Yavne () is a city in the Central District of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. In 2022, it had a population of 56,232. Modern Yavne was established in 1949. It is located near the ruins of the ancient town of Yibna (known also as Jamnia and Jabneh), later the village of

Yibna Yibna (; ''Jabneh'' or ''Jabneel'' in Biblical times; ''Jamnia'' in Roman empire, Roman times; ''Lordship of Ibelin, Ibelin'' to the Crusades, Crusaders), or Tel Yavne, is an archaeological site and List of villages depopulated during the Arab– ...

, and today the archeological site of Tel Yavne. Ancient Yavne holds a special place in

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

because of the ancient town's contribution to

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

's recovery and reconstitution under

sages A sage (, ''sophós''), in classical philosophy, is someone who has attained wisdom. The term has also been used interchangeably with a 'good person' (, ''agathós''), and a 'virtuous person' (, ''spoudaîos''). Some of the earliest accounts of t ...

ben Zakkai and

Gamaliel II Rabban Gamaliel II (also spelled Gamliel; ; before –) was a rabbi from the second generation of tannaim. He was the first person to lead the Sanhedrin as '' nasi'' after the fall of the Second Temple in 70 CE. He was the son of Shimon ben G ...

following the

destruction of the Second Temple The siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE was the decisive event of the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE), a major rebellion against Roman rule in the province of Judaea. Led by Titus, Roman forces besieged the Jewish capital, which had become ...

. This period, sometimes known as the "Yavne period", became a crucial mark in the development of

Rabbinic Judaism Rabbinic Judaism (), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, Rabbanite Judaism, or Talmudic Judaism, is rooted in the many forms of Judaism that coexisted and together formed Second Temple Judaism in the land of Israel, giving birth to classical rabb ...

. The city has a history of producing wine throughout much of antiquity, as indicated by both archeological findings and ancient sources.

Name

In many English translations of the Bible, Yavne was known as Jabneh . In Greek and Latin-speaking sources, it was known as Jamnia ( ''Iamníā''; ). Under Late Roman and Byzantine rule, it had a mixed population of

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

, Jews, and

Samaritans Samaritans (; ; ; ), are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Hebrews and Israelites of the ancient Near East. They are indigenous to Samaria, a historical region of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah that ...

. Under the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

, the city was known as Ibelin, and was where the

House of Ibelin The House of Ibelin was a noble family in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. They rose from relatively humble beginnings to become one of the most important families in the kingdom, holding various high offices and with exten ...

resided. During the Ottoman and British periods, it was known as Yibna (). The ancient site is now found at the

Tel Yavne TEL or Tel may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Tokyo Electron, a semiconductor equipment manufacturer * TE Connectivity, a technology company, NYSE stock ticker TEL * The European Library, an Internet service Place names * Tel, Azerba ...

archeological site, which is southeast of the modern city.

History

Ancient Yavne

Antiquity

Yavne was one of the major ancient cities in the southern

coastal plain A coastal plain (also coastal plains, coastal lowland, coastal lowlands) is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and an upland area. Formation Coastal plains can f ...

, situated south of

Jaffa Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...

, north of

Ashdod Ashdod (, ; , , or ; Philistine language, Philistine: , romanized: *''ʾašdūd'') is the List of Israeli cities, sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District (Israel), Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean ...

, and east of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

.Moshe Fischer, Itamar Taxel and David Amit
Rural Settlement in the Vicinity of Yavneh in the Byzantine Period: A Religio-Archaeological Perspective
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 350 (May, 2008), pp. 7-35. From excavations of the ancient tell (mound created by accumulation of archaeological remains) known as ''Tel Yavne'' (Hebrew), which developed on a natural

kurkar Kurkar ( /) is the term used in Arabic and modern Hebrew for the rock type of which lithification, lithified sea sand dunes consist. The equivalent term used in Lebanon is ramleh. History Kurkar is the regional name for an aeolian quartz sands ...

hill, the area shows to have been inhabited continuously from either the Bronze or Iron Age until the British Mandate. During some periods, especially the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

period, the settlement expanded to cover part of the plain and hills surrounding the tell.Raz Kletter, Irit Ziffer, Wolfgang Zwickel. "Yavneh I: The Excavation of the 'Temple Hill' Repository Pit and the Cult Stands." Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis, Series Archaeologica (OBOSA), Book 30. Academic Press Fribourg, Switzerland () and Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen (). 2010. Pages 2-1

/ref> Yavne is mentioned in the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

and other ancient texts. In Roman times, the city was known as Iamnia or Jamnia. It was bequeathed by

King Herod Herod may refer to: Members of the Herodian dynasty Members of the Herodian dynasty, named after Herod the Great, in chronological order: * Herod the Great (born c. 74 BC, ruled 37–4 BC or 1 BC), client king of Judea who expanded the Second Tem ...

upon his death to his sister

Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

. Upon her death it passed to

Emperor Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

, who ran it as a private

imperial estate An Imperial Estate (; , plural: ') was an entity or an individual of the Holy Roman Empire with representation and the right to vote in the Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire), Imperial Diet ('). Rulers of these Estates were able to exercise signi ...

, a status retained for at least a century. After Salome's death, Iamnia came into the property of

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC AD 29) was List of Roman and Byzantine empresses, Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption ...

, the future Roman empress, and then to her son

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

. In the 40s AD, a dispute emerged in Jamnia when Gentiles constructed a mud-brick altar to the Emperor, provoking the local Jewish population. The Jews destroyed the altar, which they saw as desecration. This led the Gentiles to complain to Capito, the imperial revenue collector in

Judaea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the prese ...

, who reported the matter to Emperor

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

. In retaliation, Caligula ordered a statue of himself as Jupiter to be placed in the

Holy of Holies The Holy of Holies ( or ''Kodesh HaKodashim''; also ''hadDəḇīr'', 'the Sanctuary') is a term in the Hebrew Bible that refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle, where the Shekhinah (God in Judaism, God's presence) appeared. According ...

at the

Temple of Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...

. Iamnia played a role in several events during the

First Jewish–Roman War The First Jewish–Roman War (66–74 CE), also known as the Great Jewish Revolt, the First Jewish Revolt, the War of Destruction, or the Jewish War, was the first of three major Jewish rebellions against the Roman Empire. Fought in the prov ...

. In 66 AD, the Roman tribune Neapolitanus met with King

Agrippa II Herod Agrippa II ( Roman name: Marcus Julius Agrippa, ; AD 27/28 – or 100), sometimes shortened to Agrippa II or Agrippa, was the last ruler from the Herodian dynasty, reigning over territories outside of Judea as a Roman client. Agrippa ...

in Iamnia, to inform him of his mission to investigate the situation in Jerusalem, following

Florus Three main sets of works are attributed to Florus (a Roman cognomen): ''Virgilius orator an poeta'', the ''Epitome of Roman History'' and a collection of 14 short poems (66 lines in all). As to whether these were composed by the same person, or ...

' seizure of Temple funds and clashes between Jews and Roman troops. Later, in spring 68 AD, after the Roman army under

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

quelled the insurrection in

Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...

, the army marched upon Iamnia and

Azotus Azotus is the Hellenistic Greek name of the ancient city of Ashdod. To the slightly inland city, a counterpart developed on the seashore and the name Azotus can refer to both of the twin cities : * Azotus Mesogaios, "inland Azotus", the Hellenisti ...

, taking both towns and stationing garrisons within them. Following the failure of the revolt and the

, Judaism underwent significant reform in Yavne. According to rabbinic tradition, Rabbi

Yohanan ben Zakkai Yohanan ben Zakkai (; 1st century CE), sometimes abbreviated as for Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, was a tanna, an important Jewish sage during the late Second Temple period during the transformative post-destruction era. He was a primary cont ...

and his disciples were permitted to settle in Iamnia during the outbreak of the war, after ben Zakkai, realizing that

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

was about to fall, departed the city and sought the permission of

, commander of the Roman forces, to settle in Yavne and teach his disciples. Upon the fall of Jerusalem, his school functioned as a

Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Middle Aramaic , a loanword from , 'assembly,' 'sitting together,' hence ' assembly' or 'council') was a Jewish legislative and judicial assembly of either 23 or 70 elders, existing at both a local and central level i ...

. It was also theorized for some time to have been the site of a supposed

Council of Jamnia The Council of Jamnia (presumably Yavneh in the Holy Land) was a hypothetical council that some claim was held late in the 1st century AD to finalize the development of the canon of the Hebrew Bible in response to Christianity; however others ...

that established the rabbinic Jewish biblical canon (although current scholarship largely rejects the theory that such a council in fact occurred). According to the

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud (, often for short) or Palestinian Talmud, also known as the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talm ...

(''Berakhot'' 1:4), when the rabbis argued over some fine point of Jewish law, a Divine voice (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: ''bat ḳol'') was heard in Yavne, ruling in favor of the

School of Hillel The House of Hillel (Beit Hillel) and House of Shammai (Beit Shammai) were, among Jewish scholars, two schools of thought during the period of tannaim, named after the sages Hillel and Shammai (of the last century BCE and the early 1st century C ...

. To counter a perceived threat to rabbinical authority, the Talmud states that Shmuel ha-Katan of Yavne enacted the " twelfth benediction" in the

daily prayer Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

, i.e., the benediction against

apostates Apostasy (; ) is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous religious beliefs. One who ...

and

heretics Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...

(

: ''minim'').

Crusader period

The

Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

rs renamed the city Ibelin and built its

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

there in 1141. An excavation led by Professor

Dan Bahat Dan Bahat (; born 1938 in Lviv in Poland) is an Israeli archaeologist especially known for his excavations in Jerusalem, particularly at the Western Wall tunnels. Biography Dan Bahat was born in Poland to Polish Jewish parents who were citizen ...

in 2005Archaeological Excavations in Israel 2006
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accessed Sep 2021. revealed the main gate. Its namesake noble family, the

, was important in the

Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...

and later in the

Kingdom of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus (; ) was a medieval kingdom of the Crusader states that existed between 1192 and 1489. Initially ruled as an independent Christian kingdom, it was established by the French House of Lusignan after the Third Crusade. I ...

. Salvage excavations at the west of the tell unearthed a stash of 53 Crusader coins of the 12th and 13th centuries.

Muslim Yibna, Early Islamic to Mamluk period

The

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic historian

al-Baladhuri ʾAḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Jābir al-Balādhurī () was a 9th-century West Asian historian. One of the eminent Middle Eastern historians of his age, he spent most of his life in Baghdad and enjoyed great influence at the court of the caliph al ...

(died 892 AD) describes

as one of ten towns in

Jund Filastin Jund Filasṭīn (, "the military district of Palestine") was one of the military districts of the Umayyad and Abbasid province of Bilad al-Sham (Levant), organized soon after the Muslim conquest of the Levant in the 630s. Jund Filastin, which ...

conquered by the

Rashidun army The Rashidun army () was the core of the Rashidun Caliphate's armed forces during the early Muslim conquests in the 7th century. The army is reported to have maintained a high level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization, grantin ...

led by

'Amr ibn al-'As Amr ibn al-As ibn Wa'il al-Sahmi (664) was an Arab commander and companion of Muhammad who led the Muslim conquest of Egypt and served as its governor in 640–646 and 658–664. The son of a wealthy Qurayshite, Amr embraced Islam in and wa ...

in the early 7th century. Ibelin was first sacked by

Saladin Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, h ...

before his army was routed at the

Battle of Montgisard The Battle of Montgisard was fought between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Ayyubid Dynasty on 25 November 1177 at Montgisard, in the Levant between Ramla and Yibna. The 16-year-old Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, severely afflicted by leprosy, l ...

in late 1177. In August 1187, it was retaken and burnt to the ground, and ceased for some time to form part of the Crusaders' kingdom.

Mosque

Ibelin's parish church was converted into a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

, to which a minaret was added during the Mamluk period in 1337. The minaret is still standing, although the mosque itself (the former Crusader church) was blown up by the IDF in 1950.

Tomb of Abu Huraira/Gamaliel

The Mausoleum of Abu Huraira, known in Arabic as

Maqam Maqam, makam, maqaam or maqām (plural maqāmāt) may refer to: Musical structures * Arabic maqam, melodic modes in traditional Arabic music ** Iraqi maqam, a genre of Arabic maqam music found in Iraq * Persian maqam, a notion in Persian clas ...

Abu Hurayra, described as "one of the finest domed mausoleums in Palestine", dates back to the 12th century. It was said to be the tomb of

Abu Hurairah Abū Hurayra ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ṣakhr al-Dawsī al-Zahrānī (; –679), commonly known as Abū Hurayra (; ), was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and considered the most prolific hadith narrator. Born in al-Jabur, Arabia to ...

, a companion (

sahaba The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...

) of the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. Abu Hurairah however is buried in

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, but he was also venerated in various places in Palestine, namely in

Ramle Ramla (), also known as Ramle (, ), is a city in the Central District of Israel. Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with significant numbers of both Jews and Arabs. The city was founded in the early 8th century CE by the Umayyad caliph Su ...

and Yavne. After 1948 the shrine was adopted by

Mizrahi Jews Mizrahi Jews (), also known as ''Mizrahim'' () in plural and ''Mizrahi'' () in singular, and alternatively referred to as Oriental Jews or ''Edot HaMizrach'' (, ), are terms used in Israeli discourse to refer to a grouping of Jews, Jewish c ...

who believe the tomb is the burial place of Rabbi Gamaliel of Yavne. Mayer et al., (1950:22) Cited in Jewish worshippers say that it was a Jewish burial site that was Islamized later, although there is no record of Jewish pilgrimage there before 1948.

British Mandate

In mid-March 1948, a contingent of Iraqi soldiers moved into the village. In a

Haganah Haganah ( , ) was the main Zionist political violence, Zionist paramilitary organization that operated for the Yishuv in the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine. It was founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv's presence in the reg ...

reprisal on 30 March, two dozen villagers were killed. On April 21, the Iraqi village commander was arrested in

for drunkenly shooting two Arabs. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, residents of

Zarnuqa Zarnuqa (), also Zarnuga,Reuter, 2004, pp956 was a Palestinian people, Palestinian Arab village in the Ramle Subdistrict, Mandatory Palestine, Ramle Subdistrict. It was depopulated on 27–28 May 1948 during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Location ...

sought refuge in Yibna, but left after the villagers accused them of being traitors. On 27 May, following the fall of Al-Qubayba and

, most of the population of Yibna fled to

Isdud Isdud () was a Palestinian people, Palestinian village in the region of Tel Ashdod that was List of towns and villages depopulated during the 1947–1949 Palestine war, depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Khalidi says it may have had his ...

, but armed males were refused entry. On 5 June, when Israeli troops arrived, they found the village almost deserted apart from a few old people who were ordered to leave. In the 1930s, a plan was proposed to rebuild the ancient Talmudic academy founded by Yochanan Ben Zakkai. In 1941, an agreement was reached between the

Jewish National Fund The Jewish National Fund (JNF; , ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael''; previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') is a non-profit organizationProfessor Alon Tal, The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion ...

and the Mizrachi/Hapoel Mizrachi movements, allocating five hundred dunams in Yavne area for a yeshiva. In 1948, the building was used as a forward post by

Yigal Alon Yigal Allon (; 10 October 1918 – 29 February 1980) was an Israeli military leader and politician. He was a commander of the Palmach and a general in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). He was also a leader of the Ahdut HaAvoda and Israeli Labor ...

, commander of the southern front, because of its commanding view of the coastal plain.

Foundation of Modern Yavne

Yavne was established in October 1948 as a transit camp for Jews from Arab countries, Iran and Europe. The first neighbourhood was established in early 1949. In the early years, the inhabitants were shopkeepers, farmers and construction workers. In 1953, the population was 1,600. In the 1960s, several enterprises moved from Tel Aviv to Yavne, establishing leather, textile, and metallurgy industries. By 1970, the population had grown to 10,100. Other Israeli villages were founded on Yibna land were

Kfar HaNagid Kfar HaNagid () is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the coastal plain around 20 km south of Tel Aviv and north of Yavne, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The moshav wa ...

and

Beit Gamliel Beit Gamliel (, lit. ''House of Gamliel'') is a religious moshav in central Israel. Located south-east of Yavne, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Yavne Regional Council. In , it had a population of . History The moshav was established i ...

in 1949,

Ben Zakai Ben Zakai () is a religious moshav in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Yavne Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The moshav was established in 1950 by Jewish refugees from Tri ...

in 1950,

Kfar Aviv Kfar Aviv (, ''lit.'' Village of Spring) is a moshav in the Central District of Israel, near Ashdod. It belongs to the Gederot Regional Council. In it had a population of . History Kfar Aviv was founded in 1952 by the Jewish Agency on the lands ...

(originally: "Kfar HaYeor") in 1951, Tzofiyya in 1955. According to

Walid Khalidi Walid Khalidi (; born in Jerusalem on July 16, 1925) is a Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is a co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, established in Beirut in December 1963 as an inde ...

, a railroad crosses the village. The old mosque and

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

, together with a

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

can still be seen, and some of the old houses are inhabited by Jewish and Arab families. The 1980 edition of a guidebook published in Jerusalem describes Yavne as home to Israel's first atomic reactor, an image of which appeared on a 0.50 Shekel stamp. When Mayor

Meir Sheetrit Meir Sheetrit (; born 10 October 1948) is an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset in two spells for Likud between 1981 and 1988, and again from 1992 until 2005, when he joined Kadima. He remained a Knesset member for Kadima u ...

assumed office in 1974, the city became a low-density suburban satellite of Tel Aviv with new construction targeting middle-class families. Yavne achieved city status in 1986. By the mid-1990s, the population had risen to 25,600.

Demography

According to the

Israel Central Bureau of Statistics The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (, ''HaLishka HaMerkazit LiStatistika''; ), abbreviated CBS, is an Israeli government office established in 1949 to carry out research and publish statistical data on all aspects of Israeli life, including ...

(CBS), in 2021 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99 percent

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and others, without significant

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

population. As of March 2021 the city numbered 53,595 persons, with a high percentage of young people: 37% of the population was in the 0–19 age group and 71% of the total population was younger than 44. Yavne 736

Economy

Major companies based in Yavne include

Ormat Industries Ormat Technologies, Inc. is an international company based in Reno, Nevada, United States. Ormat supplies alternative and renewable geothermal energy technology. The company has built over 190 power plants and installed over 3,200 MW of outpu ...

Aeronautics Defense Systems Aeronautics Defense Systems, doing business as Aeronautics, is an Israeli defense contractor headquartered in Yavne, Israel. The company primarily manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles for both military and civilian applications. Aeronautics’ se ...

, Avisar and

Orbotech Orbotech Ltd. a subsidiary of KLA Corporation and a technology company used in the manufacturing of consumer and industrial products throughout the electronics and adjacent industries. The company providing electronics reading, writing, and conn ...

. In 2019, Merck established an incubator in Yavne with a budget of about €20 million over three years that will invest in startups focusing on semiconductor and display crystal technologies. In 2022

Recipharm Recipharm is a leading global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO), employing 5,200 people and operating in over a hundred markets worldwide. Recipharm offers pharmaceutical manufacturing services across various dosage ...

established a new facility in Yavne. MediWound manufactures

NexoBrid Bromelain, a concentrate of proteolytic enzymes from the pineapple plant, is used in medicine. It is approved in the European Union for the debridement (removal of eschar, that is dead and damaged tissue) of severe burn wounds under the brand na ...

in Yavne, a unique product for the treatment of severe burns."Innovative treatment helps family severely burned when Hamas set their home on fire"
Renee Ghert-Zand for

The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' (ToI) is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012 and has since become the largest English-language Jewish and Israeli news source by audience size. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist Dav ...

, 19 Jan 2024 (posted & retrieved). It allows saving affected tissue which would otherwise need to be removed, leading to less amputations of hands and feet. Many

October 7, 2023 On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli ...

victims have benefitted from it, with the US also buying $20 million worth of NexoBrid for its strategic national stockpile. In 2012 a new green neighborhood "Neot Rabin" was inaugurated in the south of the city.

Sports

Maccabi Yavne Maccabi "Zvi" Yavne () is an Israeli football club based in Yavne. They currently play in Liga Alef. History The club was founded in 1962 and played in Liga Gimel, the lowest tier of Israeli football, up until the 1971–72 season, when they ...

is the city's major football club. During the 1980s the club played in the top division and in 1985 won the

Toto Cup The Israel Toto Cup (, ''Gvia Ha'Toto'') is an association football tournament that features clubs in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Israeli Premier League Ligat ha'Al, Ligat Ha'Al; and the Israeli 2nd division Liga Leumit. Both of the ...

. Today they are in

Liga Leumit The Israeli Liga Leumit (, HaLiga HaLeumit, ) is the second division of the professional Israeli association football (soccer) league system. This second-tier league is placed directly below the Israeli Premier League. Structure There are 16 ...

. The basketball team, Elitzur Yavne, have also played in the

Liga Leumit (basketball) Liga Leumit (, lit. ''National League'') is the second tier level league of basketball competition in Israel. It is the league level that is below the first tier Israeli Premier League. League system On 30 July, 2024 the Israel Basketball Asso ...

since 2007. Omri Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the National Basketball Association, grew up in the city and played for some of its teams.

Archaeology

Tel Yavne was first excavated in 2005 in a dig headed by

, who unearthed the gate room of the Crusader castle of Ibelin, as well as a vault destroyed with gunpowder by the

Mamluks Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-sold ...

and deeply embedded Crusader walls east of it, all at or around the top of the tell. In December 2019, a large number of pottery kilns and 1,200-year-old gold coins which may have been a Palestinian potter's "

piggy bank A piggy bank (sometimes penny bank or money box) is a coin container normally used by children, featuring a slot at the top to insert coins or folded bank notes. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the " mecha ...

" were unearthed in a

jug A jug is a type of container commonly used to hold and serve liquids, but not normally to drink from directly. It has an opening, sometimes narrow, from which to pour or drink, and has a handle, and usually a pouring lip. Jugs throughout histor ...

let by the

Israeli Antiquities Authority The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, ; , before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservatio ...

. According to archaeologist Robert Kool, the coins date back to the early

Abbasid period The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes i ...

, about 9th century CE. One of the seven coins was minted by Caliph

Harun al-Rashid Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ar-Rāshīd (), or simply Hārūn ibn al-Mahdī (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Hārūn al-Rāshīd (), was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, reigning from September 786 unti ...

(786–809 CE). "These are gold dinars issued by the

Aghlabid dynasty The Aghlabid dynasty () was an Arab dynasty centered in Ifriqiya (roughly present-day Tunisia) from 800 to 909 that conquered parts of Sicily, Southern Italy, and possibly Sardinia, nominally as vassals of the Abbasid Caliphate. The Aghlabids ...

that ruled in North Africa. Without a doubt this is a wonderful

Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...

present for us," said Kool. In August 2020, Israeli archaeologists discovered 425 complete gold coins, most dating to the Abbasid period around 1,100 years ago. In April 2021, archaeologists announced the discovery of a 1,600-year-old multicolored

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

dated back to the

Byzantine period The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

in an industrial area. According to IAA archaeologist Elie Haddad, it was the first time that excavators revealed a colored mosaic floor in Yavne. The ancient harbour of Yavne,

Yavne-Yam Yavne-Yam (, also spelled Yavneh-Yam, literally Yavne-Sea) or Minet Rubin (Arabic, literally Port of Rubin, referring to biblical Reuben; ) is an archaeological site located on Israel's Southern Coastal Plain, about 15 km south of Tel Aviv. ...

(in Arabic ''Minet Rubin'') was identified on the coast. Excavations have revealed fortification going back to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

Hyksos The Hyksos (; Egyptian language, Egyptian ''wikt:ḥqꜣ, ḥqꜣ(w)-wikt:ḫꜣst, ḫꜣswt'', Egyptological pronunciation: ''heqau khasut'', "ruler(s) of foreign lands"), in modern Egyptology, are the kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt ( ...

. It was in use from the Middle Bronze Age until the 12th century CE, when it was abandoned. refers to the burning of the harbour and its fleet on the direction of

Judas Maccabeus Judas Maccabaeus or Maccabeus ( ), also known as Judah Maccabee (), was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167–160 BCE). The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Ded ...

. In 2022, a

sling bullet A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to hand-throw a blunt projectile such as a stone, clay, or lead " sling-bullet". It is also known as the shepherd's sling or slingshot (in British English, although elsewhere it means something ...

was discovered with the Greek inscription "Victory of Heracles and Hauronas", the two gods were the patrons of the city during the

Hellenistic period In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

.2,200-year-old Greek sling bullet discovered in Israel
/ref> TelJavne030

Notable people

Avior Byron Avior Byron () is an Israelis, Israeli singer songwriter and musicologist. Biography Avior Byron was born in Petah Tikva, Raz Israeli“Against the wind; meet the first religious protest singer” nrg Maariv, July 7, 2015 and grew up in Yavne ...

(born 1973), singer, songwriter, and musicologist *

Omri Casspi Omri Moshe Casspi (; born June 22, 1988) is an Israeli former professional basketball player. He mainly played at the small forward position, but also played at the power forward position. Casspi was drafted 23rd overall in the 2009 NBA draft b ...

(born 1988), Israeli professional NBA basketball player *

Itai Chammah Itai Chammah (; born 11 November 1985 in Yavne) is an Israeli swimmer who represented Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Biography Chammah is Jewish. Chammah competed on behalf of Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Beijing, C ...

(born 1985), Olympic swimmer *

Gil Dor Gil Dor (; born December 12, 1952) is an Israeli guitar player mostly known for his long-term collaboration as an accompanist, arranger, producer and co-composer with international concert and recording artist Achinoam Nini, also known as Noa. ...

, guitar player *

Elishay Kadir Elishay Kadir (; born November 4, 1987) is an Israeli professional basketball player, who plays for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Premier League. He plays in the power forward position and is tall. He was the 2010 Israeli Basketball Premier Lea ...

(born 1987), basketball player * Uri Kokia (born 1981), basketball player and coach * Shlomi Koriat (born 1976), actor and comedian * Maor Melikson, footballer *

Nevo Mizrahi Nevo Mizrahi (; born 26 July 1987) is an Israeli footballer who plays for Beitar Tel Aviv Beitar Tel Aviv Football Club (Hebrew: מועדון כדורגל בית"ר תל אביב) was an Israeli football club based from Tel Aviv. The club merged ...

(born 1987), footballer *

Mushail Mushailov Mushail Mushailov (, ; born July 10, 1941 — January 4, 2007) was a Soviet Union, Soviet/Russian artist and teacher of Mountain Jewish descent. He was a member of the USSR Union of Artists and Israel. He was also a laureate of the State Prize o ...

, artist *

Ido Nehoshtan Aluf Ido Nehoshtan, also Nehushtan (; born 1957) is a retired general in the Israel Defense Forces. He replaced Eliezer Shkedi on 4 April 2008 as Air Force Commander until he himself was replaced by Amir Eshel on 10 May 2012 upon his retirement f ...

, Major-General (ret.), former chief of

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...

Shabak Samech Shabak Samech (Hebrew: שבק"ס,שב"ק סמך) (aka Shabak S) is one of the first recognized hip-hop music, hip-hop groups to come out of Israel. Their sound is primarily hip-hop, but it includes elements of rapcore, dancehall, ska, and funk. T ...

, rap and hip-hop group *

(born 1948), Israeli Minister of the Interior

Sister cities

Yavne is twinned with: *

Le Raincy Le Raincy () is a prestigious communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Le Raincy is a subprefecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis departments of France, department and ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ; ; ), historically known in English as Spires, is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in the western part of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the r ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Sunrise, Florida Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The population was 97,335 at the time of the 2020 census. History Early history In ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

East Brunswick, New Jersey East Brunswick is a Township (New Jersey), township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The suburban bedroom community is part of the New York metropolitan area and is located on the southern sho ...

References

External links

Municipal website
*
Yavneh Yields Over a Hundred Philistine Cult Stands
Biblical Archaeology Review *
2008 salvage excavation report
Orit Segal at Excavations and Surveys in Israel, 5 July 2011. Accessed 22 Feb 2017. {{Authority control Cities in Central District (Israel) Cities in Israel Development towns Hebrew Bible cities Talmud places Ancient Jewish settlements of Judaea Canaanite cities Tells (archaeology) 1949 establishments in Israel Salome I Livia Roman sites in Israel