Hemdat
Encyclopedia
Hemdat is a village and Israeli settlement
in the West Bank
located in the Jordan River Valley on a plain at an altitude of 178 metres along the Allon Road
in the municipal jurisdiction of the Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. Other villages in the area are Ro'i
, Beka'ot
. The closet city, Beit Shean, is a thirty minute drive north of Hemdat. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
military outpost that was soon thereafter demilitarized and turned into a kibbutz
when turned over to residential purposes to a group of pioneers from Hashomer Hatzair
and Israel Boy and Girl Scouts Federation. Due to the harsh living conditions of the valley (intense heat, distant location) and other obstacles, this group abandoned the kibbutz and the village was returned to the Israel Defence Forces Nahal brigade. In 1997, a new group organized by the Amana settlement organization rose to the challenge and moved to resettle Hemdat. This group was made up of students at the Bnei David pre-military yeshiva
academy in Eli
and one family named Shitrit.
pre-military academy was established called Hemdat Yehuda.
Other educational institutions include a nursery school
and a kindergarten
. Young children learn at the elementary school on the Sde Eliyahu
kibbutz
. The older youth learn at the Sde Eliyahu High School
, and other institutions in the area and elsewhere.
. There is one central synagogue that serves the village, as well as religious services at the academy.
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) 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...
located in the Jordan River Valley on a plain at an altitude of 178 metres along the Allon Road
Allon Road
The Allon Road is the name commonly given by Israelis to routes #578, #508, and #458 in the West Bank, running roughly north-south between Mehola in the central Jordan Valley and east of Ma'ale Adummim on the eastern outskirts of Jerusalem....
in the municipal jurisdiction of the Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. Other villages in the area are Ro'i
Ro'i
Ro'i is a moshav and Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in the Jordan Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 128....
, Beka'ot
Beka'ot
Beka'ot is a moshav and Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in the Jordan Valley with an area of 1,800 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 171...
. The closet city, Beit Shean, is a thirty minute drive north of Hemdat. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
International law and Israeli settlements
The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories illegal under international law, but Israel maintains that they are consistent with international law because it does not agree that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the...
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
History
Hemdat was first established in 1979 as a pioneer NahalNahal
Nahal is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Historically, it refers to a program that combines military service and establishment of new agricultural settlements, often in outlying areas...
military outpost that was soon thereafter demilitarized and turned into a kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
when turned over to residential purposes to a group of pioneers from Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
and Israel Boy and Girl Scouts Federation. Due to the harsh living conditions of the valley (intense heat, distant location) and other obstacles, this group abandoned the kibbutz and the village was returned to the Israel Defence Forces Nahal brigade. In 1997, a new group organized by the Amana settlement organization rose to the challenge and moved to resettle Hemdat. This group was made up of students at the Bnei David pre-military yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
academy in Eli
Eli (town)
Eli is a large mixed communal Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located on Highway 60 north of Jerusalem and Ramallah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. At the end of 2008 it had a population of 2,800...
and one family named Shitrit.
Education
Three months after the re-founding of the village, a religiousOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
pre-military academy was established called Hemdat Yehuda.
Other educational institutions include a nursery school
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
and a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
. Young children learn at the elementary school on the Sde Eliyahu
Sde Eliyahu
Sde Eliyahu is a religious kibbutz in northern Israel. Located 5 km south of Beit She'an, it falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council.-History:...
kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
. The older youth learn at the Sde Eliyahu High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, and other institutions in the area and elsewhere.
Population
Hemdat does not have a homogeneous population and it is made up of a mixed group of families from different Jewish ethnic backgrounds and locations in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. There is one central synagogue that serves the village, as well as religious services at the academy.