Nataf
נטף
نطاف
Nataf
Nataf
Nataf is located in Jerusalem
Nataf
Nataf
Coordinates: 31°49′56″N 35°4′4″E / 31.83222°N 35.06778°E / 31.83222; 35.06778
CountryIsrael
DistrictJerusalem
CouncilMateh Yehuda
Founded1982
Population
 (2021)[1]
478
Websitenataf.co
Village synagogue
Village synagogue

Nataf (Hebrew: נָטָף, lit. Stacte) is a community settlement in central Israel. Located in the Judean Mountains, 12 miles (19 km) west of Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 478.[1]

Etymology

Its biblical name is adopted from the Hebrew word for stacte, one of the spices used in the Temple (Exodus 30:34).[2][3][4]

History

According to Walid Khalidi, Nataf was founded in 1982 on land belonging to the depopulated Palestinian village of Bayt Thul,[5] less than 1 km south of the village site of Nitaf.[6] The village website states that Nataf was built on land bought from Arabs.[4] According to Davar 40 Israeli families bought the land from Abu Ghosh Arabs.[7]

Religious outlook

20% of the residents are Modern Orthodox; 80% of the residents are secular. The village has an unaffiliated synagogue with three sections for prayer: a men's section, a women's section and a mixed section.[4]

Geography

Nataf is situated on a ridge bounded by Kefira Valley to the north and Hamisha Valley to the south; the elevation is around 500 m above MSL. It lies at the end of a 3-mile road that passes through Abu Ghosh.

Nataf spring, overlooking the Kefira Valley, is a popular hiking destination. The spring flows year-round but with little water during the dry summer. The water flows from a cave via a channel to a pear-shaped cistern (5X5 meters), from which it is impossible to exit. Entering the cistern is dangerous and many hikers have had to be rescued in a state of exhaustion and hypothermia.

Notable residents

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nataf.
  1. 1 2 "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.358, ISBN 965-220-186-3
  3. ↑ Bitan, Hanna: 1948-1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements in Israel, Jerusalem 1999, Carta, p.47, ISBN 965-220-423-4 (in Hebrew)
  4. 1 2 3 "נטף | אודות נטף". www.nataf.co (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  5. ↑ Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. p. 290. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
  6. ↑ Khalidi, 1992, p. 307
  7. ↑ "זמיר יהודה למשטרה: למנוע הקמת ישוב בנטף הדרושיפ הצעירים דז". Retrieved 2017-10-25.
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