Kokhav Ya'akov ( he, כּוֹכַב יַעֲקֹב, lit. ''Star of Jacob'') is a religious Israeli settlement in the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

. Located between Ramah in Benjamin and

Beit El Beit El or Beth El ( he, בֵּית אֵל) is an Israeli settlement and local council located in the Binyamin Region of the West Bank. The Orthodox Jewish town was settled in 1977-78 by the ultranationalist group Gush Emunim. It is located i ...

near

al-Bireh Al-Bireh, al-Birah, or el-Bira ( ar, البيرة; also known historically as Castrum Mahomeria, Magna Mahomeria, Mahomeria Major, Birra, or Beirothah) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem. It is the capital of the ...

about 10 minutes away by car from the Jerusalem neighborhoods of

Pisgat Ze'ev Pisgat Ze'ev ( he, פסגת זאב, lit. ''Ze'ev's Peak'') is an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem and the largest residential neighborhood in Jerusalem with a population of over 50,000. Pisgat Ze'ev was established by Israel as one of the ...

and

Neve Yaakov Neve Yaakov also Neve Ya'aqov, ( he, נווה יעקב; lit. Jacob's Oasis), is an Israeli settlement and neighborhood located in East Jerusalem, north of Pisgat Ze'ev and south of al-Ram. Established in 1924 during the period of the Briti ...

, it is organised as a

community settlement A community settlement ( he, יישוב קהילתי, ''Yishuv Kehilati'') is a type of village in Israel and the West Bank. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the village's residents are organized in ...

and falls under the jurisdiction of

Mateh Binyamin Regional Council Mateh Binyamin Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית מטה בנימין, ''Mo'atza Azorit Mateh Binyamin,'' Lit. Council for the Region of the Tribe of Benjamin) is a regional council governing 46 Israeli settlements and outposts in ...

. In it had a population of . The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

History

According to ARIJ Israel confiscated land from two

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 ...

villages in order to construct Kokhav Ya'akov: * 2,037 dunams from

Kafr 'Aqab Kafr 'Aqab ( ar, كفر عقب) is the northernmost Palestinian Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem. It is part of the area annexed and included in municipal Jerusalem following its occupation by Israel in 1967. This area includes an additional ...

Kafr 'Aqab village profile
ARIJ, p. 15 * 284 dunams from

Burqa A burqa or a burka, or , and ur, , it is also transliterated as burkha, bourkha, burqua or burqu' or borgha' and is pronounced natively . It is generally pronounced in the local variety of Arabic or variety of Persian, which varies. Examp ...

The settlement was established in 1985 by the

Amana Amana may refer to: Places * Amaná, a village in La Rioja Province, Argentina * Amana River, in northeastern Venezuela * Amanã River, in northwestern Brazil * Mount Amana, mountain described in the Bible, or an adjacent river * Amana Colonies, ...

settlement movement, and was initially named Abir Ya'akov after rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira. In 1988, its name was changed to Kokhav Ya'akov. The

Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to '' halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in opp ...

neighborhood of Tel Zion, established in 1990, is part of the village. Its community boasts of over 800 families, including a large growing Litvish segment. The Yishuv is headed by the warm Rabbi Avraham Goldberg. A recent housing project was launched to attract new members, and over 100 apartments have been occupied. Two new Kollelim have been established under the directive of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky. Rabbi Noe is the leader of the younger members, together with full support of Rabbi Goldberg.

Yemen Gallery

In March 2013 a heritage and tourism site promoting the legacy of Yemenite Jewry opened in Kokhav Ya'akov. Founded by Shoham Simchi, the Yemen Gallery () houses an art gallery and a workshop that recreates the life of Yemen's Jews. The building itself is designed in the spirit of traditional Yemenite architecture.

Notable residents

Bat-El Gatterer Bat-El Gatterer ( he, בת אל גטרר; born February 4, 1988) is an Israeli Olympic taekwondo athlete. She was the women's 2010 European featherweight champion. Biography Gatterer was born in and lived in the Israeli settlement of Kokhav Ya ...

(born 1988), Israeli

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. ...

Olympian and European champion

References

External links

Official website
{{Mateh Binyamin Regional Council Religious Israeli settlements Populated places established in 1985 Mateh Binyamin Regional Council 1985 establishments in the Israeli Civil Administration area