Beersheba: Difference between revisions

31°14′0″N 34°47′0″E / 31.23333°N 34.78333°E / 31.23333; 34.78333 Template:Infobox Israel muni Beersheba (Hebrew romanization Be'er-Sheva), the largest city in the Negev desert of Israel, is often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev." In 2005, when the population reached 185,000, Beersheba became the sixth largest city in Israel - up from 110,800 twenty years before.

Beersheba is the administrative center for the southern region of Israel and home of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Soroka Medical Center, and a symphony orchestra, the Israel Sinfonietta Beersheba.

Beersheba has expanded considerably since the founding of the state in [[1948]. Today a large percentage of the population is made up of Jews who immigrated to Israel from Arab countries after 1948, and newcomers from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. Beersheba is surrounded by a number of satellite towns: Omer, Lehavim and Meitar are mainly Jewish. There are also several Bedouin towns, the largest of which are Rahat, Tel Sheva and Laqye.

From the findings unearthed at Tel Be'er-Sheva, an archeological site a few kilometers north-east of modern day Beersheba, it is believed that the region has been populated since the 4th millennium BC. The city was destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries.

Biblically, the site of Beersheba is mentioned in two of the three Genesis stories of a wife confused for a sister as a location where an oath of non-aggression was made between the Philistines, represented by a king named Abimelech, and the Israelites. The Bible describes the oath being made on two separate occasions by the Israelites, once represented by Abraham, and once by Isaac. Beersheba is also mentioned in Joshua 19:2. Beersheba was the southernmost city of Israel in Biblical times - hence the expression "from Dan to Beersheba" was sometimes used to describe the whole kingdom.

There are several different etymologies for the origin of the name "Beersheba":

• The oath of Abraham and Abimelech (well of the oath)
• The seven wells dug by Isaac (seven wells), though only three or four have been identified
• The oath of Isaac and Abimelech (well of the oath)
• The seven ewes that sealed Abraham and Abimelech's oath (well of the seven).

The latest inhabitants of Tel Be'er-Sheva were the Byzantines, who abandoned the city in the 7th century. The Turkish Ottomans, who had controlled Palestine since the 16th century, barely paid any interest to Beersheba until the end of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 19th Century Beersheba was noted by European pilgrims as ruined, with a well and Bedouin living nearby.

The Ottomans built a police station in Beersheba at the end of the 19th century in order to control the Bedouin. This attracted a small settlement to the East of the city of Bedouin wishing to abandon nomadic life and some Arabs from Hebron, Gaza and elsewhere. The Ottomans planned and built a perfect town centre with straight roads and small characteristic buildings built with local materials (many of which still stand today but in disrepair). The Ottomans also built a train station and a railway to Ashkelon and Gaza.

On October 31 1917, as part of the Sinai and Palestine campaign during World War I, the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade, under Brigadier General William Grant, charged more than four miles at the Turkish trenches, overran them and captured the wells at Beersheba. This is often reported as the last successful cavalry charge in history. One of Beersheba's lesser known attractions is a well-maintained British cemetery containing the graves of British and Australian soldiers, located in the Old City. During the period of the British Mandate of Palestine Beersheba was a major administrative center.

The 1947 UN Partition Plan included Beersheba in the territory allotted to the Arab state as the city's population of 4,000 was primarily Arab.[1] The Egyptian Army was stationed in Beersheba in May 1948. On 21 October 1948, as part of Operation Yoav, the city was captured by the Israel Defence Forces.

On November 20, Leonard Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra appeared before the soldiers.[2]

In the 1950s, the city was expanded to the north. Soroka hospital opened its doors in 1960, and the Negev University, later renamed Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in 1970. The Beersheba Theatre has been operating since 1973. In 1979, Anwar Sadat paid a visit to the city. In the 1990s, the population and size of Beersheba was substantially increased by a large influx of Russian and Ethiopian immigrants.

For many years, Beersheba remained untouched by Palestinian terrorism. Relations between Jews and Arabs, and especially the large number of Bedouin who live in the region and do business in Beersheba, were good. This equilibrium was shattered on 31 August 2004, when sixteen people were killed in two suicide bombings on buses in Beersheba for which Hamas claimed responsibility. On August 28 2005, another suicide bomber attacked the central bus station. seriously injuring two security guards.

Beersheba is divided into a number of small neighbourhoods named for the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which also have numerical value. Shekhuna (Hebrew for neighbourhood) Alef (1), Bet (2), Gimel (3), Dalet (4), Hay (5), Vav (6), Tet (9), Yod-Alef (11), Ramot, Neve Noy, Neve Ze'ev, Darom, the Old City, Nahal Beka and Nahal Ashan. (For no apparent reason there is no Shekhuna Zayin (7), Het (8) or Yod (10)).

The Old City has a number of historic buildings dating from Ottoman times, and efforts are being made to restore them. Some of them, such as the mansion of Aref el-Aref, are owned by private organisations that have financed restoration work. The municipality, recognizing the importance of preserving these landmark buildings, is seeking philanthropists to undertake restoration projects.

The current mayor of Beersheba is Yaacov Turner, the deputy-mayors are David Bunfeld and Rubik Danilovitch and the vice-mayors are Sima Navon and Yitzhak Marciano. Previous mayors include David Tuviyahu, Zeev Zrizi, Eliyahu Navi, Moshe Zilberman, Yitzhak Rager and David Bunfeld. The Beersheba Municipality was plagued for many years by an ineffectual leadership, a politicised work-force and poor financial planning.^{[citation needed]}. In the last few years, the situation has improved. Since 2005, attention has been focused on developing parks and infrastructure. A new Youth Center opened in 2005, and a new cultural center is slated to open in 2007). Parts of the Old City are being renovated, and after many years of financial struggle,the municipality has achieved a balanced budget.

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), in 2003 Beersheba had a population of 184,500 making it the 5th largest town in Israel, compared to 110,800 20 years previous. (Currently its population is estimated to be app. 200,000.) In 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 98.9% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population (see Population groups in Israel). According to CBS, in 2001 there were 86,500 males and 91,400 females. The population of the city was spread out with 31.8% 19 years of age or younger, 17.4% between 20 and 29, 19.6% between 30 and 44, 15.8% from 45 to 59, 4.0% from 60 to 64, and 11.4% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 2.9%. Many people come to live in Beersheba for short periods of time, e.g. to study in the university or to serve in the many army bases in, or near to, the town.

According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 61,016 salaried workers and 3,010 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is 5,223 NIS, a real change of 5.3% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 6,661 (a real change of 5.2%) versus ILS 3,760 for females (a real change of 3.9%). The mean income for the self-employed is 6,533. There are 4,719 people who receive unemployment benefits and 26,469 people who receive an income guarantee. The major employers in Beersheba are the municipality, Israel Defense Forces, Ben-Gurion University and the Soroka Medical Centre. There are also a number of electronics and chemical factories in Beersheba and the vicinity.

According to CBS, there are 81 schools and 33,623 students in the city. They are spread out as 60 elementary schools and 17,211 elementary school students, and 39 high schools and 16,412 high school students. 52.7% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001. There are also a number of private educational institutions mostly Yeshivoth that cater for the religious. Beersheba is also the home of the first class Ben-Gurion University and some local colleges such as Kaye Academic College of Education, the Sami Shamoon Academic College of Engineering, the Practical Engineering College of Beersheba etc.

The most popular sport in Beersheba is soccer led by Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Formed in 1949, the team has a history of two league championships (1975 and 1976), one national cup (1997) and two Toto cups (1989 and 1996). The local stadium is the Vasermil Stadium with a capacity of 14,000, it is shared between Hapoel and the city's lesser known clubs Maccabi Be'er Sheva and Beitar Be'er Sheva. The most successful sport in Beersheba is Chess. The Chess club has won national championships and cups many many times and represented Israel in the European Cup. It hosted the world teams championship in 2005. The Chess club was founded in 1973 by Eliyahu Levant, who is still the dynamo behind the success of this club. Beersheba has a higher percentage of grandmasters per capita - eight - than any other city worldwide, the majority of them immigrants from the former Soviet Union; the city of 183,000 has one grand master per 22,875 residents. In addition, cricket (brought by the British in the 1960s) is also played in the city under the Israeli Cricket Association.

Beersheba is also the home of The Camels-ASA Beersheba, a successful rugby team whose senior and youth squads have won several national titles (including the recent Senior National League 2004-2005 championship). Other sports in Beersheba are wrestling and tennis, as well as gliding (our of the small airstrip nearby - LLBS). Beersheba has one of Israel's fourteen tennis centers, which opened in 1991 and features eight lighted courts.

• The city of Beersheba: a tourist's guide
• Beersheba Municipality website Template:He icon
• Ben-Gurion University Template:He icon
• Soroka University Medical Centre Template:He icon
• Beersheba Theatre Template:He icon
• Camels Beersheba Rugby in Israel Template:He icon
• Hapoel Beersheba Football Club Template:He icon
• Bersabee - Historical article from the Catholic Encyclopedia
• Central Bureau of Statistics
• Beersheba Municipality website Template:Ru icon