Bet Meir

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BET MEIR

BET MEIR (Heb. בֵּית מֵאִיר), Israel moshav in the Judean Hills, west of Jerusalem, affiliated with Ha-Po'el ha-Mizrachi moshavim association. In the War of Independence (1948) the Arab garrison entrenched in the then-Arab village had cut off Jewish Jerusalem. The capture of the village by Israel forces opened the "Jerusalem Corridor." Bet Meir was founded in 1950. Its inhabitants came mainly from Hungary, Romania, and Poland. The settlers made use of hydroponics in order to conform with the religious prescription of the *sabbatical year. In 2002 the population of Bet Meir was 527. The moshav lies in the center of the Martyrs' Forest. It is named after Meir *Bar-Ilan.

[Efraim Orni]