Ma’ale Adumim

Ma’ale Adumim is a suburb of Israel’s capital, barely three miles outside Jerusalem’s city limits, a ten-minute drive away. It was established by 23 families on a hilltop about 1,500 feet above sea level overlooking the Judean desert, the Jerusalem Hills, Mt. Scopus and the Mount of Olives in 1975. The name refers to the reddish hues of the rock formations along the route from the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem. Ma’ale Adumim is described in the Book of Joshua (15:6-18) as a border area between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

From fewer than two dozen families, the outpost grew to 20,000 just 20 years later. In 1991, the government declared Ma’ale the first city in Judea and Samaria, and today it is the largest Jewish city in the territories, with a population of 27,300. Most of the city’s residents are middle class and traditional; approximately 20 percent are religious (and are served by 28 synagogues). About 15 percent come from the United States, another 15 percent are from the former Soviet Union.

The city is attractive because it is clean, safe, and close to where many residents work. In 2003, a 1.8 mile road was finished that connected the city with Jerusalem, making it even easier to commute to Israel’s capital. The city has also twice won the national prize for environmental quality and features 275 acres of green space, dozens of playgrounds, and outdoor sculptures. Housing prices are also significantly lower than in Jerusalem itself.

The area doesn’t have much in the way of tourist attractions besides the Martyrius Monastery. During the Byzantine period, the monk Martyrius built a monastery overlooking river beds, the Judean Dessert and the Dead Dea. The city does have a swimming pool, a country club, a library and a shopping mall, as well as one of Israel’s largest industrial zones, home to more than 100 companies.

Approximately 6,000 people live in surrounding settlements that are included in the Ma’ale bloc. Israel has long planned to fill in the empty gap between Jerusalem and this bedroom community (referred to as the E1 project). The corridor is approximately 3,250 acres and does not have any inhabitants, so no Palestinians would be displaced. According to the Clinton plan, Ma’ale was to be part of Israel.