Binyaminah

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BINYAMINAH

BINYAMINAH (Heb. בִּנְיָמִינָה), moshavah in central Israel, at the southern spur of Mt. Carmel, founded in October 1922 by the Palestine Jewish Colonization Association (pica). The first settlers were immigrants from East Europe. Later, immigrants from Bulgaria, Georgia (U.S.S.R.), and other countries were housed in a new quarter. Naḥalat Jabotinsky, a moshav founded nearby by the *Revisionist movement in 1947, was later incorporated into the village. In 1950 Binyaminah received municipal council status. In 1968 it had 2,570 inhabitants, with its economy based on intensive farming, principally fruit plantations. Prominent among its industrial enterprises was a wine and liquor factory. In the mid-1990s the population was approximately 3,950, increasing to 6,300 by 2002 on 6 sq. mi. (16 sq. km.) of land. The location of a major railroad station in Binyaminah pushed up local housing prices and made it very attractive for people working either in Haifa or Tel Aviv. In 2003 the local municipality of Binyaminah was united with the municipality of nearby *Givat Ada. Binyaminah is named after Baron Binyamin (Edmond) de *Rothschild.

[Efraim Orni /

Shaked Gilboa (2nd ed.)]