Birya
Encyclopedia
Birya also Biriya, is an agricultural village adjacent to Safed
, Israel
, under the jurisdiction of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council
in the Upper Galilee
.
In 1946, a group of pioneers affiliated with the Religious Kibbutz Movement
established a pre-existing settlement
near the Birya Fortress
. According to the Jewish National Fund
in a 1949 book,
Although it lasted only two years, before being destroyed in the Israeli War of Independence it had a short but interesting history.
Again according to the Jewish National Fund, Biria was frequently attacked both by Syrian
troops and by Kaukji
's men. In February of 1946, after an attack on an Arab Legion
camp in the area, the British army
searched the village and found arms on the land. All the kvutza
members were arrested and the village was occupied by the [British] military, "whereupon thousands of young Jews from all parts of the country re-established the settlement not far from the original site." The British withdrew their military two months later, although the villagers were not released until the following summer. In 1947 the village had a population of 150.
Modern Birya was founded in 1971. Birya was one of the settlements hit by Katyusha rocket
s launched by Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War
in 2006. Efforts have been made to resuscitate the forest on its outskirts, which suffered severe damage in the war. The forests were planted by the Jewish National Fund in the 1940's with contributions from within Palestine, as well as the Mizrahi Organization of Great Britain
, and the Mizrahi Women of Britain and America
.
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, under the jurisdiction of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council
Merom HaGalil Regional Council
The Merom HaGalil Regional Council is a regional council in the northern Galilee of northern Israel. The regional council was established in 1950...
in the Upper Galilee
Upper Galilee
The Upper Galilee is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period, originally referring to a mountainous area overlapping the present northern Israel and southern Lebanon, its borders being the Litani river in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Beit...
.
In 1946, a group of pioneers affiliated with the Religious Kibbutz Movement
Religious Kibbutz Movement
The Religious Kibbutz Movement is an organizational framework for Orthodox kibbutzim in Israel. Its membership includes 19 communities, 16 of them traditional kibbutzim, and two others in the category of moshav shitufi , meaning that they have no communal dining hall or children's house but...
established a pre-existing settlement
Biriyya
Biriyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 2, 1948 by The Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located northeast of Safad...
near the Birya Fortress
Birya Fortress
Birya Fortress is a fortress built during the British Mandate, near the modern town of Birya. In 1946 the Birya affair took place here, and now it is a museum.Birya was founded by the Palmach on January 8, 1945 and the fortress built thereafter...
. According to the Jewish National Fund
Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
in a 1949 book,
Although it lasted only two years, before being destroyed in the Israeli War of Independence it had a short but interesting history.
Again according to the Jewish National Fund, Biria was frequently attacked both by Syrian
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
troops and by Kaukji
Fawzi Al-Qawuqji
Fawzi al-Qawuqji was the field commander of the Arab Liberation Army during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War in Palestine, and a rival of the principal Palestinian Arab leader, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini.-Biography:...
's men. In February of 1946, after an attack on an Arab Legion
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
camp in the area, the British army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
searched the village and found arms on the land. All the kvutza
Kvutza
Kvutza or kevutza can be used as:*A definition of an organized group of children consisting of boys and girls graded by age, as used in modern Israel.*It can also refer to any other type of group of individuals...
members were arrested and the village was occupied by the [British] military, "whereupon thousands of young Jews from all parts of the country re-established the settlement not far from the original site." The British withdrew their military two months later, although the villagers were not released until the following summer. In 1947 the village had a population of 150.
Modern Birya was founded in 1971. Birya was one of the settlements hit by Katyusha rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
s launched by Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...
in 2006. Efforts have been made to resuscitate the forest on its outskirts, which suffered severe damage in the war. The forests were planted by the Jewish National Fund in the 1940's with contributions from within Palestine, as well as the Mizrahi Organization of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, and the Mizrahi Women of Britain and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.