Bet Hillel, Israel
BET HILLEL (Heb. בֵּית הִלֵּל), moshav in northern Israel, in the Ḥuleh Valley, founded in 1940 as one of the settlements then being established on the periphery of the then Ḥuleh swamp. It suffered heavy damage in the War of Independence (1948) and was subsequently rebuilt by a group of demobilized soldiers. The population was composed of immigrants from Eastern Europe and other areas. Its economy was based on milch cattle, field crops, and fruit orchards. Guest facilities were also opened there. In 2002 the population of Bet Hillel was 550. The settlement was named after Hillel *Joffe .
[Efraim Orni]
Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.