Bnei Brak
Hebrew	בְּנֵי בְרַק
Founded in	1924
Government	City
District	Tel Aviv
Population	147100 (2006)
Jurisdiction	7088 dunams (7.088 km²)

Bnei Brak (or Bene Beraq) (Hebrew: בְּנֵי בְּרַק‎, Bəne Bəraq) is a city located on Israel's central Mediterranean coastal plain, just east of Tel Aviv, in the Dan metropolitan region and Tel Aviv District. It is the only large city in Israel whose population comprises predominantly Haredi Jews. Bnei Brak, Bene Beraq or Beneberak is: Beneberak (Bible), a Biblical city Bnei Brak, Israel, a modern city in Israel, in a different location than its Biblical counterpart Category: ... Tel Aviv at night File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... Jerusalem Tel Aviv-Jaffa Haifa Rishon LeZion Ashdod Beersheba Petah Tikva Netanya Holon Bnei Brak Bat Yam Ramat Gan Ashkelon Rehovot The following list of cities in Israel is based on the current index of the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). ... Map of the districts of Israel Population density by geographic region, sub-district and district (thicker border indicates higher tier). ... The Tel-Aviv District, highlighted. ... A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum is a unit of area. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... The Israeli Coastal Plain (Hebrew: , Mishor HaHof) is a name to the flat and low-lying narrow strip around the Mediterranean Sea. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... Gush Dan (Hebrew: גּוּשׁ דָּן, Standard Hebrew GuÅ¡ Dan) is the name of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area including areas from both the Tel Aviv District and the Central District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast. ... The Tel-Aviv District, highlighted. ... Haredi Judaism, also called ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Judaism. ...

Bnei Brak's jurisdiction is 7,088 dunams and according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), as of September 2006, the city's population stood at 147,100, growing at an annual rate of 2.0%. Its small physical size and large number of inhabitants make it Israel’s most densely-populated city.^[1] Bnei Brak is also the poorest city per capita in the Tel Aviv District. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum is a unit of area. ... Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (הלשכה המרכזית לסטטיסטיקה) is a state organization for the creation and maintenance of numeric data related to populations vis-à-vis the ethnic makeup of Israel and its cities. ... September 2006 is the ninth month of 2006 and has begun on a Friday. ... The Tel-Aviv District, highlighted. ...

History

Biblical history

It has been suggested that Beneberak be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Bnei Brak is one of the cities mentioned in the Book of Joshua as belonging to the Tribe of Dan (Joshua 19:45). In Talmudic times, it was the seat of Rabbi Akiva's court (Sanhedrin 32b). Bnei Brak is mentioned in the Passover Haggadah as the place where Rabbi Akiva conducted a seder that lasted all night.^[2] However, the modern town of the same name is located some four kilometers north of the ancient site.^[3] The Arab village of Ibn Ibraq, renamed al-Khayriyya, was once located at the ancient site of Bnei Brak until its depopulation just prior to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Today, a garbage dump called Hiriya is located there. Image File history File links Mergefrom. ... Bnei Brak, Bene Beraq or Beneberak is: Beneberak (Bible), a Biblical city Bnei Brak, Israel, a modern city in Israel, in a different location than its Biblical counterpart Category: ... Joshua, Jehoshuah or Yehoshua. ... This article is about the Jewish holiday. ... Haggadah for Passover, 14th century Haggadah in Hebrew means Telling. ... Akiba ben Joseph (or Rabbi Akiva, Rebbi Akiva, c. ... Seder is a Hebrew word meaning order, and can have any of the following meanings: Seder - readings of the Torah according to the ancient Palestinian triennial cycle. ... Hiriya (Hebrew: ) is a former waste dump located outside Tel-Aviv in Israel. ... Combatants  Israel Haganah Irgun Lehi Palmach Foreign Volunteers Egypt, Syria, Transjordan,  Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen[2], Holy War Army, Arab Liberation Army Commanders Yaakov Dori, Yigael Yadin John Bagot Glubb, Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, Hasan Salama, Fawzi Al-Qawuqji, Ahmed Ali al-Mwawi Strength  Israel: 29,677 initially... Hiriya (Hebrew: ) is a former waste dump located outside Tel-Aviv in Israel. ...

Modern history

Ponevezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak

Bnei Brak was founded as an agricultural settlement in 1924 by Rabbi Yitzchok Gerstenkorn and a group of Polish chasidim. Due to a lack of land many of its founders turned to other occupations, and the village began to develop an urban character. Its first rabbi was Rabbi Arye Mordechai Rabinowicz, a descendant of the Yaakov Yitzchok Rabinowicz, known as Yid Hakodosh, and formerly the rabbi of Kurów in Poland. He was succeeded as rabbi of Bnei Brak by Rabbi Yosef Kalisz, a scion of the Vurker dynasty. Ponevezh yeshiva (ישיבת פוניבז) (or Ponevitch) is one of the most famous Haredi Talmudical yeshivas with roots among the Lithuanian Jews. ... For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ... This article is about the Hasidic movement originating in Poland and Russia. ... Coordinates: , Country Voivodeship Powiat PuÅ‚awy County Gmina Kurów Established 12th century City rights 1442-1870 Government  - Mayor Jan Łubek Area  - Village 11. ...

The town was set up as a religious settlement from the outset, as is evident from this description of the pioneers:

Their souls were revived by the fact that they merited what their predecessors had not. What particularly revived their weary souls in the mornings and toward evening, when they would gather in the beis medrash situated in a special shack which was built immediately upon the arrival of the very first settlers, for tefilla betzibbur three times a day, for the Daf Yomi shiur, and a Gemara shiur and an additional one in Mishnayos and the Shulchan Oruch.^[4]

Bnei Brak gained official recognition as a city in 1950. Daf Yomi (Heb. ... The Gemara (also Gemora) (גמרא - from gamar: Aramaic [to] study) is the part of the Talmud that contains rabbinical commentaries and analysis of its predecessor, the Mishnah. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The famous 20th century rabbi, Avrohom Yeshayahu Karelitz (known as the Chazon Ish) settled in the village (at the time), and many owe the town's rapid increase in numbers due to his presence. Many see the efforts of Rabbi Yaakov Landau, who served as the chief rabbi of Bnei Brak for 40 years (1936-1986)[??this is a 50-year span??], as instrumental in the fact that Bnei Brak developed into an important religious city. Other famous rabbis who have lived there include Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky ("the Steipler"), Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman (Ponevezher Rov) and Rabbi Elazar Menachem Mann Shach. Currently famous rabbis who reside in Bnei Brak are Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, Rabbi Shmuel Vozner, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler ([ [ 1892]]-[[30 diciembre ] ] [ [ 1953 ] ]) era un influyente [ [ juda�smo ortodoxo|Jud�o ortodoxo ] ] [ [ rabbi ] ], [ [ erudito de Talmud]]ic, y fil�sofo jud�o del vig�simo siglo. ... Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, known as the Steipler Gaon (1899–1985), was a world-renowned Posek and Talmudic scholar. ... Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman (1886-1969), was a Haredi Judaism rabbi and Rosh yeshiva of the Ponevezh yeshiva. ... Ponevezh yeshiva (ישיבת פוניבז) (or Pononvezh) is one of the most famous Haredi Talmudical yeshivas with roots among the Lithuanian Jews. ... Rabbi Shach Elazar Menachem Man Shach (אלעזר מנחם מן שך) (or Rav Leizer Shach, at times his name is written as Eliezer Schach in English publications) (January 22, 1898 - November 2, 2001), was a leading Haredi rabbi in modern Israel. ... Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman (also: Shtainman) (אהרון יהודה לייב שטיינמן) (b. ... Rabbi Nissim Karelitz is the av beis din (head of the rabbinical court) of the beis din tzedek (rabbinical court) of Bnei Brak. ... Rabbi Shmuel (HaLevi) Wosner (שמואל ואזנר) is a prominent Haredi rabbi and posek (decisor of Jewish law) living in Bnei Brak, Israel. ... Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky is a Haredi rabbi and posek (decisor of Jewish law) living in Bnei Brak, Israel. ... Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz is a Haredi leader living in Bnei Brak, Israel. ...

Vizhnitz Chasidim in Bnei Brak

Bnei Brak is also a major hasidic center. Already in the early 1950s, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager, founded a large neighborhood in Bnei Brak, which contin ues to serve as the center for the chasidus under his son, Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Hager (the present Vizhnitzer Rebbe). Beginning in the 1960s, the rebbes of the Ruzhin dynasty (Sadigura, Husiatyn, Bohush), who had formely lived in Tel Aviv, moved to Bnei Brak. In the 1990s they were followed by the rebbe of Modzhitz. Unlike the former four Gerrer rebbes who lived in Jerusalem, its present rebbe (since 1996) is a Bnei Brak resident. Numerous other rebbes live in the city, among them the rebbes of Alexander, Biala-Bnei-Brak, Koydanov, Machnovke, Nadvorne, Premishlan, Radzin, Shomer Emunim. Slonim-Schwarze, Strykov, Tchernobil, Trisk-Bnei-Brak, Zutshke — to name only some of them. Hasidic Judaism (Hebrew: Chasidut חסידות) is a Haredi Jewish religious movement. ... Vizhnitz Simchas Beis HaShoeivah in Bnei Brak in 2006 Viznitz or Viznitzer Hasidim are a Haredi group of Hasidic Jews. ... Grand Rabbi Abraham Jacob Friedman - present Sadigurer Rebbe Grand Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Friedman of Sadigura (1887-1972) Grand Rabbi Abraham Jacob Friedman of Sadigura (1884-1961) Grand Rabbi A. Friedman of Sadigura Grand Rabbi Mordecai Friedman of Sadigura (1897-1979) Sadigura is a Hasidic dynasty, a scion of the Ruzhiner... Home of the Rebbe in Husiatyn Husiatyn is the name of a Hasidic dynasty, whose founder was a scion of the Ruzhiner dynasty. ... Modzitz or Modzhitz within Orthodox Judaism is the name of a Hasidic Judaism group that derives its name from Modzice, one of the boroughs of the town of DÄ™blin, Poland, located on the Vistula River. ... Ger, or Gur (or Gerrer when used as an adjective) is a large Hasidic dynasty originating from Gur, the Yiddish name of Góra Kalwaria, a small town in Poland. ... Rabbi Yitzchak Menachem Dancyger (1879-1943) Now nearly extinct, the Aleksander chasidim (also written as Alexander) were the second largest chasidic group in pre-holocaust Poland. ... The Biala (or Byala, Biale) Hasidic dynasty originated from Poland. ... Grand Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heshl Twersky of Machnovka Grand Rabbi Joshua Rokeach, present Machnovker Rebbe The chasidic dynasty of Machnovka (various spellings) is a part of the Chernobyl dynastic group of families. ... Grand Rabbi Issamar Rosenbaum, The Elder Nadvorna Rebbe The Tombstone of Rebbe Issamar of Nadvorna on the Mt. ... Grand Rabbi Aaron Reb Arele Roth, author of Shomer Emunim, founder of the Shomer Emunim Dynasties The founder of the Toldos Aharon dynasty, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchok Kahn, son-in-law of Rabbi Aharon Roth Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Roth, the Shomer Emunim Rebbe of Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, son of Rabbi... Synagogue in Slonim Slonim is a Hasidic dynasty originating in the town of Slonim, which is now in Belarus. ...

Until the 1970s, the Bnei Brak municipality was headed by Religious Zionist mayors.^{[citation needed]} After Mayor Gottlieb of the National Religious Party was defeated, Haredi parties grew in status and influence; since then they have governed the city. As the Haredi population grew, the demand for public religious observance increased and more residents requested the closure of their neighbourhoods to vehicular traffic on the Shabbat. When they demanded the closure of a main street (HaShomer St. now Kahaneman St.), the non-religious residents protested but the town's religious inhabitants won the battle.^{[citation needed]} Since then, their influence in the city was has been in the ascendant. Mafdal party logo The National Religious Party (Hebrew: Mafdal, מפדל) is an Israeli political party representing the religious Zionist movement. ...

In a short period of time most of Bnei Brak's secular and Religious Zionist residents migrated elsewhere, and the city has become almost homogeneously Haredi. The city has one secular neighbourhood, Pardes Kats.^[1] Names of streets that had had a Zionist connotation were changed and named after prominent Haredi figures, the most recent and final change being the renaming of Herzl St. to HaRav Shach St. The Israeli flag is barely seen in Bnei Brak, since the State of Israel is seen as a secular entity; however, it is certain to be seen flying atop the Ponevezh yeshiva, as the practice was originally instituted by Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman. Bnei Brak is one of the two poorest cities in Israel. Theodor Herzl, in his middle age. ... Elazar Menachem Man Shach (אלעזר מנחם מן שך) (or Rav Leizer Shach, at times his name is written as Eliezer Schach in English publications) (January 22, 1898 - November 2, 2001), was a leading Eastern European-born and educated Haredi rabbi who settled and lived in modern Israel. ... Ponevezh yeshiva (ישיבת פוניבז) (or Pononvezh) is one of the most famous Haredi Talmudical yeshivas with roots among the Lithuanian Jews. ... Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman (1886-1969), was a Haredi Judaism rabbi and Rosh yeshiva of the Ponevezh yeshiva. ...

The current chief rabbi of Bnei Brak, Moshe Landa is a respected authority on Jewish law and kashrut supervision. Rabbi Moshe Landa took office after the death of his father, Chief Rabbi Yaakov Landa in 1986.

Bnei Brak is home to Israel's first women-only department store.^[5]

Bnei Brak is noted for its abundance of self-help and volunteer organizations. Several organizations help the ill, special needs population, and the poor. There are also available abudant articles to be borrowed free of charge, from extra baby beds, electric drills, paint rollers, to bridal dresses.^[6]

At the instigation of the Chazon Ish, the Bnei Brak municipality set up an alternative water supply, for use on Shabbat and Yom tov. This supply, which does not require intervention by Jews on days of rest, avoids the problems associated with Jews working on the day of rest at Mekorot. For other uses, see Sabbath. ... Jewish holiday, (or Yom Tom or chag or taanit in Hebrew) is a day that is holy to the Jewish people according to Judaism and is usually derived from the Hebrew Bible, specifically the Torah, and in some cases established by the rabbis in later eras. ... Mekorot is Israels national water company. ...

Demographics

The city has a population of about 147,100 residents (as of September 2006), the majority of whom are Haredi Jews.^[7] It also has the largest population density of any city in Israel, with 20,076 inhabitants per square kilometer (51,996.6/sq mi). In the 2006 Israeli legislative elections, 89% of the voters chose Haredi parties, and another 7% voted for other religious parties. While the city does not have an official 'religious' status, the migration and development of the population has led to two distinct sections: The northern part of the city as well as the extremities have a significant non-religious minority population while the core of the city is almost entirely religious. While this religious population used to be mainly Religious Zionist, it is now primarily Haredi. Haredi or chareidi Judaism is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. ... The Elections for the 17th Knesset were held in Israel on 28 March 2006, following an agreement between the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and the new Leader of the Israel Labour Party, Amir Peretz. ... The Religious Zionist Movement, or Religious Zionism is an ideology combining Zionism and Judaism, which offers Zionism based on the principles of Jewish religion and heritage. ...

A large part of this religious part of the city is completely closed off to vehicular traffic during the Shabbat (from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday). Virtually all stores in the city are under some form of rabbinical supervision, many having multiple supervisory organizations, and not a single store is open during the Shabbat. For other uses, see Sabbath. ...

Mayors of Bnei Brak

Mayors of Bnei Brak include:

• Yitzchok Gerstenkorn
• Moshe Begno
• Reuven Aharonovich
• Shimon Soroka
• Yitzchok Meir
• Shmuel Weinberg
• Moshe Irenstein
• Yerachmiel Boyer
• Mordechai Karelitz
• Yissochor Frankenthal

Economy

Coca-Cola plant in Bnei Brak. The words "Coca-Cola" are seen in Hebrew on the sign

One of the landmarks of Bnei Brak is the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Kahaneman St. It is owned by the Central Bottling Company (CBC), which has held the Israeli franchise for Coca-Cola products since 1968. It is among Coca-Cola’s ten largest single-plant bottling facilities worldwide. According to Dun's 100, "CBC’s dedication to excellence and innovative technologies in all areas of its operations has won it prizes from the US-based Coca-Cola Company, as well as recognition and accolades from various public institutions for its environmental-friendly operation and ongoing community service"^[8]. The word Hebrew most likely means to cross over, referring to the Semitic people crossing over the Euphrates River. ... The wave shape (known as the dynamic ribbon device) present on all Coca-Cola cans throughout the world derives from the contour of the original Coca-Cola bottles. ...

Two major factories which dominated the centre of Bnei Brak for many years were the Dubek cigarette factory and the Osem food factory. As the town grew they found themselves in the middle of a residential area; both are now closed. Osem logo Osem (‎) is one of the largest food corporations in Israel. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Israel Tourist Information—Bnei Brak
2. ^ Love of the Land - Bnei Brak
3. ^ Cancik et al., 1996, p. 484.
4. ^ Bnei Brak at 75: City of Torah and Chassidus
5. ^ Israeli shop opens only to women
6. ^ Maftach HaIr Bnei Brak 2007 (Hebrew)
7. ^ Israel's religious city
8. ^ Dun's 100 - The Central Bottling Company Group profile

Bibliography

• Cancik, Hubert, Peter Schäfer and Hermann Lichtenberger (1996). Geschichte-Tradition-Reflexion: Festschrift Für Martin Hengel Zum 70. Geburtstag. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 3161466756

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Coordinates: 32°05′N, 34°50′E The Tel-Aviv District, highlighted. ... A City council (‎) is the official designation of a city within Israels system of local government. ... Hebrew בת ים Name Meaning Daughter of the sea Founded in 1926 Government City (from 1958) District Tel Aviv Population 130,400 (2004) Jurisdiction 8,000 dunams (8 km²) Mayor Shlomo Lahiani Beach of Bat-Yam Bat Yam (Hebrew: ) is a city in Israel, on the central coastal strip, just south of... One of the public gardens in Givatayim Givatayim (Hebrew גִּבְעָתַיִם) is a city in Israel. ... Ben-GÅ«ryōn Avenue in the centre of Herzliyyāh, facing north towards Sōkōlōv Street (1998) Herzliya (in Hebrew: הֶרְצְלִיָּה, without Niqqud: הרצלייה, commonly pronounced in Hebrew as Hertseliya) is a city in Israel, on the central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, just north... The Yanshul, half-cat half-owl, the symbol of Holons Childrens Museum. ... Qiryat Ono (קרית אונו; unofficially also spelled Kiryat Ono) is a city in the Tel Aviv District in Israel. ... Or Yehuda (אור יהודה) is a city in the Tel Aviv District in Israel. ... Ramat Gan (רמת-גן) is a city in Israel, on the central coastal strip, just east of Tel Aviv, and part of the metropolis known as Gush Dan, in the Tel Aviv District. ... The Yad LaBanim (Memorial for the Sons) structure in Ramat Hasharon. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (262x727, 43 KB) Other versions Originally from en. ... In Israel, a local council is a locality similar to a city in structure and way of life, that has not yet achieved a status of a city, which requires a minimum number of residents, among other things. ... Azor is a city in Israel, found in the Tel Aviv District. ... Kfar Shmaryahu is a local council in Israel, found in the Tel Aviv District. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...