Caravillas

Caravan ( he, קראוואן; pl. קראוואנים, ''caravanim'') is an Israeli term referring to a portable building used as a living space, school classroom, synagogue, or community center.

Description

''Caravanim'' are constructed of aluminum or other metal siding with a corrugated metal roof, and are often attached to a cement-block base. They are not insulated but can be outfitted with heating and air-conditioning units, water lines, recessed lighting, and floor tiling to function in a full-service capacity.

The establishment of ''caravanim'' on disputed land by Jewish activists is considered the first step toward the establishment of an Israeli settlement. In its initial stage of a few ''caravanim'', the establishment is called an " outpost." As more settlers move in, the establishment is upgraded to a "settlement".

Alternately, ''caravanim'' have been established on disputed land by Israeli and Palestinian activists as a sign of protest.

Classrooms

''Caravanim'' are popularly employed by schools — especially in Haredi neighborhoods of Israel — that are unable to finance a permanent structure. A 2008 report by the State Comptroller of Israel reported that 125 out of 186 Haredi schools in Bnei Brak, Elad and Modi'in Illit were situated wholly or partially in ''caravanim'', some older than 15 years. The report criticized these structures for lack of ventilation, lack of bomb shelters, and lack of proper yards or playgrounds for the children. Though the construction of some ''caravan'' schools violate local planning and building laws, the government does not dismantle them.

Synagogues

Many start-up religious congregations establish their synagogues in ''caravanim'' rather than the more expensive permanent concrete-and-stone structures. Synagogues housed in ''caravanim'' are common sights at Israel army bases.

Living space

''Caravanim'' are sometimes used as inexpensive houses in new or extensions of existing localities within Israel.

Settler housing

Most often, ''caravanim'' are employed by both settlers and the government as housing in Israeli settlement areas in the territories occupied since 1967. Residents usually live in ''caravanim'' until permanent homes are built. The ''caravan'' may also be a more permanent low-rent option, particularly for young couples.

The overnight installment of ''caravanim'' for housing is a popular means of establishing a new, unauthorized settler outpost on disputed land.

Caravillas

In 2005 prefabricated homes, named ''caravillas'' ( he, קרווילה), a portmanteau, were set up to house the Jewish families evicted from their homes in Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan.

A ''caravilla'' is composed of several prefabricated sections that are joined on a foundation. ''Caravillas'', which vary in size from about 650 to 1,000 square feet, are akin to the Israeli concept of a villa, or single-family home. They were instrumental in pacifying objections to the disengagement plan. The biggest of these ''caravilla camps'' was established in Nitzan, north of Ashkelon with 250 ''caravillas'', which has grown to accommodate over 500.

See also

*Mobile homes

References

External links

{{Commons category, Caravans in Israel
*United Nations: Report of the Secretary-General
Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan
September 14, 2010
*Israeli Governmen

(Sasson Report). Talya Sason, March 8, 2005
*Peace Now: Dror Etkes, Lara Friedman
Settlements in Focus. West Bank Outposts in 2006 - Same Song, Different Tune?
January 2006
*Peace Now Settlement Watch
Bypassing the Settlement Freeze. Semiannual Report on Settlement Construction, January-June 2009
August 2009
*Peace Now
Outpost List

House types
Portable buildings and shelters
Buildings and structures in Israel