Efrat
Modern Efrat from Highway 60
Hebrew	אפרת
Arabic	أفرات
Founded in	1980
Government	Local council
Also Spelled	Efrata (officially)
District	Judea and Samaria Area
Population	7,500 (2005)
Jurisdiction	4,000 dunams (4 km²)

Efrat (31°40′N, 35°9′E; Hebrew: אפרת‎), or Efrata (אפרתה), is an Israeli settlement in Judea (southern West Bank), located south of Jerusalem, between the Biblical cities of Bethlehem and Hebron. Efrat was established in 1980, and contained 7,500 residents at the end of 2005 according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Although it is geographically located within Gush Etzion (the Etzion Bloc of Jewish settlements), Efrat is a local council independent from the Gush Etzion Regional Council. Efrat (Hebrew: אפרת) is a Biblical name. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Efrat137_3773. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... Arabic redirects here. ... 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. ... Map of the districts of Israel Population density by geographic region, sub-district and district (thicker border indicates higher tier). ... Judea and Samaria (Hebrew: ‎ Yehuda ve-Shomron , also an acronym יוש Yosh or שי Shai; Arabic: ‎ al-Yahudiyyah was-Sāmarah) are the Biblical terms used to describe the area now more commonly referred to as the West Bank. ... A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum is a unit of area. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... Map of Israeli settlements (magenta) in the West Bank. ... Map of the southern Levant, c. ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ... Central Bethlehem This article is about the city in the West Bank. ... Arabic الخليل Government City Also Spelled al-Khalil (officially) al-Halil (unofficially) Governorate Hebron Population 166,000 (2006) Jurisdiction  dunams Head of Municipality Mustafa Abdel Nabi Hebron (Arabic:   al-ḪalÄ«l or al KhalÄ«l; Hebrew:  , Standard Hebrew: Ḥevron, Tiberian Hebrew: Ḥeḇrôn) is a city in the southern Judea... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... Tunnel to Gush Etzion Gush Etzion (Hebrew גוש עציון, literally bloc of the tree) is a group of Israeli settlements in the northern Judea region of the West Bank. ... 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. ... Main headquarters The Gush Etzion Regional Council (Hebrew: ) is a regional council in the northern Judean hills, or rather, the northern part of the southern area of the West Bank, administering the settlements in the Gush Etzion region, as well as others nearby. ...

Efrat's population is mostly religious Zionist, and includes many Modern Orthodox Jews who have emigrated (have made aliyah) from the United States.[1] The official rabbi of Efrat is Shlomo Riskin, an alumnus of Yeshiva University and a disciple of the late Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik. Rabbi Riskin was formerly the founding rabbi of the Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan. In Israel, he has also founded a network of high schools and colleges that combine modern secular studies with intense study of Torah. Religious Zionism, or the Religious Zionist Movement, a branch of which is also called Mizrachi, is an ideology that claims to combine Zionism and Judaism, to base Zionism on the principles of Jewish religion and heritage. ... Modern Orthodox Judaism (or Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize traditional observance and values with the secular, modern world. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy. ... Shlomo Riskin (born 1940) is the American founder of the Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York City. ... Yeshiva University is a private Jewish university in New York City whose first component was founded in 1886. ... Rav Joseph Ber (Yosef Dov, Yoshe Ber) Soloveitchik (Hebrew: ) () was an American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher. ... Shlomo Riskin (born 1940) is the American founder of the Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York City. ... For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy. ... The Lincoln Square Synagogue was established in 1964 in Manhattan, New York. ... For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ... Template:Jews and Jewdaism Template:The Holy Book Named TorRah The Torah () is the most valuable Holy Doctrine within Judaism,(and for muslims) revered as the first relenting Word of Ulllah, traditionally thought to have been revealed to Blessed Moosah, An Apostle of Ulllah. ...

Archaeology

View from inside a Roman aqueduct from the Pools of Solomon to Jerusalem

The area in which Efrat was constructed was already a settlement in the Bronze Age. Archeology by Rivka Gonen, summarized in 1979, revealed a cemetery consisting of a tumulus built over a platform structure and some 27 Bronze Age burial caves of the shaft-tomb type, many of which had been reused over long stretches of time. These tombs were reused in the Middle Bronze Age. Additionally, one of the three ancient aqueducts supplying Jerusalem runs beneath Efrat. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2000x1371, 783 KB)TITLE: Roman aqueduct from Pools of Solomon to Jerusalem CALL NUMBER: LC-M33- 15002[P&P] REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-matpc-13401 (digital file from original photo) No known restrictions on publication. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2000x1371, 783 KB)TITLE: Roman aqueduct from Pools of Solomon to Jerusalem CALL NUMBER: LC-M33- 15002[P&P] REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-matpc-13401 (digital file from original photo) No known restrictions on publication. ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... A tumulus (plural tumuli, from the Latin word for mound or small hill, from the root to bulge, swell also found in ) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... For other uses, see Aqueduct (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ...

Naming Disagreement

Efrat is named after the biblical place Ephrath. Ephrath or Ephratah is the Biblical name of the ancient city in the Judean Hills, south of Bethlehem, now called Efrat in the West Bank. ...

While according to the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, "Efrata" is the quotation from the Biblical verse, and therefore the town's name, the residents and municipality have maintained for many years that the reference isn't a name in and of itself, but rather means "towards Efrat". The reality that has developed is that all inter-city roadsigns, under purview of the National Government, read Efrata, while internal and private references speak of Efrat. The Ministry of Interior in the State of Israel is one of Government offices that is responsible for local rule, citizenship and residency, identity cards (Hebrew: teudat zehut), and entry visas. ... Politics of Israel takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Israel is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ...

The Israeli government's position in this matter is highly remarkable, since the '-a' ending is very common in (particularly Biblical) Hebrew and always means 'towards'. For example, 'to Jerusalem' would be written as Yerushalaima (2 Chronicles 32:9). This has led many people to conclude that there is no basis for the government's position in the matter. On the other hand, there are very clear biblical references to 'Ephratah' are not mentioned in a possible context of moving "towards Ephrat", e.g. Ruth 4:11, 1 Chr 2:50, 1 Chr 4:4, Psa 132:6, Micah 5:2. The Book of Chronicles is a book in the Hebrew Bible (also see Old Testament). ... Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah to return to the land of Moab by William Blake, 1795 Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld: Ruth in Boazs Field, 1828 The Book of Ruth (Hebrew: מגילת רות, Megilat Rut, the Scroll of Ruth) is one of the books of the Ketuvim (Writings) of the Tanakh (the... The Book of Chronicles is a book in the Hebrew Bible (also see Old Testament). ... The Book of Chronicles is a book in the Hebrew Bible (also see Old Testament). ... Psalms (from the Greek: Psalmoi) (originally meaning songs sung to a harp, from psallein play on a stringed instrument, Ψαλμοί; Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or praises) is a book of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh or Old Testament. ... The Book of Micah (Hebrew: ספר מיכה) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, traditionally attributed to Micah the Prophet. ...

Neighborhoods of Seven Species

There are a total of 7 neighborhoods currently in Efrat. Rimon, Te'ena, Gefen, Dekel, Zayit, Tamar, and Dagan. All 7 are named after different species in the Seven Species. Rimon correlates to pomegranate; Te'ena to fig; Gefen to grape; Zayit to olive; and Tamar to dates. The names of Dekel and Dagan are derived from the seven species. Dekel means palm which is part of the date tree. Dagan means grain and corresponds with both wheat and barley. The Seven Species (Hebrew: שבעת המינים, Shivat Ha-Minim) are seven types of fruits and grains enumerated in the Hebrew Bible[1] as being special products of the Land of Israel. ... The Seven Species (Hebrew: שבעת המינים, Shivat Ha-Minim) are seven types of fruits and grains enumerated in the Hebrew Bible[1] as being special products of the Land of Israel. ...

External links

• Efrat Municipality Website (Hebrew)
• Efrat Wiki
• B'Emunah
• Nefesh B'Nefesh guide to Efrat

References

• Rivka Gonen, Excavations at Efrata: A Burial Ground from the Intermediate and Middle Bronze AgesIsrael Antiquities Authority Reports, 2001

v • d • e Judea and Samaria Area
Cities	Ariel | Beitar Illit | Ma'ale Adumim
Regional committees	Hebron
Local councils	Alfei Menashe | Beit Aryeh | Beit El | Efrat | Elkana | Giv'at Ze'ev | Har Adar | Immanuel | Karnei Shomron | Kedumim | Kiryat Arba | Ma'ale Efrayim | Modi'in Illit | Oranit
Regional councils	Gush Etzion | Har Hebron | Matte Binyamin | Megilot Dead Sea | Shomron | Southern Jordan Valley (Biq'at HaYarden)