Tzur Hadassah ( he, צוּר הֲדַסָּה, ''lit.'' Rock of Hadassah) is a town located in the Jerusalem Corridor, located southwest of Jerusalem, at an altitude of 755 meters above sea level, located on Route 375 west of Betar Ilit, about one kilometer west of the Green Line, just adjacent to the Palestinian village of

Wadi Fukin Wadi Fukin ( ar, وادي فوقين) is a Palestinian village in the West Bank, eight kilometers southwest of Bethlehem in the Bethlehem Governorate. The village, is located on 700 acres of land, between the Green Line and the Israeli West Bank ...

. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Tzur Hadassah is the largest settlement in Israel that does not have a local authority status. It falls under the jurisdiction of

Mateh Yehuda Regional Council Mateh Yehuda Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית מטה יהודה, ''Mo'atza Azorit Mateh Yehuda'', ar, مجلس إقليمي ماتيه يهودا ) is a regional council in the Jerusalem District of Israel. In 2008 it was home to 3 ...

. In it had a population of . In 2016, plans for expansion were approved, which would add 15,000 new residents within 5 years.

Schools

Tzur Hadassah is home to 3 primary schools, 1 religious, 1 mixed, and 1 secular. The religious school is called
Lavi
, the mixed (both religious and secular) is
Maayanot
, and the secular primary school is called
Hadassim
.

Restaurants and Culture

There are two commercial centers in Tzur Hadassah, one near the entrance to the "Har Kitron" neighborhood, housing Burgers Bar, small SuperSol supermarket an
Atza Sushi
The other commercial is on Rechasim street, anchored by the Co-Op Supermarket, and including pizza, New Deli and Shalom Falafel. In the "Vatika" neighborhood is located the pizzeri
Geppeto
brick-oven pizzas and salads.

History

Tzur Hadassah was established in 1956 as a regional centre for nearby

moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...

im such as ( Bar Giora, Mata,

Mevo Beitar Mevo Beitar ( he, מְבוֹא בֵּיתָר, lit. ''Beitar Gateway'') is a moshav shitufi in central Israel. Located ten kilometres south-west of Jerusalem in the Jerusalem corridor, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Counc ...

and Nes Harim) on land that had belonged to the depopulated

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

village of Ras Abu 'Ammar. It was named for the Hadassah organization. The town has four neighborhoods: The "Vatika" (Old Tzur Hadassah and Shehunat HaMeah); New Tzur Hadassah (Shehunat HaEmek); Sansan (Sansan Mt.); and Har Kitron (Kitron Mt.) which forms the second half of the

horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toen ...

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

of Tzur Hadassah. The Harei Yehuda riding stable is located in Tzur Hadassah, at the edge of the Sansan nature reserve. It was established in 1991 in the old part of Tzur Hadassah and moved to new facilities in 2004. The

Israel National Trail The Israel National Trail ( he, שביל ישראל, ''Shvil Yisra'el'') is a hiking path that was inaugurated in 1995. The trail crosses the entire country of Israel. Its northern end is at Dan, near the Lebanese border in the far north of the co ...

, marked with orange, blue, and white stripes, reaches Tzur Hadassah on its way westward. In 2014, construction workers discovered a large stalactite cave located beneath parts of Tzur Hadassah, the Parks Service sealed off entrance to the cave system.

Synagogues

Tzur Hadassa is home to Kehilat Shir Chadash (formally Kehilat Tzur Hadassah). The Kehila has an active chapter of the Israeli Reform Youth Movement “Noar Telem”. The congregation plays a leading role in the town’s social and cultural life. Between 2006-2014 Rabbi Ofer Beit-Halachmi got the congregation into a new building and created a moving voice in the community, leading in projects such as environmental programs, teen programs, and civic engagement such as volunteering in immigrant communities.

Gallery

File:Tzur Hadassa as seen from Khiebet Jurish.jpg, Tzur Hadassah as seen from Khirbet Jurish File:Tzur Hadassa as seen from Kh. Jurish.jpg, Tzur Hadassa (from Kh. Jurish)

References

External links

Official website
{{Mateh Yehuda Regional Council Community settlements Populated places established in 1960 Populated places in Jerusalem District 1960 establishments in Israel