Beitar Illit
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| Beitar Illit | ||
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| Hebrew | ביתר עילית | |
| Founded in | 1985 | |
| Government | City | |
| Also spelled | Betar Illit (officially) | |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area | |
| Population | 34,427 (September 2007) | |
| Jurisdiction | 4,300 dunams (4.3 km²) | |
| Mayor | Meir Rubenstein | |
Beitar Illit (Hebrew: ביתר עילית; officially also spelled Betar Illit; "Illit" is pronounced "ee-leet") is an Israeli settlement and city west of Gush Etzion in the northern Judea region of the West Bank.
Located 10 km south of Jerusalem, Beitar Illit was established in 1985 on land purchased from Nahaleen, Husan and Wadi Fukin Arab villages.[citation needed] Initially, it was settled by a small group of young families from the religious zionist yeshiva, Machon Meir, including that of Rabbi Reuven Hass (now of Beit El). After the tiny settlement began to grow, an influx of Orthodox Jewish families took over, with the original group leaving and settling in other settlements. The city has since expanded to three adjacent hills.
Beitar Illit is the fastest-growing city in Israel, with the highest birthrate in the country.[1] As of September 2007, it had a total population of 34,427. According to former mayor Yitzchak Pindrus, the population is expected to reach 100,000 by 2010 [2], based on aliyah and population growth.
Beitar Illit was the first Haredi town to be established as such.[1] The city's ideology is based on the desire to have an exclusively Haredi environment. It is named after the ancient Jewish city of Betar, whose ruins lie 1 km away.
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[edit] Demographics
According to Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), in 2001, the ethnic makeup of the city was nearly 100.0% Jewish, consisting of 8,900 males and 8,400 females. The predominantly Haredi population of the city finds 62.9% 19 years of age or younger, 18.1% between 20 and 29, 14.6% between 30 and 44, 3.4% from 45 to 59, 0.4% from 60 to 64, and 0.7% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 9.6%. According to the statistics from the Ministry of Interior, the population figures for January 2007 there are 34,427 members listed on their computers and 29,404 citizens that are listed as active.[citation needed] The town is reported to have almost 20,000 schoolchildren.[citation needed]
[edit] Income
According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 2,172 salaried workers and 131 self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is ILS 3,079, a real change of 3.6% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 4,475 (a real change of 7.2%) versus ILS 2,173 for females (a real change of -0.7%). The mean income for the self-employed is 4,438. There are 99 people who receive unemployment benefits and 671 people who receive an income guarantee.
[edit] Education
According to CBS, there are 26 schools and yeshivas and 3,225 students in the city. They are spread out as 22 elementary schools and 3,019 elementary school students, and 4 high schools and 206 high school students. ..% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001. All education in the town is religious, as its population is exclusively Haredi.[2]
[edit] Achievements
Despite having no industry and minimal commerce, as well as a population that is generally weak economically, Beitar Illit has been awarded the Israeli Interior Ministry's gold prize for a balanced budget seven years running. The municipal welfare department was awarded a prize and recognised by the national government as an "outstanding department" for its work in preventing teen dropouts. The city also received the 2005 national "flag award," as well as the Council for a Beautiful Israel's "Stars of Beaty" prize as one of the cleanest Israeli municipalities, and for community education programs emphasizing recycling, for five years running.[3]
[edit] 2007 municipal elections
In a closely-fought election on October 30, 2007, Rabbi Yitzchak Pindrus, the incumbent mayor for the past eight years, was defeated by Rabbi Meir Rubinstein.
[edit] See also
- Betar (fortress), the last Jewish fort held in the Bar Kochba revolt
- Battir, an Arab village adjacent to Beitar Illit and the Betar ruins.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Betar Illit web site
- ^ Tehila
- ^ "Beitar Renewed" on municipality website
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