up the possibility of some meaningful communication," says Dr Paul Matthews, a professor of neurology at Imperial College London ... These tests "give us a lot of information about how we can contact these patients and stimulate them", says Dr Alon Friedman, a neurological director at Israel’s Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, who worked with Monti on Sharon’s scans ... Reuters. ....(size: 5.1Kb)
South China Morning Post
29 Jan 2013
"We were surprised to see such robust activity in his brain," said Dr Alon Friedman, head of the Zlotowski Centre for Neuroscience at Ben-Gurion University, in Beersheba. "The information is getting in and is getting processed ... Last week a team of Israeli and US scientists performed a series of tests on him at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, using a newly developed functional MRI to assess his brain function ... ....(size: 2.4Kb)
Newsday
29 Jan 2013
Photos ... Though some hoped Sharon might regain consciousness and resume his life, experts warned that was highly unlikely ... "We were surprised to see such robust activity in his brain," said Dr. Alon Friedman, head of the Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba ... scientists performed a series of tests on him at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, using a newly developed functional MRI to assess his brain function ... ....(size: 6.0Kb)
Denver Post
29 Jan 2013
Philadelphia Daily News
29 Jan 2013
Aron Heller, Associated Press. Posted. Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 3.01 AM ... "We were surprised to see such robust activity in his brain," said Alon Friedman, head of the Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba ... He hears what they are saying ... ..." ... scientists performed a series of tests on him at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, using a newly developed functional MRI to assess his brain function ... 0....(size: 21.1Kb)
Irish Times
29 Jan 2013
MARK WEISS, in Jerusalem. Officials at Beersheba’s Soroka hospital have reported “significant” brain activity during tests performed on former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a vegetative state since 2007. According to medical officials, this activity was detected during a number of MRI scans and in the “matching” areas of the brain ... He did not regain consciousness ... ....(size: 2.0Kb)
Newsday
29 Jan 2013
-- Seven years after a massive stroke removed him from office and left him in a vegetative state, former Israeli Prime Minister is able to process information and has exhibited "robust activity" in his brain, according to doctors who conducted recent tests. Some hoped Sharon might regain consciousness, But experts said that was unlikely ... Alon Friedman, head of the Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba....(size: 7.2Kb)
Reuters
29 Jan 2013
"It's encouraging to find these signs because it opens up the possibility of some meaningful communication," said Paul Matthews, a professor of neurology at Imperial College London ... AWARENESS DETECTED ... These tests "give us a lot of information about how we can contact these patients and stimulate them", said Alon Friedman, a neurological director at Israel's Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, who worked with Monti on Sharon's scans....(size: 5.2Kb)
New York Daily News
29 Jan 2013
"It's encouraging to find these signs because it opens up the possibility of some meaningful communication," said Paul Matthews, a professor of neurology at Imperial College London ... These tests "give us a lot of information about how we can contact these patients and stimulate them", said Alon Friedman, a neurological director at Israel's Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, who worked with Monti on Sharon's scans....(size: 5.6Kb)
The Inquisitr
28 Jan 2013
Posted. January 28, 2013. Beersheba, Israel – Ariel Sharon, the former Israeli prime minister who has been in a coma since 2006, has demonstrated signs of “brain activity”, say his doctors ... He is connected to a respirator at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, Israel. Now, however, new tests reveal that Mr. Sharon can respond to external stimuli ... Category. News. Tags ... Posted ... ....(size: 2.5Kb)
- For other meanings see Beersheba (disambiguation).
| Beersheba | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |||
| • Hebrew | בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע | ||
| Arabic transcription(s) | |||
| • Arabic | بئر السبع | ||
 |
|||
|
|||
 Beersheba
|
|||
| Coordinates: 31°14′59.18″N 34°47′58.95″E / 31.2497722°N 34.7997083°E / 31.2497722; 34.7997083Coordinates: 31°14′59.18″N 34°47′58.95″E / 31.2497722°N 34.7997083°E / 31.2497722; 34.7997083 | |||
| District | South | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | City | ||
| • Mayor | Ruvik Danilovich | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 117,500 dunams (117.5 km2 or 45.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2009)[1] | |||
| • Total | 194,300 | ||
| Name meaning | Well of the Oath or Seven Wells(see also) | ||
| Website | http://www.beer-sheva.muni.il | ||
Beersheba (/bɪərˈʃiːbə/; officially Be'er Sheva; Hebrew: בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע [bəʔe̞rˈʃe̞va]; Greek: Βηρσαβεε; Latin: Bersabee; Arabic: بئر السبع, Bi'r as-Sab` (info); Turkish: Birüssebi) is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300.[1]
Beersheba grew in importance in the 19th century, when the Ottoman Turks built a regional police station there. The Battle of Beersheba was part of a wider British offensive in World War I aimed at breaking the Turkish defensive line from Gaza to Beersheba. In 1947, Bir Seb'a (Arabic: بيئر شيبع), as it was known, was envisioned as part of the Arab state in the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Following the declaration of Israel's independence, the Egyptian army amassed its forces in Beersheba as a strategic and logistical base. In October 1948, the city was conquered by the Israel Defense Forces.[2]
Beersheba has grown considerably since then. A large portion of the population is made up of Jews who immigrated from Arab countries after 1948, and has been significantly boosted since 1990 by immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. With the influx of Russian immigrants, chess became a major sport in Beersheba. The city is now Israel's national chess center, home to more chess grandmasters than any city in the world.[3]
Contents |
Etymology[link]
There are several etymologies for the origin of the name "Beersheba": The oath of Abraham and Abimelech (well of the oath); the seven wells dug by Isaac (seven wells), though only three or four have been identified; the oath of Isaac and Abimelech (well of the oath); the seven ewes that sealed Abraham and Abimelech's oath (well of the seven).
Be'er is the Hebrew word for well; sheva could mean "seven" or "oath" (from the Hebrew word shvu'a).
History[link]
Antiquity[link]
Human settlement in the area dates from the Copper Age. The inhabitants lived in caves, crafting metal tools and raising cattle.[4] Findings unearthed at Tel Be'er Sheva, an archaeological site a few kilometers northeast of modern day Beersheba, suggest the region has been inhabited since the 4th millennium BC.[5] The city has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries.
Israelite era[link]
The town was founded by the Israelites during the 10th century BC, on the site of what is today referred to as Tel Be'er Sheva, after the land was conquered by King David. The ruins of the original Israelite settlement remain largely intact.
The site was probably chosen due to the abundance of water, as evidenced by the numerous wells in the area. According to the Bible, the wells were dug by Abraham and Isaac when they arrived there. The streets were laid out in a grid, with separate areas for administrative, commercial, military, and residential use. According to the Hebrew Bible, Beersheba was the southernmost city of the territories actually settled by Israelites, hence the expression "from Dan to Beersheba" to describe the whole kingdom.[6]
Beersheba is mentioned in the Book of Genesis in connection with Abraham the Patriarch and his pact with Abimelech. Isaac built an altar in Beersheba (Genesis 26:23–33). Jacob had his dream about a stairway to heaven after leaving Beersheba. (Genesis 28:10–15 and 46:1–7). Beersheba was the territory of the tribe of Shimon and Judah (Joshua 15:28 and 19:2). The prophet Elijah took refuge in Beersheba when Jezebel ordered him killed (I Kings 19:3). The sons of the prophet Samuel were judges in Beersheba (I Samuel 8:2). Saul, Israel's first king, built a fort for his campaign against the Amalekites (I Samuel 14:48 and 15:2–9). The prophet Amos mentions the city in regard to idolatry (Amos 5:5 and 8:14).[6] Following the Babylonian conquest and subsequent enslavement of many Israelites, the town was abandoned. After the slaves returned from Babylon, the town was resettled.
Roman and Byzantine era[link]
During the Roman and later Byzantine periods, the town served as a front-line defense against Nabatean attacks. The last inhabitants of Tel Be'er Sheva were the Byzantines, who abandoned the city during the Arab conquest of Palestine in the 7th century.
Ottoman era[link]
The Turkish Ottomans, who had controlled Palestine since the 16th century, took no interest in Beersheba until the end of the 19th century.[7] At the beginning of the 19th century, Beersheba was portrayed by European pilgrims as a barren stretch of land with a well and a handful of Bedouins living nearby. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Ottomans built a police station in Beersheba in order to keep the Bedouin in check.[8] They built roads and a number of small buildings from local materials which are still standing today. A town plan was created by a Swiss and a German architect, which called for a grid street pattern,[9] a pattern which can still be seen today in Beersheba's Old City. All houses built during that period were of one storey, and the two-storey police station towered above them. Most of the residents at the time were Arabs from Hebron and the Gaza area, although Jews also began settling in the city, and a slew of Bedouin abandoned their nomadic lives and built homes in Beersheba.[10]
During World War I, the Turks built a military railroad from the Hejaz line to Beersheba, inaugurating the station on October 30, 1915.[11] The celebration was attended by the Turkish army commander Jamal Pasha, along with senior government officials. The train line was active until the British Army took over the region.
British Mandate era[link]
Beersheba played an important role in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in World War I. On October 31, 1917, three months after taking Rafah, General Allenby's troops breached the line of Turkish defense between Gaza and Beersheba.[12] 800 soldiers of the Australian 4th and 12th Regiments of the 4th Light Horse Brigade under Brigadier General William Grant, with only horses and bayonets, charged the Turkish trenches, overran them and captured the wells of Beersheba in what has become known as the "last successful cavalry charge in British military history." On the edge of Beersheba's Old City is a Commonwealth cemetery containing the graves of Australian and British soldiers. The town also contains a memorial park dedicated to them.
Beersheba was a major administrative center during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. A railway was constructed between Rafah and Beersheba in October 1917; it opened to the public in May 1918, serving the Negev and settlements south of Mount Hebron.[13] In 1928, at the beginning of the tension between the Jews and the Arabs over Palestine, and wide-scale rioting which left 133 Jews dead and 339 wounded, many Jews abandoned Beersheba, although some returned occasionally. After an Arab attack on a Jewish bus in 1936, which escalated into the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, the remaining Jews left.
State of Israel[link]
Main article: Battle of Beersheba (1948)
The 1947 UN Partition Plan included Beersheba in the territory allotted to the proposed Arab state as the city's population of 4,000 was primarily Arab.[14] The Egyptian army was stationed in Beersheba in May 1948. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion ordered the city conquered, calling for the "conquest of Beersheba, occupation of outposts around it, [and] demolition of most of the town."[15] Israeli Air Force bombing raids began during the night of October 18/19, 1948. The Arab residents fled en masse the next day on foot and in buses. More bombing raids followed that night, and on October 21 at 4:00 in the morning, the 8th Brigade's 89th battalion and the Negev Brigade's 7th and 9th battalions moved in, some of the troops advancing from Mishmar HaNegev junction, 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Beersheba, others from the Turkish train station and Hatzerim. By 09:45, the Egyptian forces were surrounded and Beersheba was in Israeli hands. Around 120 Egyptian soldiers were taken prisoners, and the remaining civilians, 200 men and 150 women and children, were taken to the police fort. On October 25, the women, children, disabled, and elderly were driven by truck to the Gaza border. The Egyptian soldiers were interned in POW camps. Some men lived in the local mosque and were put to work cleaning but when it was discovered that they were supplying information to the Egyptian army, they were also deported.[15] Looting on the part of Israeli troops occurred and was criticized by David Ben-Gurion and Dov Shafrir, the first Custodian of Absentees Property.[15]
In the 1950s, Beersheba expanded northward. The majority of Indian Jews emigrated to the newly independent Israel after the 1948 Partition estimated to be around 20,000, and the main place for them to settle was Beersheba. Soroka Hospital opened its doors in 1960, and The Negev University, later renamed Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, was established in 1970. Egyptian president Anwar Sadat visited Beersheba in 1979.
Current development[link]
As part of its Blueprint Negev project, the Jewish National Fund is funding major redevelopment projects in Beersheba. One project is the Beersheba River Walk, a 900-acre (3.6 km2) riverfront district with green spaces, hiking trails, a 3,000-seat sports hall, a boating lake made from recycled waste water, promenades, restaurants, cafés, galleries, boat rentals, a 12,000-seat amphitheater, playgrounds, and a bridge made up of Mekorot water pipes. Four new shopping malls are planned, including a 115,000-square meter ecologically planned mall with pools for collecting rainwater and lighting generated by solar panels on the roof. It will be situated next to an 8,000-meter park with bicycle paths.[16][17][18] In recent years, some $10.5 million has been invested in renovating Beersheba's Old City, preserving historical buildings and upgrading infrastructure.[19]
The city is currently undergoing a major construction boom, which includes both elements of urban design such as water fountains and bridges, and environmental development such as playgrounds and parks.[20]
Arab-Israeli conflict[link]
On August 31, 2004, sixteen people were killed in two suicide bombings on buses in Beersheba for which Hamas claimed responsibility. On August 28, 2005, another suicide bomber attacked the central bus station, seriously injuring two security guards and 45 bystanders.[21] During Operation Cast Lead, which began on December 27, 2008, Hamas fired multiple Grad rockets from Gaza into Beersheba. The rocket attacks have continued, but have only been partially effective since the introduction of the Iron Dome rocket defense system.[22][23][24][25] In 2010 an Arab attacked and injured two [26] with an axe [27][28]. In 2012, a Palestinian from Jenin had been stopped before a stabbing attack [29][30] in a "safe house".
Geography[link]
Beersheba is located on the northern edge of the Negev desert 115 kilometres (71 mi) south-east of Tel Aviv and 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-west of Jerusalem. The city is located on the main route from the center and north of the country to Eilat in the far south. The Valley of Beer Sheva has been populated for thousands of years due to the presence of water which flows from the Hebron hills in the winter and is stored underground in vast quantities.[31] The main river in Beersheba is Nahal Beersheva, a wadi which floods in the winter. The Kovshim and Katef streams are other important wadis which pass through the city. Beersheba is surrounded by a number of satellite towns, including Omer, Lehavim, and Meitar, and the Bedouin localities of Rahat, Tel as-Sabi, and Lakiya.
Climate[link]
Beersheba has an arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with Mediterranean influences. The city has both characteristics of Mediterranean and desert climates. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are cool and rainy. In summer, the temperature is high in daytime and nighttime with an average high of 32.3 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 19.9 °C (68 °F). In winter, the temperature are cool and the weather is rainy and snow is very rare. Winters have an average high of 17.7 °C (64 °F) and average low of 8 °C (46 °F).
Precipitation in summer are rare, the most rainfalls come in winter between September to May, but the annually amount is low, with 204.1 millimeters (8.0 in) each year. Sandstorms, haze and fog are common especially in winter, as a result of the high humidity.
| Climate data for Beersheba | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 28.4 (83.1) |
31 (88) |
35.4 (95.7) |
40.9 (105.6) |
42.2 (108.0) |
46 (115) |
41.5 (106.7) |
40.5 (104.9) |
41.2 (106.2) |
39.6 (103.3) |
34 (93) |
31.4 (88.5) |
46 (115) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) |
17.5 (63.5) |
20.1 (68.2) |
25.8 (78.4) |
29 (84) |
31.3 (88.3) |
32.7 (90.9) |
32.8 (91.0) |
31.3 (88.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
18.8 (65.8) |
25.7 (78.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
7.6 (45.7) |
9.3 (48.7) |
12.7 (54.9) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
20.5 (68.9) |
20.9 (69.6) |
19.5 (67.1) |
16.7 (62.1) |
12.6 (54.7) |
8.9 (48.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −5 (23) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
2.4 (36.3) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
13.6 (56.5) |
15.8 (60.4) |
15.6 (60.1) |
13 (55) |
10.2 (50.4) |
3.4 (38.1) |
3 (37) |
−5 (23) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 49.6 (1.953) |
40.4 (1.591) |
30.7 (1.209) |
12.9 (0.508) |
2.7 (0.106) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.4 (0.016) |
5.8 (0.228) |
19.7 (0.776) |
41.9 (1.65) |
204.1 (8.035) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 9.2 | 8 | 6.4 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 7.5 | 41 |
| Source: Israel Meteorological Service[32][33] | |||||||||||||
Demographics[link]
 |
This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (March 2012) |
Beersheba had a population of 185,400 by the end of 2006,[34] compared to 110,800 in a survey conducted 20 years earlier. In the 1990s, the population was substantially increased by a large influx of Russian and Ethiopian Jews. In 2001, the ethnic make-up of the city was 98.9% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population (see Population groups in Israel). In 2001, there were 86,500 males and 91,400 females living in Beersheba. The population breakdown by age was 31.8% for 19 years old or younger, 17.4% for 20–29 year olds, 19.6% for 30–44 year olds, 15.8% for 45–59 year olds, 4.0% for 60–64 year olds, and 11.4% for 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 2.9%.
Many people live in Beersheba for short periods of time, e.g. while studying at the university or working at the nearby army bases. According to CBS, Beersheba had 61,016 salaried workers and 3,010 self-employed citizens in 2000. Salaried workers earned an average monthly wage of 5,223 NIS (about 1085 Euros or US $1350). Men earned an average monthly wage of NIS 6,661 (a real change of 5.2%) compared to NIS 3,760 for females (a real change of 3.9%). Self-employed persons had an average income of NIS 6,533. A total of 4,719 persons received unemployment benefits, and 26,469 persons received income supplements.
In 1982, Israel airlifted a large part of the Ethiopian Jewish community to Israel, and many settled in Beersheba. There are now approximately 10,000 Ethiopian Israelis in the city, with a community center built in the style of the thatched tukuls of Ethiopia.
Economy[link]
The largest employers in Beersheba are the municipality, Israel Defense Forces, Ben-Gurion University and the Soroka Medical Center. There are also a number of electronics and chemical plants including Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in and around the city. A large high-tech park is also being built near the Be'er Sheva North Railway Station.[35] A major Israel Aerospace Industries complex is located in the main industrial zone, north of Highway 60. There are three industrial zones on the southeastern side of the city – Makhteshim, Emek Sara and Kiryat Yehudit – and a light industry zone between Kiryat Yehudit and the Old City. A high-tech park is located near Omer. A Science Park funded by the RASHI-SACTA Foundation, Beersheba Municipality and private donors was completed in 2008.[35] The tallest buildings in the city are the towers of the Rambam Square complex. Rambam Square 2 is the tallest apartment building in Israel outside of the Gush Dan Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area.[36]
Local government[link]
The Beersheba municipality was plagued for many years by an ineffectual leadership, political problems and poor financial planning. Since 2005, attention has been focused on developing parks and infrastructure. A new youth center opened in 2005, and a new cultural centre opened in 2008. In 2006, after many years of financial struggle,the municipality has achieved a balanced budget.[37] The official emblem of the municipality of Beersheba depicts an eshel (tamarisk tree), the tree planted by Abraham according to Genesis,[38] and the observation tower connected to the municipality building.
The mayor of Beersheba is Ruvik Danilovich, who was deputy mayor under Yaakov Turner.[39]
| Name | Took office | Left office | Years in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Tuviyahu | 1950 | 1961 | 11 |
| 2 | Ze'ev Zrizi | 1961 | 1963 | 2 |
| 3 | Eliyahu Nawi | 1963 | 1986 | 23 |
| 4 | Moshe Zilberman | 1986 | 1989 | 3 |
| 5 | Yitzhak Rager | 1989 | 1997 | 8 |
| 6 | David Bunfeld | 1997 | 1998 | 1 |
| 7 | Yaakov Turner | 1998 | 2008 | 10 |
| 8 | Ruvik Danilovich | 2008 |
Educational and religious institutions[link]
According to CBS, Beersheba has 81 schools and a student population of 33,623: 60 elementary schools with an enrollment of 17,211, and 39 high schools with an enrollment of 16,412. Of Beersheba's 12th graders, 52.7% earned a Bagrut matriculation certificate in 2001. The city also has several private schools and Yeshivot which cater to the religious sector. Beersheba is home to one of Israel's major universities, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev located on an urban campus in the city (Dalet neighborhood). Other schools in Beersheva include:
- open university of Israel located in the Old city[40]
- Sami Shamoon Academic College of Engineering
- Kaye Academic College of Education
- Practical Engineering College of Beersheba (Hamichlala ha technologit shel Be'er sheva)[41]
- A campus of the Israeli Air and Space college (Techni Be'er sheva ) [42]
The historic mosque in Beersheba was renovated and used as a municipal museum, as the city had no significant Arab population, but Muslim groups in the vicinity are negotiating for its reopening as a functioning mosque.[43]
Neigborhoods[link]
Main article: Neighborhoods of Beersheba
After Israeli independence, Beersheba became a "laboratory" for Israeli architecture.[44] Mishol Girit, a neighborhood built in the late 1950s, was the first attempt to create an alternative to the standard public housing projects in Israel. Hashatiah (lit. "the carpet"), also known as Hashekhuna ledugma ("the model neighborhood"), was hailed by architects around the world.[44] Today, Beersheba is divided into seventeen residential neighbourhoods in addition to the Old City and Ramot, an umbrella neighborhood of 4 sub-districts. Many of the neighbourhoods are named after letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which also have numerical value, but descriptive place names have been given to some of the newer neighborhoods.
Culture[link]
Beersheba is the home base of the Israel Sinfonietta, founded in 1973. Over the years, the Sinfonietta has developed a broad repertoire of symphonic works, concerti for solo instruments and large choral productions, among them Handel's "Israel in Egypt," masses by Schubert and Mozart, Rossini's "Stabat Mater" and Vivaldi's "Gloria." World-famous artists have appeared as soloists with the Sinfonietta, including Pinhas Zuckerman, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Shlomo Mintz, Gary Karr and Paul Tortelier.[45] In the 1970s, a memorial commemorating fallen Israeli soldiers designed by the sculptor Danny Karavan was erected on a hill north-east of the city.[46] The Beersheba Theater opened in 1973. The Light Opera Group of the Negev, established in 1980, performs musicals in English every year.[47] The Negev Museum reopened as an art museum, and an art and media center for young people was established. In 2009, a new tourist and information center, Gateway to the Negev, was built.[48] Landmarks in the city include Abraham's Well and the old Turkish train station, now the focus of development plans.[49]
Transportation[link]
Main article: Transport in Beersheba
Beersheba is the central transportation hub of southern Israel, served by roads, railways and air. Beersheba is connected to Tel Aviv via Highway 40, the second longest highway in Israel, which passes to the east of the city and is called the Beersheba bypass because it allows travellers from the north to go to southern locations, avoiding the more congested city center. From west to east, the city is divided by Highway 25, which connects to Ashkelon and the Gaza Strip to the northwest, and Dimona to the east. Finally, Highway 60 connects Beersheba with Jerusalem and the Shoket Junction, and goes through the West Bank. On the local level, a partial ring road surrounds the city from the north and east, and Road 406 (Rager Blvd.) goes through the city center from north to south.
Metrodan Beersheba, established in 2003, has a fleet of 90 buses and operates 19 lines in the city, most of which depart from the Beersheba Central Bus Station.[50] These lines were formerly operated by the municipality as the 'Be'er Sheva Urban Bus Services'. Inter-city buses to and from Beersheba are operated by Egged, Egged Ta'avura and Metropoline.[51]
Israel Railways operates two stations in the city that form part of the railway to Beersheba: the old Be'er Sheva North University station, adjacent to Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center, and the new Be'er Sheva Central station, adjacent to the central bus station. Between the two stations, the railway splits into two, and also continues to Dimona and the Dead Sea factories. An extension is planned to Eilat[52] and Arad.
The Be'er Sheva North University station is the terminus of the line to Dimona. All stations of Israel Railways can be accessed from Beersheba using transfer stations in Tel Aviv and Lod. Currently, the railway line to Beersheba uses a slow single-track configuration with several sharp curves limiting speed. However, its alignment is being improved and the entire line converted to dual-track. The project will significantly decrease travel time from Tel Aviv and Haifa to Beersheba, at a cost of NIS 1.885 billion.[53]
Sports[link]
Hapoel Be'er Sheva plays in the Israeli Premier League, the top tier of Israeli football, having been promoted in the 2008–2009 Liga Leumit season. The club has won the Israeli championship twice, in 1975 and 1976, as well as the State Cup in 1997. Beersheba has two other local clubs, Maccabi Be'er Sheva (based in Neve Noy) and MS Be'er Sheva (based in the north of Dalet), a continuation of the defunct Beitar Avraham Be'er Sheva. Hapoel and Maccabi both play at the Vasermil Stadium, a 14,000-capacity concrete bowl located in the Bet neighbourhood.
Beersheba has become Israel's national chess center; thanks to Soviet immigration, it is home to the largest number of chess grandmasters of any city in the world.[54] The city hosted the World Team Chess Championship in 2005, and chess is taught in the city's kindergartens.[55] The Israeli chess team won the silver medal at the 2008 Chess Olympiad[56] and the bronze at the 2010 Olympiad. The chess club was founded in 1973 by Eliyahu Levant, who is still the driving spirit behind it.[57]
The city has the second largest wrestling center (AMI wrestling school) in Israel.[citation needed] The center is run by Leonid Shulman and has approximately 2,000 students most of whom are from Russian immigrant families since the origins of the club are in the Nahal Beka integration camp. Maccabi Be'er Sheva has a freestyle wrestling team, whilst Hapoel Be'er Sheva has a Greek-Romi wrestling team. In 2010 world championships by FILA in wrestling 5 medals were won by AMI students.[58] Cricket is played under the auspices of Israel Cricket Association. Beersheba is also home to a rugby team whose senior and youth squads have won several national titles (including the recent Senior National League 2004–2005 championship).[59] Beersheba's tennis center, which opened in 1991, features eight lighted courts, and the Be'er Sheva (Teyman) airfield is used for gliding.
Notable residents[link]
- Aref al-Aref, Arab historian
- Orna Banai, Israeli actress, comedian, and entertainer
- Elyaniv Barda, football (soccer) player
- Zehava Ben, singer
- Avishay Braverman, professor and politician
- Anat Draigor, basketball player
- Ronit Elkabetz, actress
- Zvika Hadar, comedian and show host
- Victor Mikhalevski, chess grandmaster
- David Newman, professor and Dean of Social Science and Humanities, BGU
- Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut; died in the Columbia disaster
- Yehudit Ravitz, singer
- Eli Zizov, football (soccer) player
- Ze'ev Zrizi, second mayor of Beersheba
- Almog Cohen, soccer player
Twin towns—Sister cities[link]
File:Rocketpopmap.jpeg
Beersheba is located in the 45sec - 1mn of grad rocket range
Beersheba is twinned with twelve other towns and cities:[60]
See also[link]
- Battle of Beersheba (First World War)
- Beer Sheva Park, Seattle
- Map of Beersheba and surrounds in the 1940s and 1950s
References[link]
- ^ a b "Table 3 – Population of Localities Numbering Above 2,000 Residents and Other Rural Population". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2010-06-30. http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2010/table3.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ Guide to Israel, Zev Vilnay, Hamakor Press, Jerusalem, 1972, pp.309–14
- ^ Beersheba Masters Kings, Knights, Pawns Los Angeles Times, 30 January 2005
- ^ Beersheba
- ^ Z. Herzog. Beer-sheba II: The Early Iron Age Settlements. Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University and Ramot Publishing Co. Tel Aviv 1984
- ^ a b "Beer Sheva". Jewishmag.com. http://www.jewishmag.com/61mag/beersheva/beersheva.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ Yehuda Gradus, Beer-Sheva, Capital of the Negev Desert – Function and internal structure, http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=30967058u211166t&size=largest, "only at the end of the nineteenth century did Beer-Sheva become the Turkish administrative center for the Negev."
- ^ A Bedouin century: Education and development among the Negev tribes in the 20th century Aref Abu-Rabia
- ^ Gerdos, Yehuda (1985). "Basis of Beersheba City Planning". In Mordechai Na'or. Settlement of the Negev, 1900–1960. Jerusalem, Israel: Yad Yitzhak Ben-Zvi. pp. 167–177. (Hebrew)
- ^ Vilnai, Ze'ev (1969). "Be'er Sheva". Ariel Encyclopedia. Volume 1. Tel Aviv, Israel: Sifriyat HaSadeh. pp. 473–515. (Hebrew)
- ^ Cotterell, Paul (1986). "Chapter 3". The Railways of Palestine and Israel. Abingdon, UK: Tourret Publishing. pp. 14–31. ISBN 978-0-905878-04-1.
- ^ An Empire in the Holy Land: Historical Geography of the British Administration in Palestine, 1917–1929, Gideon Biger, St. Martin's Press, New York, Magnes Press, Jerusalem, 1994, p. 23-24
- ^ An Empire in the Holy Land: Historical Geography of the British Administration in Palestine, 1917–1929, Gideon Biger, St. Martin's Press, New York, Magnes Press, Jerusalem, 1994, p. 119
- ^ Palestine Plan of Partition Map United Nations, 1956
- ^ a b c Morris, Benny. The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited, Cambridge University Press, p. 467.
- ^ Jweekly.com
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- ^ Jpost.com
- ^ Upwelling of Renewal
- ^ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4228131,00.html
- ^ Palestinian Bomber Kills Only Himself Near Israeli Bus Station – New York Times
- ^ http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/300/858.html
- ^ http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4109451,00.html
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- ^ http://www.hageula.com/news/israel/6890.html
- ^ http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/10/1835762
- ^ http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/1/1835677
- ^ http://news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=856797
- ^ http://www.mako.co.il/news-military/security/Article-676211d39b7a431017.htm
- ^ "The climate of Beer Sheva". Archived from the original on 2008-03-25. http://web.archive.org/web/20080325061505/http://www.geocities.com/thetropics/harbor/7883/bs-climt.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- ^ "Averages and Records for Beersheba (Precipitation, Temperature and Records [Excluding January and June written in the page)"]. Israel Meteorological Service. August 2011. http://ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/LongTermInfo.
- ^ "Records Data for Israel (Data used only for January and June)". Israel Meteorological Service. http://ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/TopClimetIsrael.
- ^ "Table 3—Population of Localities Numbering Above 1,000 Residents and Other Rural Population". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2007-12-31. http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2009/table3.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ a b "© Dun's 100 2007 – Be'er-Sheva Municipality VP". Duns100.dundb.co.il. http://duns100.dundb.co.il/2007/vp/600143622/index.asp. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ Rambam Square 2, Beer Sheva
- ^ Beer-Sheva Municipality Dun's 100, 2006
- ^ Genesis / Bereishit 21:33
- ^ "Secular candidate elected Jerusalem mayor". Enews20.com. 2008-11-12. http://www.enews20.com/news_Secular_candidate_elected_Jerusalem_mayor_14085.html. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ he:האוניברסיטה הפתוחה
- ^ technical college website
- ^ school website
- ^ "Will Be'er Sheva allow Muslims to use city's only mosque? – Haaretz – Israel News". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1089841.html. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
- ^ a b Haaretz.com, Magic Carpet: The Carpet-Style Patio Homes of Be'er Sheva, Haaretz
- ^ Sounds from the South[dead link]
- ^ "h2g2 – Be'er Sheva, Israel – A4499625". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A4499625. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ "The salons of the South – Haaretz – Israel News". Haaretz. 2006-12-24. http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArtStEngPE.jhtml?itemNo=957537&contrassID=2&subContrassID=5&title='The%20salons%20of%20the%20South%20'&dyn_server=172.20.5.5. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ Lubliner, Elan (2009-02-21). "'Gateway' center aims to help the Negev bloom again | Around Israel | Jerusalem Post". Jpost.com. http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304840270&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ Blueprint for Beersheba
- ^ "Transportation in the Negev". Negev Information Center. http://eng.negev-net.org.il/HTMLs/article.aspx?C2004=12553&BSP=12316. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ "Map of lines of the Metropoline company". Metropoline. http://metropoline.com/map.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-24. (Hebrew)
- ^ Hazelkorn, Shahar (2008-03-17). "Mofaz Decided: A Railway to Eilat Will Be Built" (in Hebrew). Ynet. http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3520156,00.html. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ "Details of the Israel Railways Development Project". Israel Ministry of Transportation. p. 52. Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20080410092657/http://www.mof.gov.il/budget2007/docs2008/tahbura.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ Bekerman, Eitan (4 September 2006), "Chess masters set to compete in world blitz championship", Haaretz, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/758461.html [dead link]
- ^ World Team Championship in Beer Sheva, Israel, World Chess Federation, 1 November 2005, http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/9-other/2182-673-world-team-championship-in-beer-sheva-israel, retrieved 13 March 2009
- ^ Tzahor, Uri (26 November 2008), "Israel takes silver medal at Chess Olympiad", Ynewnews.com, http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3628765,00.html
- ^ Gavin Rabinowitz (12 December 2004). "Beersheba is king of world chess". Jerusalem Post: p. 4. http://highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103365216.html. "By all accounts it is Levant, 76, who is responsible for chess taking root in these arid surroundings... Klenburg says the club's success is all owed to Levant. "He was the right man at the right time,""
- ^ http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3833478,00.html
- ^ The Camels-ASA Beersheba Rugby in Beersheba
- ^ "International Relations of the City of Beersheba". Beersheba Municipality. http://www.beer-sheva.muni.il/openning.asp?Lang=1. Retrieved 2012-02-08. (Hebrew)
- ^ "Partner Cities of Lyon and Greater Lyon". © 2008 Mairie de Lyon. http://www.lyon.fr/vdl/sections/en/villes_partenaires/villes_partenaires_2/?aIndex=1. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
- ^ "Sister Relationships: Sister Cities, States, Counties & Ports". Office of Lieutenant Governor of the state of Washington. http://www.ltgov.wa.gov/International/Washington%20Organizations/Sisters/default.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
Bibliography[link]
- Thareani-Sussely, Yifat, "The 'Archaeology of the Days of Manasseh' Reconsidered in the Light of Evidence From The Beersheba Valley," Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 139,2 (2007), 69-77.
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Beersheba |
- Beersheba City Council
- Selection of photos from Beer-Sheva from flickr
- Ben-Gurion University
- The city of Beersheba: a tourist's guide
- Beer-Sheva – Historical article from the Catholic Encyclopaedia
- Light Horse charges again Article written by Martin Chulov, published in The Australian, November 1, 2007, the descendants of the Australian light-horsemen rode into the centre of Beersheva, re-enacting the gallant gallop of October 31, 1917
- Israel Builds Expansion and architecture of Beersheva in the 1960s and 1970s
- Blueprint for Beersheba
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