Ma'ale Amos (, lit ''Ascent of Amos'') is an

Israeli settlement Israeli settlements, also called Israeli colonies, are the civilian communities built by Israel throughout the Israeli-occupied territories. They are populated by Israeli citizens, almost exclusively of Israeli Jews, Jewish identity or ethni ...

organized as a

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

in the southern

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

. Located 20 km southeast of Jerusalem, at an elevation of 725 meters above sea level, it falls under the jurisdiction of

Gush Etzion Regional Council The Gush Etzion Regional Council (, ''Mo'atza Azorit Gush Etzion'') is a Regional council (Israel), regional council in the northern Judean Hills, the northern part of the southern area of the West Bank, administering the Israeli settlements, se ...

. In it had a population of . Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered by the international community to be illegal under international law, which the Israeli government disputes.

History

The settlement was established in 1981 by the

Jewish Agency The Jewish Agency for Israel (), formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO). As an ...

and Aish HaTorah. and was named after the Biblical prophet

Amos Amos or AMOS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray * Amos (band), an American Christian rock band * ''Amos'' (film), a 1985 American made-for-television drama film * Amos (guitar), a 1958 Gibson Fl ...

, who lived in the village of Tekoa nearby. One of the community's founders was rabbi and former actor Uri Zohar. An early resident was

Aryeh Deri Aryeh Makhlouf Deri (; ), also Arie Deri, Arye Deri, or Arieh Deri (born 17 February 1959), is an Israeli politician and one of the founders of the Shas political party who served as the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Health, and Minister ...

, now head of the Shas party, whose first political position was as the representative of Ma'ale Amos to the

. The town's first spiritual leader was Rabbi Hillel Zaks, grandson of the

Yisrael Meir Kagan Yisrael Meir ha-Kohen Kagan (February 6, 1838 – September 15, 1933) was an influential Lithuanian Jewish rabbi, Halakhist, posek, and ethicist whose works continue to be widely influential in Orthodox Jewish life. He was known popularly as t ...

, the Chofetz Chaim. The first mayor was Rabbi Moshe Lazerus. By end of the 1990s, almost half the population was made of immigrants from the Soviet Union.Eretz Magazine, The Land of Judea, Fall 2021, p.93 Many others including the Rabbi, Zev Wolf Charlop, are

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The settlement has two elementary schools, a Beis Yaakov for girls, and

cheder A ''cheder'' (, lit. 'room'; Yiddish pronunciation: ''khéyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language. History ''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th century. L ...

for boys.

References

{{Authority control Populated places established in 1981 Religious Israeli settlements Gush Etzion Regional Council 1981 establishments in the Israeli Military Governorate Community settlements Lithuanian-Jewish culture in Israel Haredi Judaism in Israel American-Jewish culture in Israel Israeli settlements in the West Bank