Beit Zayit

Coordinates: 31°46′58″N 35°9′34″E / 31.78278°N 35.15944°E / 31.78278; 35.15944
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Beit Zayit
בֵּית זַיִת
Etymology: House of Olives
Beit Zayit is located in Jerusalem
Beit Zayit
Beit Zayit
Beit Zayit is located in Israel
Beit Zayit
Beit Zayit
Coordinates: 31°46′58″N 35°9′34″E / 31.78278°N 35.15944°E / 31.78278; 35.15944
Country Israel
DistrictJerusalem
CouncilMateh Yehuda
AffiliationMoshavim Movement
Founded1949
Founded byEgyptian, Romanian and Yugoslav Jews
Population
 (2022)[1]
1,621
Websitewww.beit-zait.org
Beit Zayit
Beit Zayit Reservoir and Moshav Beit Zayit behind it
Beit Zayit reservoir

Beit Zayit (Hebrew: בֵּית זַיִת, lit.'House of Olives') is a moshav in Israel. Located just outside the Jerusalem municipal border to the west, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 1,621.[1]

Beit Zayit lies on the edge of the Jerusalem Forest and operates a public swimming pool. Nearby is a dam, built to collect winter flood waters[2] and create the Beit Zayit Reservoir, meant to slow down the flow of the Soreq Stream and allow water to seep into the Western Mountain Aquifer, a task it seems not to fulfill properly (look here for the Hebrew article).

Name[edit]

A village named Beit Zayit is mentioned in the Book[which?] of the Maccabees, but it is believed to have been further north, possibly at the site of the Palestinian Christian town of Bir Zeit, north of Ramallah.[2]

History[edit]

Beit Zayit was established after the 1947-49 Arab-Israeli war on land that had belonged to the depopulated Palestinian village of 'Ayn Karim.[3]

The village was established in 1949 by Jewish immigrants from Egypt, Romania and Yugoslavia. The economy was based on fruit orchards, vegetables, poultry, and other farm products.[2]

With the expansion of the moshav in the late 1990s, including the purchase of land by newcomers and renovation of old homes, Beit Zayit became a trendy alternative to living in Jerusalem.[4]

Dinosaur footprints[edit]

In 1962, dinosaur footprints were discovered in the garden of one of Beit Zayit's residents, and are on display at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[5] This is the only place in Israel where evidence of dinosaurs was discovered, and one of few such sites in the Middle East.[6]

In popular culture[edit]

In the Israeli TV show Fauda, the village is visited by the main characters since one of the characters, Yaara, lives there.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Bard, Mitchell G. (2016). "Bet Zayit". Jewish Virtual Library. American–Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  3. ^ Khalidi, W. (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. p. 273. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
  4. ^ Steinberg, Jessica (2 January 2009). "Posh Israeli suburb grows out of a farming co-op". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  5. ^ Sofer, Barbara (1995). Kids Love Israel, Israel Loves Kids: A Travel Guide for Families. Kar-Ben Publishing. p. 103. ISBN 9780929371894.
  6. ^ Feinberg Vamosh, Miriam (16 September 2013). "Way Before the Flood: Dinosaur Tracks by Jerusalem". Haaretz. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Fauda: Season 3, Episode 12 script". Subs Like Script. Retrieved 18 April 2023.

External links[edit]