| Page Views: 1,438 Last Visit to Bet Shemesh: March, 2006 | Beit Shemesh: House of the Rising Sun by gilabrand - last update: May 5, 2009 |
Back in the 1950s, Beit Shemesh was what Israel called a "development town." Now that sounds promising, but development towns were generally dinky places in the middle of nowhere that became a kind of catch-all for refugees and new immigrants. Beit Shemesh was one of them. In those early days of the state, the government sent newcomers to transit camps called "ma'abarot" and then plonked them down in hicktowns like Beit Shemesh.
If you look at the above picture, you will see that Beit Shemesh today is not bad at all, despite the stigma that clung to it for years. And every one of those trees you see, coloring the hills green, was planted by Jewish immigrants ("olim hadashim") from Arab countries who were brought here to clear the rocky fields and build a "House in the Sun."
Hebrew glossary:
Beit = House
Shemesh = Sun |
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 Comments for gilabrand about Bet Shemesh | | | | |
RhineRoll Sun Jul 1, 2007 19:27 UTC
Is this really Israel? Looks like Germany (except the palm tree :) | lionreb Sun Apr 1, 2007 19:14 UTC
Lovely picture! | Soore Sun Feb 18, 2007 02:25 UTC
Great translation ! Never thought about Beit Shemesh in such a beatiful way | evaanna Sat Jul 29, 2006 21:33 UTC
Beautiful picture and great scenery. |
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