Kerem Maharal () is a

moshav A moshav (, plural ', "settlement, village") is a type of Israeli village or town or Jewish settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 and 1 ...

in northern

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 ...

. Located near

Atlit Atlit or Athlit may refer to: Places * Atlit, an historical fortified town in Israel, also known as Château Pèlerin * Atlit (modern town), a nearby town in Israel Media *Athlit (album), ''Athlit'' (album), an ambient music album by Oöphoi *Atli ...

, on the southern side of

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel (; ), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (; ), is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situat ...

, it falls under the jurisdiction of

Hof HaCarmel Regional Council Hof HaCarmel Regional Council (, ''Mo'atza Azorit Hof ha-Karmel'', ''lit.'' Carmel Coast Regional Council) is a regional council located in the northern Israeli coastal plain. The council serves a large area, stretching from Tirat HaCarmel in the ...

. In it had a population of .

History

The moshav was established in 1949 by group of Jewish

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

survivors from

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, who

immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

to Israel with the help of the Aliya movement after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. But before the establishment of the new town it used to be the location of a predominantly Palestinian town

Ijzim Ijzim () was a Palestinian village in the Haifa Subdistrict of British Mandate Palestine, 19.5 kilometers south of Haifa, that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Many residents resettled in Jenin after Operation Shoter on 24 J ...

. Ijzim had an approximate population of 3000 inhabitants. Kerem Maharal was named after legendary 16th century Rabbi

Judah Loew ben Bezalel Judah Loew ben Bezalel (; 1512 – 17 September 1609), also known as Rabbi Loew ( Löw, Loewe, Löwe or Levai), the Maharal of Prague (), or simply the Maharal (the Hebrew language, Hebrew Hebrew abbreviations, acronym of "''Moreinu ha-Rav Loew'' ...

, also known by the Hebrew acronym "Maharal" (''Moreinu HaRav Loew'', translated as ''Our teacher, the Rabbi Loew''). It was built on the site of the depopulated

Palestinian Arab Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous ...

villages of

and

Khirbat Al-Manara Khirbat Al-Manara was a Palestinian Arab village in the Haifa Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on May 21, 1948. It was located 19 km south of Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, thir ...

, which were captured by the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

Operation Shoter Operation Shoter (, ''Mivtza Shoter'', ''lit.'' Operation Policeman), also Operation Jaba', was a three-day Israeli operation during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War against an area called the "Little Triangle" south of Haifa. It was launched a week af ...

during the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war becam ...

. The residents lived in the Arab stone houses until the 1960s and some of the original structures remain today. A hotel in the moshav was previously a diwan or meeting house of Mas'ud al-Madi" of

, dating from the 18th century.

Notable residents

* Ami Ayalon, former head of

Shin Bet The Israel Security Agency (ISA; , (GSS); ), better known by the Hebrew acronyms, acronyms Shabak (; ; ) or Shin Bet (from the abbreviation of , "Security Service"), is Israel's internal Security agency, security service. Its motto is "''Magen ...

. *

Ram Rothberg Aluf Ram Rothberg (; born February 5, 1964) is a retired admiral in the Israel Defense Forces who was the head of the Israel Navy. Service history Rothberg commanded the Shayetet 13 special forces unit from 2001 to 2004 and presided over some of ...

, former head of the

Israel Navy The Israeli Navy (, ''Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli'', ; ) is the naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national milit ...

References

{{Authority control Czechoslovak Jews Moshavim Populated places established in 1949 Populated places in Haifa District 1949 establishments in Israel Czech-Jewish culture in Israel Slovak-Jewish culture in Israel