Kfar Yona ( he, כְּפַר יוֹנָה, lit=Yona's Village) is a city in the Sharon subdistrict in the Central District 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 ...

. It is about 7 km east of Netanya. With a jurisdiction of 11,017 dunams (~11 km²). in it had a population of . In 2014, Kfar Yona's official status was changed from a local council to a city.

History

Before the 20^th century, Kfar Yona 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 (se ...

dominated by Mount Tabor Oak (Quercus ithaburensis, which extended from Ra’ananna_in_the_south._The_local_Arab_inhabitants_traditionally_used_the_area_for_pasture.html" ;"title="Ra'anana.html" ;"title="Kfar Yona in the north to Ra'anana">Ra’ananna in the south. The local Arab inhabitants traditionally used the area for pasture">Ra'anana.html" ;"title="Kfar Yona in the north to Ra'anana">Ra’ananna in the south. The local Arab inhabitants traditionally used the area for pasture, firewood and intermittent Agriculture, cultivation. The intensification of settlement and agriculture in the Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain during the 19th century, 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 known from Hebrew sources. Kfar Yona was established on lands in the Sharon plain purchased in 1932 from Mustafa Bushnaq and the Shanti family of Qalqilya. Kfar Yona is named for Jean (Yona) Fischer, a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

Zionist. It was founded on Tu Bishvat, January 23, 1932 by Morris Fischer, Yona's son, a member of the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act as ...

, and was originally named Gan Yona (Yona's Garden). Kefar Yona 1939

In the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Kfar Yona was on the front lines, and its defenders faced the Iraqi Army, which sought to reach Netanya and cut the Jewish forces in Israel in half. The new Israel Defense Forces repelled the Iraqi attacks and forced them back into the Samarian mountains, although Kfar Yona remained the easternmost Jewish settlement in the area. As a result of the

1949 Armistice Agreements The 1949 Armistice Agreements were signed between Israel and Egypt,Tulkarm. Kfar Yona was surrounded by orchards and its main income was from selling oranges. Most of these orchards are now the site of new neighborhoods. Next to Kfar Yona is the Area 21 military base, named for Mota Gur, which includes paratroopers, Nahal, military police, and other small bases. In addition, Kfar Yona borders

Pardesiya Pardesiya ( he, פַּרְדֵּסִיָּה) is a town in the Central District of Israel. Located on the Sharon plain, between Kfar Yona and the Lev HaSharon Regional Council, it was founded between 1937 and 1939. In it had a population of ; i ...

and the

Lev HaSharon Regional Council Lev HaSharon Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית לב השרון, ''Mo'atza Azorit Lev HaSharon'', ''lit.'' Heart of the Sharon Regional Council) is a regional council in the Central District of Israel. The council was established in 1 ...

Neighborhoods

Kfar Yona Alef

The original ten homes and the first community building. The homes are small, one-story, private structures, with an average of three rooms each. The community building stands today empty and is falling into ruin, though the town council is interested in maintaining it for its sentimental and historical value. Alef also includes a new neighborhood accessed from the western entrance to the village, with recently built family homes and more under construction. The main avenue of this section of Alef is a street where residents of the village can be found walking or jogging at any hour. For the past year, the west entrance has had a gate and guard that operates from 11pm to 6am. The whole village is policed by a volunteer guard force, supervised by a small professional security team, for which the town residents pay a small municipal tax.

Kfar Yona Bet

Cheaper apartment buildings, which are the first site of the village for visitors who enter from the eastern entrance. (Both entrances are on Highway 57, the eastern entrance is about 2 km further down the road than the western entrance, when driving from Highway 2, Israel's main Coastal Road). The east entrance is completely shut and locked from 11pm to 6am. Bet also includes the New Project, which are lower apartment buildings, with bigger homes. The New Project on Menachem Begin Street faces the City Council building, the Community Center (funded by

Jewish Federation The Jewish Federation (JFED), is generally a secular Jewish non-profit organization, found within many metropolitan areas across the United States with a significant Jewish community. They provide supportive and human services, philanthropy, fi ...

of Greater Vancouver sister-city fundraising activities), the community basketball courts and water park (also a gift from Vancouver), and the Hadar Elementary School (Grades 1-6). Beyond the New Project, Bet includes more expensive townhouses and private homes. It also includes the Betzali Park.

Heftziba

Down Menachem Begin Street is Heftziba named for the construction company that built it. On top of the hill is an old mansion that belonged an Arab who married a Jewish woman. Across Highway 57 is the new neighborhood of Alonim, also known as Kfar Yona Gimel. This neighborhood includes single-family homes, wide streetsand several parks

Sports and culture

The community center operates a music conservatory and holds public concerts. In 2006, 250 grade-school students participated in a basketball program. The older student's league has won championships. The community center holds classes in photography, ceramics, pottery and cooking.

Education

In 2010, Kfar Yona had 3 state schools, Hadar, Rimon and Amal, and a state-religious school, Bar Ilan. The town also has a junior high and high school, Ish Shalom.Kfar Yona
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Transportation

Highway 57 is the main traffic artery connecting Kfar Yona to other localities and the national road system— Netanya to the west and Highway 6 to the east. The city has no railway connection and since 2014 has been served by the

Kavim Kavim () is an Israeli bus company based in Holon. It was founded in 2000 and provided lines in the eastern Gush Dan region - the towns/cities Kiryat Ono, Petah Tikva, Or Yehuda, Givatayim and others. In February 2005, Kavim expanded to the nor ...

bus company, which replaced Nateev Express.

Sister cities

* Vancouver,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, New York,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Notable people

Zvi Bar Zvi Bar, ( he, צבי בר; born October 8, 1935 in Kfar Yona) is a retired Israeli military officer, police official, and politician. After serving in a variety of military and police command positions, Bar served as the fourth mayor of the Israe ...

* Zoya Semenduev *

Yaakov Turner Yaakov Turner ( he, יעקב טרנר, born 27 February 1935) was the mayor of Beersheba. Prior to his election as mayor, he was an Israel Air Force pilot and Israel's Chief of Police. Turner was the founder and head of the Israeli Air Force M ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Cities in Central District (Israel) Cities in Israel Populated places established in 1932 1932 establishments in Mandatory Palestine