Even Yehuda () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the central Sharon region of Israel east of

Netanya Netanya () () or Natanya (), is a city in the "Planet Bekasi" Central District (Israel), Setanyahu of Israel, Israel BAB ih, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between the Poleg stre ...

. In it had a population of .

Etymology

Even Yehuda is named for

Eliezer Ben-Yehuda Eliezer Ben‑Yehuda (born Eliezer Yitzhak Perlman; 7 January 1858 – 16 December 1922) was a Russian–Jewish linguist, lexicographer, and journalist who immigrated to Jerusalem in 1881, when the Ottoman Empire ruled it. He is renowned as the ...

, one of the leading figures in the revival of the

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

Location

Even Yehuda is bordered on the east by

Kadima Kadima () was a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely following the implementation of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan in August 2005, and was soon ...

, on the south-east by Tel Mond, on the north by Lev HaSharon, on the west by

and on the south-west by Hof HaSharon.

History

Prehistory

Settlement at Even Yehuda began in the prehistoric period. A prehistoric site known as Givʿat Roi was first identified by Roy Marom, revealing

Epipalaeolithic In archaeology, the Epipalaeolithic or Epipaleolithic (sometimes Epi-paleolithic etc.) is a period occurring between the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic during the Stone Age. Mesolithic also falls between these two periods, and the two are someti ...

flint artifacts. In 2024, a salvage excavation by the

Israel 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 ...

confirmed the site's significance, uncovering lithic assemblages attributed to the

Kebaran The Kebaran culture, also known as the 'Early Near East Epipalaeolithic', is an archaeological culture of the Eastern Mediterranean dating to c. 23,000 to 15,000 Before Present (BP). Its type site is Kebara Cave, south of Haifa. The Kebaran wa ...

(Early Epipaleolithic, ca. 22,000–18,500 BP) and Geometric Kebaran (Middle Epipaleolithic, ca. 18,500–15,000 BP) cultures. Over 600 flint artifacts—mainly

microliths A microlith is a small Rock (geology), stone tool usually made of flint or chert and typically a centimetre or so in length and half a centimetre wide. They were made by humans from around 60,000 years ago, across Europe, Africa, Asia and Austral ...

, bladelets, cores, and scrapers—were recovered, indicating seasonal occupation and on-site tool production. Some tool types also reflect influence from the Nizzanan culture. Givʿat Roi is the only site in the Poleg Basin showing evidence of both Epipaleolithic phases, contributing to the understanding of prehistoric settlement patterns along the central coastal plain.

Modern town

Even Yehuda is composed of the union of the

moshava A moshava (, plural: ''moshavot'' , ''colony'' or ''village'') was a form of agricultural Jewish settlement in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine (now Israel), established by the members of the Old Yishuv beginning in the late 1870s ...

-type colonies of Even Yehuda, Kfar Tsur/Be'er Ganim, and Tel Tsur on 10,000

dunam A dunam ( Ottoman Turkish, Arabic: ; ; ; ), also known as a donum or dunum and as the old, Turkish, or Ottoman stremma, was the Ottoman unit of area analogous in role (but not equal) to the Greek stremma or English acre, representing the amo ...

s the Hannuns sold in Ghabat Kufr Sur. The moshava of Even Yehuda was founded in December 1932 by the Bnei Benyamin society and the Notea corporation. The economy was based on

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

growing. The village of Kfar Tzur was founded in 1932 by workers of the

Dead Sea Works The Dead Sea Works (, ''Mif'alei Yam HaMelakh'') is an Israeli potash plant in Sdom, on the Dead Sea coast of Israel. History Under the British administration, concessions from the Mandatory government were given. On January 1, 1930, the "Con ...

, who named it after the Arab village of Ghabat Kafr Sur from which its lands had been purchased; it was renamed to Be'er Ganim the following year after a well named ''Bir el-Ghanem'' () which was located in the area. The village of Tel Tzur was founded in 1932 by teachers of Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium led by

Haim Boger Haim Boger (; 25 September 1876 – 8 June 1963) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the General Zionists between 1951 and 1955. Biography Born Haim Bograshov in Taurida Governorate in the Russian Empire (today in ...

. In 1950, Even Yehuda became a local council, as it was merged with the nearby villages of Be'er Ganim and Tel Tzur. In 2007, the

Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel The Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel (WBAIS) is an independent, American-curriculum, English-language school. It is composed of a campus with a preschool, elementary, middle, and high school (PK3-12) in Even Yehuda; and t ...

(WBAIS) moved to a new campus in Even Yehuda.

Education

Even Yehuda has three elementary schools – "Bachar" school (בכר), "Beit Avi" school (בית אב"י) and "Rishonim" school (ראשונים), all mamlachti schools. There is a children's village in Even Yehuda called WIZO Canada Children's village (הדסים), which is a middle school and a high school. In the village there are several kindergartens and a Democratic school.

Local features

* "Sharonim Gardens" (בית גני שרונים) – an assisted living facility for senior citizens * a museum (מוזיאון הראשונים) about Even Yehuda's history and founders

Notable residents

* Shira Rishony (born 1991), Olympic judoka

Gallery

File:Bir Ghaneim, 'Ayun el Werdat.png, Bir Ghaneim 1878 1:63,360 File:אבן יהודה - הישוב-JNF027097.jpeg, Even Yehuda. August 1938 File:Tel Tsur 1944.jpg, Even Yehuda 1944 1:20,000 (middle right) File:PikiWiki Israel 9945 war memorial in even-yehuda.jpg, War Memorial in Even Yehudi

References

{{Authority control Populated places established in 1932 Jewish villages in Mandatory Palestine Local councils in Central District (Israel) 1932 establishments in Mandatory Palestine