Mazkeret Batya

Mazkeret Batya
Hebrew transcription(s)
– Hebrew	מַזְכֶּרֶת בַּתְיָה
– ISO 259	Mazkert Batya
Baron Rothschild's farm
Mazkeret Batya
Coordinates: 31°51′16.35″N 34°50′31.02″E / 31.8545417°N 34.84195°E / 31.8545417; 34.84195Coordinates: 31°51′16.35″N 34°50′31.02″E / 31.8545417°N 34.84195°E / 31.8545417; 34.84195
District	Center
Founded	1883
Government
– Type	Local council
Area
– Total	7,440 dunams (7.4 km2 / 2.9 sq mi)
Population (2008)[1]
– Total	9,900

Mazkeret Batya in the early days, c.1899

Mazkeret Batya (Hebrew: מַזְכֶּרֶת בַּתְיָה‎‎) (lit. "Batya Memorial") is a town in the center of Israel located southeast of Rehovot and 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Tel-Aviv. Mazkeret Batya spans an area of 7,440 dunams (7 km²). In December 2008, it had a population of 9,900. The mayor of Mazkeret Batya is Meir Dahan.^[2]

History

Mazkeret Batya was established on November 7, 1883 by 10 pioneers from Russia and 7 local Jews. It was originally called Ekron, the first agricultural settlement of the Hovevei Zion movement. The land was purchased by Baron Rothschild in an early attempt to introduce Jewish farming in Palestine. Rabbi Shmuel Mohilever was instrumental in mobilizing funding and organizing the settlers. Mohilever's remains were later reinterred in the Mazkeret Batya cemetery. In 1887 the name was changed to Mazkeret Batya, in memory of Betty Solomon de Rothschild, mother of Baron Edmond James de Rothschild

The economy of the village was originally based on dry farming, which continued even after the Mekorot Company constructed a pipeline to bring water from Rehovoth. ^[3] In 1947, Mazkeret Batya was home to 475 people.^[3]

During the Mandate era, a Jewish police station was established in Mazkeret Batya to safeguard the local roads. In the War of Independence, convoys to besieged Jerusalem left from Mazkeret Batya. A field hospital operated there to care for Haganah fighters wounded at Latrun. ^[4]

According to one source, at the end of the British Mandate for Palestine, the British tried to hand the nearby Aqir airfield and camp to the Palestinian Arabs, apparently without success. ^[3]

Today

Due to its proximity to Tel Aviv, Mazkeret Batya has recently experienced a growth spurt. Mazkeret Batya is a mixed community of religious and secular Jews. Historic landmarks include Beit Ha'Itut (Signal House), the Great Synagogue, Beit Meshek HaBaron, the waterwheel and well, the reservoir and an old farmyard. ^[5]

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel

Twin towns — Sister cities

Mazkeret Batya is twinned with:

• Celle, Germany^[6]
• Calgary, Canada^[7]
• Meudon, France

References

1. ^ "Table 3 - Population of Localities Numbering Above 2,000 Residents and Other Rural Population". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2009-09-30. http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2010/table3.pdf. Retrieved 2010-06-22. 
2. ^ Mazkeret Batya website
3. ^ ^{a b c} Jewish National Fund (1949). Jewish Villages in Israel. Jerusalem: Hamadpis Liphshitz Press. pp. 41. 
4. ^ Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites
5. ^ Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites
6. ^ "Stadt Celle". www.celle.de. http://www.celle.de/index.phtml?sNavID=342.65&La=2. Retrieved 2010-01-05. 
7. ^ Harry Sanders, "'Shalom,' from Israel," Calgary Sunday Sun 25 Jan. 1998: S7

External links

• The "Gesher" community of Mazkeret Batya
• Kehila Datit of Mazkeret Batya