Beersheba

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Soroka Hospital, Beersheba
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Soroka Hospital, Beersheba

Beersheba or Beer-sheva (Hebrew: , Standard Hebrew Bəʼer Šévaʻ, Tiberian Hebrew Bəʼer Šéḇaʻ or בְּאֶר שָׁבַע Bəʼer Šāḇaʻ; Arabic بِئْرْ اَلْسَبْعْ ) is a city in Israel. It is the largest city of the Negev desert, and often known as the "Capital of the Negev" in the Southern District of Israel. In 2003 Beersheba had a population of 184,500 making it the 5th largest city in Israel, 20 years previous the population was just 110,800. It is the administrative center for the southern region and home of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Soroka Hospital, and the Beersheba Symphonietta. The city dates back at least to the time of Abraham. The city has expanded considerably since the founding of the state in 1948. Today the town is inhabited mainly by Jews who originally immigrated to Israel from Arab countries and the former Soviet Union. Beersheba is surrounded by a number of satellite towns: Omer, Lehavim and Meitar are mainly Jewish towns and there are a number of Bedouin towns around Beer-Sheva the largest are Rahat, Tel-Sheva and Laqiya.

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History

Beersheba (literally, There are two interpretations. It's either "Well of the Oath" or "Seven Wells") was first mentioned in the Bible in the book of Genesis. It is believed to be the location of the oath between Abraham and Abimelech. According to Genesis 21:31 "Beersheba" means "Well of Oath" and not the popular "Seven Wells". Beersheba is also mentioned in Joshua 19:2. Beersheba was the southernmost city of Israel in Biblical times hence the expression "from Dan to Beersheba" to describe the whole kingdom.

An archeological site called "Tel Beer-Sheva", a few kilometers north-east of modern day Beer-Sheva has evidence of being populated since the 4th millennium BCE. It was destroyed and rebuilt many times during its history. The latest inhabitants of Tel Beer-Sheva were the Byzantines, which abandoned the city at the 7th century ACE. The Turkish Ottomans who had controlled Israel since the 16th century barely paid any interest to Beersheba until the end of the 19th century. At the begining of the 19th Century Beersheba is noted by European pilgrims for being in ruins, for its well and the Bedouin living in the surrounds. The Ottomans built a police station in Beersheba at the end of the 19th Century in order to control the Bedouin. This attracted a small settlement to the East of the city of Bedouin wishing to abandon nomadic life and some Arabs from Hebron, Gaza and elsewhere. The Ottomans planned and built a perfect town centre with straight roads and small characteristic buildings built with local materials (many of which stand today but in disrepair). The Ottomans also built a train station and a railway to Ashkelon and Gaza.

On 31 October 1917, as part of the Sinai and Palestine campaign during World War I, the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade, under Brigadier General William Grant, charged more than four miles at the Turkish trenches, overran them and captured the wells at Beersheba. This is often reported as the last successful cavalry charge in history! During the period of the British Mandate of Palestine Beersheba remained a small administrative centre, with police and local courts most residents worked for the British. According to the 1947 UN Partition Plan Beersheba was destined to be part of an Arab entity. Between 15 and 22 October 1948 the Israel Defence Forces in Operation Yoav captured the south of Israel including Beersheba from the Egyptians who had invaded Israel and captured Beersheba in May 1948.

Until 2004 there were almost no terrorist attacks in Beersheba but on 31 August 2004, 16 people were killed in 2 suicide bombings on buses in Beersheba for which the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas claimed responsibility. On 28 August 2005 another suicide bomber attacked this time at the central bus station seriusly injuring 2 security guards. (Those parts of Israel that border on the West Bank where there is an effective security fence have been proven to be almost free of terrorist attacks, the southern section of the fence, nearest to Beersheba, is not expected to be effective until 2006.)


Neighbourhoods

Beersheba is divided into a number of small neighbourhoods that are mostly numbered. Shekhuna (Hebrew for neighbourhood) Alef (1), Bet (2), Gimmel (3), Dalet (4), Hey (5), Vav (6), Tet (9), Yud-Alef (11), Ramot, Neve Noy, Neve Ze'ev, Darom, the Old City, Nahal Beka and Nahal Ashan. (For no apparent reason there is no Shekhuna Zayin (7), Het (8) or Yod (10)). The Old City is somewhat run-down, and though it has a number of memorable buildings dating from Ottoman times, the municipality has done little to restore these gems. Some private organisations own these buildings and maintain them but most are ruins. North Dalet and parts of Gimmel have bad reputations for being populated by drug users, but the parts of these neighbourhoods that are closer to the University are full of students and are less affected by crime.

Beersheba Municipality

The current mayor of Beersheba is Yaacov Turner, the deputy-mayors are David Bumfeld and Rubiq Danilovits and the vice-mayors are Sima Navon and Yitshaq Martsiano. Previous mayors are David Tuviahu, Zeev Zrizi, Eliyahu Nawi, Moshe Zilberman, Itzhak (Ijo) Rager and David Bumfeld. The Beersheba Municipality has been plagued for many years by an ineffectual leadership, a politicised work-force, plain corruption and a general lack of ability to fulfill even it basic tasks. The municipality suffers from a general malaise. No doubt low income from local taxes and bad financial planning are also contributing factors. The residents of Beer-Sheva experience a low level of infrastructure, including cultural and educational facilities, and a dysfunctional parks and litter departments. Some improvements have been made recently: in 2005 the Parks Department has not stopped caring for the parks and cleaning the streets (unlike in 2004 when it failed to clean the streets or water the parks for a number of months), some cultural centres have been built (the Youth Centre opened in 2005 and the Cultural Centre should open in 2006), a street in the old city of Beersheba was renovated and the mayor has not been indicted of any serious crime during this current candidacy.

Demographics

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), in 2003 Beersheba had a population of 184,500 making it the 5th largest town in Israel, compared to 110,800 20 years previous. (Currently its population is estimated to be app. 200,000.) In 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 98.9% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population. See Population groups in Israel. According to CBS, in 2001 there were 86,500 males and 91,400 females. The population of the city was spread out with 31.8% 19 years of age or younger, 17.4% between 20 and 29, 19.6% between 30 and 44, 15.8% from 45 to 59, 4.0% from 60 to 64, and 11.4% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 2.9%. Many people come to live in Beersheba for short periods of time, e.g. to study in the university or to serve in the many army bases in, or near to, the town.

Income

According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 61,016 salaried workers and 3,010 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is 5,223 NIS, a real change of 5.3% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 6,661 (a real change of 5.2%) versus ILS 3,760 for females (a real change of 3.9%). The mean income for the self-employed is 6,533. There are 4,719 people who receive unemployment benefits and 26,469 people who receive an income guarantee. The major employers in Beersheba are the municipality, Israel Defense Forces, Ben-Gurion University and the Soraka Medical Centre. There are also a number of electronics and chemical factories in Beersheba and the vicinity.

Education

According to CBS, there are 81 schools and 33,623 students in the city. They are spread out as 60 elementary schools and 17,211 elementary school students, and 39 high schools and 16,412 high school students. 52.7% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001. There are also a number of private educational institutions mostly Yeshivoth that cater for the religious. Beersheba is also the home of the first class Ben-Gurion University and some local colleges such as the Technical College of Beersheba.

Sports

The most popular sport in Beersheba is football led by the Hapoel Beer Sheva team. The club was formed in 1949. The team has a history of two league championships (1975 and 1976), one national cup (1997) and two Toto cups (1989 and 1996). The local arena is the Wassermill stadium with a capacity of 14,000. The most successful sport in Beer Sheva is Chess. The Chess club has won national championships and cups many many times and represented Israel in the European Cup. It hosted the world teams championship in 2005. The Chess club was founded in 1973 by Eliyahu Levant, who is still the dynamo behind the success of this club. Beersheba is also the home of The Camels-ASA Beer-Sheva—a successful rugby team—whose senior and youth squads have won several national titles (including the recent Senior National League 2004-2005 championship). Other sports in Beersheba are wrestling and tennis.

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