GEDERA

Gedera, courtesy, Wikipedia

Gedera is a small city in Israel located on the road between Tel Aviv and Gaza. Although it began as an Ashkenazi settlement, with a population of over 28,000 today, it has been estimated that approximately 50% belonged to the Yemenite community while a small number were Ethiopians.

Gedera is mentioned in the Book of Chronicles I 4:23 and the Book of Joshua 15:36 as a town in the territory of the tribe of Judah. It also figured prominently in the Maccabbee war for the independence of Judea against the Syrians under the Seleucid dynasty. Tel Qatra, which lies at the northern edge of Gedera, was a place fortified by the Seleucids against the Hasmonaeans (1 Macc. 15:39-41, 16:9) but was soon overrun by Judah Maccabbee. Modern Gedera was founded to the south of the now Arab settlement of Qatra by members of the Bilu group from Russia. This tract of land was then owned by the French consul in Jaffa, Poliovierre. In 1884, it was purchased for the Biluim by Yechiel Michael Pines, head of the Montefiore Testimonial Fund. At the time, it was the only settlement that was founded independently of the Baron de Rothschild. The first pioneers arrived at the site during the festival of Chanukah and established Gedera as a farming community covering a total of 815 acres, one quarter of which, was dedicated to wheat growing. On the rest of the land grew about 200,000 grape vines and different kinds of fruit trees. In 1888, Benjamin and Mina Fuchs built Gedera's first stone house, later used as a Bnai Brith meeting house. Dr. Moshe Mintz also built a residence soon thereafter (which also doubled as a communal hall). In 1986, his house became the Museum of the History of Gedera and the Biluim. The Sverdlov Hut is the one remaining hut built by the Biluim. It belonged to Chana and Yigal Sverdlov, who later left it to the city. A bell used to call residents for public meetings is located in the front yard. In 1885, the pioneers dug a hole and covered it with a roof to use as a stable. Today, it has been restored, and is known as "Bor HaBilu'im". The first designated school building was built in 1896. Later, the building became "Beit HaIkar", a meeting place for the local farmers. Before the end of the century, the village also contained a pharmacy and a synagogue (which later became the Yeshurun Central Synagogue established in 1912). During this time, Gedera was supported by the Russian Chovevei Zion Society, but was later taken under the protection of the Jewish Colonization Association of London.

In 1912, a group of Yemenite immigrants settled in Gedera. In the 1930s, several industries were established, and the town, due to its mild climate and fresh air, became a vacation resort with convalescence and rest homes. The water tower behind Yeshurun Central Synagogue was built in 1935. The bottom floor was used as a classroom. The top floor held a water tank, and served as a watchtower.

In the period 1949-1953, thousands of immigrants from Yemen, Romania, Iraq, Poland, Egypt, Morocco, Tunis, India, Iran, Libya, and other countries were housed in tent camps in the area.

In the 1950s, a neighborhood called Oriel ("light of God") was established for new immigrants with visual impairments. The immigrants worked in a sheltered workshop, and the neighborhood was specially planned to promote their independence. The growth of Gedera remained steady ever since and recently, New Gedera was built as an upscale neighborhood by the Azorim company. A major shopping venue built by Azorim is the Gedera Mall, located in the southeast of the town. First opened in September 2007, Gedera Mall has small businesses along with anchor tenants from semi-major department stores from Israel and Europe.

On February 9, 2009, a Grad rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit Gedera, marking the northernmost point in a round of 200 rockets targeting southern Israel.