Or Yehuda () is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in the

Tel Aviv District The Tel Aviv District (; ) is the geographically smallest yet also the most densely populated of the six administrative districts of Israel, with a population of 1.35 million residents. It is 98.9% Jewish and 1.10% Arab (0.7% Muslim, 0.4% Chris ...

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 in the Gush Dan metropolitan area, in it had a population of .

History

Prehistory

Human settlement back to the

Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

has been found on the site.Or Yehuda
Hadashot Arkheologiyot Volume 127 Year 2015, Felix Volynsky and Yoav Arbel, August 2015

Antiquity and Bible

Or Yehuda is located on the site of the biblical town of Ono. The name was used by

Canaanites {{Cat main, Canaan See also: * :Ancient Israel and Judah Ancient Levant Hebrew Bible nations Ancient Lebanon 0050 Ancient Syria Wikipedia categories named after regions 0050 0050 Phoenicia Amarna Age civilizations ...

and then by

Israelites Israelites were a Hebrew language, Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age. Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanites, Canaanite populations ...

as well (), all throughout the First and

Second Temple period The Second Temple period or post-exilic period in Jewish history denotes the approximately 600 years (516 BCE – 70 CE) during which the Second Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem. It began with the return to Zion and subsequent reconstructio ...

s. Jewish classical writings mention the city as being formerly enclosed by a wall.

Ottoman period

The built-up area of two Muslim Arab villages, Kafr 'Ana in the east Neve Rabin quarter; see location map. and Saqiya to the west, are located within the current Or Yehuda city limits. Both villages date back to at least the 16th century, when

Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...

's '' haseki sultan'', Roxelana aka Hürrem Sultan, endowed them to her Jerusalem

soup kitchen A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center is a place where food is offered to Hunger, hungry and homeless people, usually for no price, cost, or sometimes at a below-market price (such as coin Donation, donations). Frequently located in Low i ...

. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the area belonged to the '' nahiyeh'' (sub-district) of Lydda that encompassed the area of the present-day city of

Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut ( ''Mōdīʿīn-Makkabbīm-Rēʿūt'') is a city located in central Israel, about southeast of Tel Aviv and west of Jerusalem, and is connected to those two cities via Highway 443. In the population was . The populati ...

in the south to the present-day city of El'ad in the north, and from the foothills in the east, through the Lod Valley to the outskirts 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 ...

in the west. This area was home to thousands of inhabitants in about 20 villages, who had at their disposal tens of thousands of hectares of prime agricultural land.

British Mandate

In the

1931 census of Palestine The 1931 census of Palestine was the second census carried out by the authorities of Mandatory Palestine. It was carried out on 18 November 1931 under the direction of Major E. Mills after the 1922 census of Palestine. * Census of Palestine 1931, ...

conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Kafr 'Ana had a population of 1,824 Muslims in 449 houses and Saqiya 663 Muslim inhabitants in 142 houses.

1948 war

In the end of April 1948, the

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 ...

launched military operation Hametz, which aimed to conquer several villages inland from

to isolate it from the Arab hinterland. The fate awaiting the inhabitants was not made explicit, other than stating the inhabitants would be allowed to leave, but a general order envisaged 'cleansing the area' () and the villages of Kafr 'Ana and Saqiya were depopulated.

State of Israel

Temporary accommodation (1949-1955)

In 1949, immigrants from

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

settled in the ruins buildings of the villages of Saqiya and Kafr 'Ana, which did not have water or sewage infrastructure.Gathering of the Exiles: It Became a Movie
YNET, July 2008 In 1950–1953, the ''

ma'abarot Ma'abarot (, singular: Ma'abara ) were immigrant and refugee absorption camps established in Israel in the 1950s, constituting one of the largest public projects planned by the state to implement its sociospatial and housing policies. The ma' ...

'' (provisional settlements for immigrants) Saqiya A, Saqiya B, Kafr 'Ana A, and Kafr 'Ana B were established on the previous village lands. These ''ma'abarot'' housed mainly immigrants from

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

who arrived as part of

Operation Ezra and Nehemiah From 1951 to 1952, Operation Ezra and Nehemiah airlifted between 120,000 and 130,000 Iraqi Jews to Israel via Iran and Cyprus. The massive emigration of Iraqi Jews was among the most climactic events of the Jewish exodus from the Muslim World ...

. ''Ma'abarot'' at the time were treated by authorities as temporary accommodations until permanent resettlement could occur on-site or elsewhere. Attempts to induce neighboring

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

and

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan (, ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv, and is part of the Gush Dan, Gush Dan metropolitan area. It is home to a Diamond Exchange District (one of the world's major diamond exch ...

to extend their municipal borders to cover these ''ma'abarot'' failed, and the ''ma'abarot'' residents resisted relocation to

development town Development towns (, ''Ayarat Pitu'ah'') were new settlements built in Israel during the 1950s in order to provide permanent housing for a large influx of Jewish immigrants from Arab countries, Holocaust survivors from Europe and other new immig ...

s in the north and south. In 1952, the religious settlement of

Ramat Pinkas Or Yehuda () is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel. Located in the Gush Dan, Gush Dan metropolitan area, in it had a population of . History Prehistory Human settlement back to the Chalcolithic has been found on the site. The modern town of Or Yehuda was officially established by the State of Israel in 1955 and was named after Judah Alkalai. In 1962 Or Yehuda was recognized as a municipal planning authority, which led to increased development. In 1988, Or Yehuda was declared a

, due to the increase in the number of residents. In April 2001,

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

suicide bombers blew up a car in Or Yehuda, injuring eight people. In 2008, the

Ef'al Regional Council Ef'al was a regional council in Israel, in the Tel Aviv District which existed from 1950 until 2008 when it was liquidated and most of its area was annexed to the neighbouring cities of Ramat Gan, Kiryat Ono, and Or Yehuda. Ramat Pinkas was tra ...

was liquidated, and lands belonging to the council south of route 461, including Ramat Pinkas, were annexed to Or Yehuda.

Demographics

According to the CBS, in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 100.0%

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 ...

. In 2001 there were 13,900 males and 14,000 females. The population of the city was spread out, with 34.6% 19 years of age or younger, 17.7% between 20 and 29, 20.5% between 30 and 44, 15.8% from 45 to 59, 3.1% from 60 to 64, and 8.2% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 3.4%.

Economy

Babylon Ltd., a developer of online translation programs that holds the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for the highest number of downloads of a language solution software, is based in Or Yehuda.Translation co Babylon sets new Guinness record for downloads
Globes, 14 July 11 The headquarters of the National Roads Company of Israel is located in Or Yehuda.

Education and culture

In 2000, Or Yehuda had 14 schools and a student enrollment of 5,147 students (10 elementary schools with 2,894 students, and 6 high schools with 2,253 students). 55.7% of 12th graders were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001. In 1982, Or Yehuda was one of the first few cities to take part in the Program for Talented Youth in Mathematics, established by Professor

Zvi Arad Zvi Arad (; 16 April 1942, in Petah Tikva, Mandatory Palestine – 4 February 2018, in Petah Tikva, Israel) was an Israeli mathematician, acting president of Bar-Ilan University, and president of Netanya Academic College. Biography Zvi Arad bega ...

and Bernark Pinchuk, at

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 ...

. Among the high-school students of Or Yehuda participating in this program was Boaz Tsaban, who proceeded to win national prizes for his achievements, and is now a Professor of mathematics at Bar-Ilan University. The Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, a museum documenting the history of the Iraqi Jewish community, was established in Or Yehuda in 1988.Iraq's Last Jews: Stories of Daily Life, Upheaval and Escape from Modern Babylon, T. Morad and D. Shasha
/ref> The museum, located at Mordechai Ben-Porat Av No. 83, also includes a library (open to the public by appointment only).

Sports

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team F.C. Ironi Or Yehuda currently plays in the Liga Alef South Division, the fourth Israeli division. On 5 April 2019, they lost 5–1 to Hapoel Ramat Yisrael F.C. in the

Liga Bet Liga Bet () is the fourth tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into four regional divisions. History League football started in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. However, the financial ...

, but their goalkeeper Isaak Hayik, 73 years old, broke the

for oldest player.

Notable people

* Elida Gera (1931-2017), US-Israeli film director, dancer, and choreographer * Isaak Hayik (born 1945), football player * David Mena (born 1953), lawyer and former Likud member of the Knesset

Twin towns – Sister cities

Or Yehuda is twinned with: *

Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf () is the fourth borough of Berlin, formed in an administrative reform with effect from 1 January 2001, by merging the former boroughs of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf. Overview Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf covers the ...

, Berlin, Germany *

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, USA – sister city of Or Yehuda since 1978

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Israel Development towns Cities in Tel Aviv District Iraqi-Jewish culture in Israel