Ma'aleh Adumim

The name “Ma'aleh Adumim” is derived from the book of Joshua (Chapter 15, verses 6-18), in which Ma'aleh Adumim is described as a border area between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The name refers to the route leading from the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem, dominated by "reddish hues" in its rock formations.

After the Yom Kippur War, many settlement groups were spontaneously created in Judea and Samaria, one of the most prominent being the Ma'aleh Adumim settlement. Organized in Jerusalem, its members spanned a wide socio-cultural and political spectrum. The members worked diligently towards the establishment of a city in Ma'aleh Adumim. As a result of their great effort, the Israeli government decided to allow the establishment of a "residential camp" for workers in the area, (know today as "Founders Hill"), and hereon a Jewish settlement developed in the region.

Launched by 23 pioneer families on the seventh night of Chanukah, 1975, Ma'aleh Adumim became a local council in 1979. As a result, the settlement received official recognition and now operates within the framework of a municipality. The spirit and determination of these first 23 families paved the way for thousands of others who later followed in their footsteps.

In 1991, the government officially declared Ma'aleh Adumim a city. It became the first Jewish city in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

In 2000, construction began on 3,500 apartment units in the new neighborhood of “Nofei Sela.” Residents began to move in two years later.

In January 2003, a 1.8 mile road connecting Maaleh Adumim westward to Jerusalem was officially opened. The road, one of Israel's largest public works projects, took more than three years to complete and features two 550-meter tunnels that run under the campus of Hebrew University on Mount Scopus.

The population in 2000 was approximately 28,000 with plans to expand eventually to 50,000. In April 2005, the Israeli government announced plans to move forward with a long-planned project to build additional homes in the corridor between Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim to link the suburb directly to the city.