Even Yehuda ( he, אֶבֶן יְהוּדָה) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in the central Sharon region of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

east of

Netanya Netanya (also known as Natanya, he, נְתַנְיָה) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between Poleg stream and Wingate ...

. In it had a population of .

History

The area of Even Yehuda has been inhabited intermittently since the

Middle Paleolithic The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleol ...

age, with peak periods of settlement during the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

(4th - 7th centuries CE) and Late Ottoman periods (19- early 20th centuries CE). Before the 20^th century, the territory of Even Yehuda formed part of the Forest of Sharon, a hallmark of the region’s historical landscape. It was an open

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

dominated by Mount Tabor Oak (Quercus ithaburensis), which extended from

Kfar Yona Kfar Yona ( he, כְּפַר יוֹנָה, lit=Yona's Village) is a city in the Sharon subdistrict in the Central District of Israel. It is about 7 km east of Netanya. With a jurisdiction of 11,017 dunams (~11 km²). in it had a populat ...

in the north to Ra’ananna in the south. The local Arab inhabitants traditionally used the area for

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or sw ...

firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood ca ...

and intermittent cultivation. The intensification of settlement and agriculture in the

coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Co ...

during the 19^th century led to

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

and subsequent

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is defin ...

known from Hebrew sources. Even Yehuda is named for Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, one of the leading figures in the revival of the

Hebrew language Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserve ...

. It was founded in December 1932 by the Bnei Benyamin society and the Notea corporation. The economy was based on

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

growing. In 1950, Even Yehuda became a local council, as it was merged with the nearby villages of Be'er Ganim, founded in 1932 by workers of the Dead Sea Works, and Tel Tzur, founded in 1932 by teachers of

Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium ( he, הַגִּימְנַסְיָה הָעִבְרִית הֶרְצְלִיָּה, ''HaGymnasia HaIvrit Herzliya'', Also known as ''Gymnasia Herzliya''), originally known as HaGymnasia HaIvrit (lit. Hebrew High Scho ...

led by

Haim Boger Haim Boger ( he, חיים בוגר, born Haim Bograshov; 25 September 1876 – 8 June 1963) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the General Zionists between 1951 and 1955. Biography Born in Taurida Governorate in ...

. Be'er Ganim, originally named ''Kfar Tzur'' after the Arab village Ghabat Kafr Sur from which its lands had been purchased, was renamed into its present name in 1933, after a well named ''Bir el-Ghanem'' ( ar, بئر الغنم, lit=sheep well) which was located in the area. Nowadays, Even Yehuda is bordered on the east by

Kadima Kadima ( he, קדימה, lit=''Forward'') was a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely following the implementation of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement pl ...

, on the south-east by

Tel Mond Tel Mond ( he, תֵּל מוֹנְד) is a town in the Sharon region of Israel, located east of Netanya and north of Kfar Saba. In it had a population of .. History Before the 20th century, the area of Tel Mond formed part of the Forest of Shar ...

, on the north by Lev HaSharon, on the west by

and on the south-west by Hof HaSharon. In 2007, the

Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel The Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel (WBAIS) is an independent, American-curriculum, English-language school. It is composed of a campus with a preschool, elementary, middle, and high school (K-12) in Even Yehuda; and the ...

(WBAIS) moved to a new campus in Even Yehuda.

Education

Even Yehuda has three elementary schools - "Bachar" school (בכר), "Beit Avi" school (בית אב"י) and "Rishonim" school (ראשונים), all mamlachti schools. There is a children's village in Even Yehuda called

WIZO The Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO; he, ויצו ') is a volunteer organization dedicated to social welfare in all sectors of Israeli society, the advancement of the status of women, and Jewish education in Israel and the Diasp ...

Canada Children's village (הדסים), which is a middle school and a high school. In the village there are several kindergartens and a Democratic school.

Local features

* "Sharonim Gardens" (בית גני שרונים) - an

assisted living facility An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States, but the setting is si ...

for senior citizens * a museum (מוזיאון הראשונים) about Even Yehuda's history and founders

Notable residents

* Shira Rishony (born 1991), Olympic judoka File:Bir Ghaneim, 'Ayun el Werdat.png, Bir Ghaneim 1878 1:63,360 File:אבן יהודה - הישוב-JNF027097.jpeg, Even Yehuda. August 1938 File:Tel Tsur 1944.jpg, Even Yehuda 1944 1:20,000 (middle right) File:PikiWiki Israel 9945 war memorial in even-yehuda.jpg, War Memorial in Even Yehudi

References

{{Authority control Populated places established in 1932 Jewish villages in Mandatory Palestine Local councils in Central District (Israel) 1932 establishments in Mandatory Palestine