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Kefar Yonah

KEFAR YONAH (Heb. כְּפַר יוֹנָה), rural settlement, possessing municipal council status, in central Israel, about 4 mi. (7 km.) E. of Netanyah, founded in 1932 by veteran farm workers from Nes Ẓiyyonah, followed soon afterwards by other settlers. The village's establishment was aided by the Belgian Zionist Jean Fischer Fund. Based mainly on citriculture, the village expanded and introduced small industrial enterprises during World War II to take the place of citrus which no longer had export outlets. With the mass immigration to Israel beginning in 1948, Kefar Yonah grew considerably when a large immigrant camp (*ma'barah) in the vicinity, Shevut Am (Bet Lid), later transferred part of its inhabitants to permanent housing in Kefar Yonah. In 1968, the settlement had 2,650 inhabitants. In the mid-1990s the population was approximately 5,650, and by the end of 2002 it had nearly doubled to 10,900, attracting city dwellers seeking a rural environment. The settlement's area is about 5 sq. mi. (12.7 sq. km.). Its name commemorates Jean (Yonah) *Fischer.


Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.