Shekhanya () is a

community settlement A community settlement (, ''Yishuv Kehilati'') is a type of town or village in Israel and in the West Bank. In an ordinary town, anyone may buy property, but in a community settlement, the village's residents are organized in a cooperative an ...

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 ...

. It is named after a priest family from the Bible (2 Chronicles 24:11). Located in the

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 ...

between

Karmiel Karmiel () is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Established in 1964 as a development town, Karmiel is located in the Beit HaKerem Valley which divides upper and lower Galilee. The city is located south of the Acre–Safed road, from Sa ...

and Shefar'am, it falls under the jurisdiction of

Misgav Regional Council The Misgav Regional Council () is a regional council (Israel), regional council in the Galilee in northern Israel. The regional council is home to 27,421 people, and comprises 35 small towns, mostly Community settlement (Israel), community settle ...

. In it had a population of .

Etymology

Shekhanya derives its name from the ancient Jewish priestly clan of the same name. This clan was one of the twenty-four

priestly divisions The priestly divisions or sacerdotal courses ( ''mishmar'') are the groups into which kohanim "priests" were divided for service in the Temple in Jerusalem in ancient Judea. The 24 priestly divisions are first listed in 1 Chronicles 24. Role i ...

and had its residence in the nearby settlement of

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

History

Shekhanya was established in 1980 as part of the Lookouts in the Galilee plan to increase

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

ish settlement. The founders were a group of twelve Americans who had immigranted from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

in 1975 and aimed to create an industrial village.

References

{{Authority control Community settlements Agricultural Union Populated places established in 1980 Populated places in Northern District (Israel) 1980 establishments in Israel