Beit Oren בֵּית אורן بيت اورن | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Etymology: Home of the Pine | |
  Beit Oren  Beit Oren | |
| Coordinates:32°43′53″N35°0′20″E / 32.73139°N 35.00556°E /32.73139; 35.00556 | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Haifa |
| Council | Hof HaCarmel |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 1939 |
| Founded by | Hebrew Socialist Youth Movement members |
| Population (2022)[1] | 594 |
Beit Oren (Hebrew:בֵּית אֹרֶן,lit. 'Home of the Pine') is akibbutz in northernIsrael onMount Carmel. It falls under the jurisdiction ofHof HaCarmel Regional Council. In 2022 its population was 594.[1]
Beit Oren is in the heart of Carmel mountain range, next to the Carmel Nature Reserve national park, an area often called "little Switzerland".
In 1934 a single Arab house stood on the site of what is today Beit Oren. It was purchased with the surrounding lands, settled by a group of 15 Jewish workers, and served as a watch tower and camp. The workers intended to build a city and name it Ya'arot HaCarmel, but a number were killed when the site was attacked during the 1936Arab Revolt.[citation needed]
The kibbutz was founded in 1939 by immigrants fromPoland andRussia, part of the Hebrew Socialist Youth movement. Over time these were joined by other groups from Dror and Aliyat HaNoar, as well as by a group from KibbutzMa'agan Michael.[citation needed]. The kibbutz is named after thepine trees that encircle it, as well as after the verse fromIsaiah 44:14: "He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it".[2]
During theMandate era the kibbutz served as aPalmach base for underground activities against the British. On 9 October 1945, a Palmach unit set out from Beit Oren to free 208 illegal immigrants detained at theAtlit detainee camp. After overcoming the guards, the freed immigrants were led past Beit Oren to KibbutzYagur, where they were hidden from the British. The attack was the first anti-British action undertaken by the Palmach.[3][verification needed]
During the 1980s Beit Oren suffered severe financial problems and many of the middle aged members left, leaving the senior members with debts and no income or means of subsistence.[4] The kibbutz movement stopped financial support to the kibbutz,[5][6] and a group of young individuals were brought in to make fundamental changes.[7] In 1999, eight members of Beit Oren petitioned the High Court of Justice to abolish the classification of Beit Oren as a kibbutz and classify it as a community village.[8]
.JPG)
Beit Oren suffered extensive damage in the2010 Israel forest fire, which claimed the lives of 41 people and burnt thousands of acres of forestland.[9]
In 1942, Beit Oren opened a guesthouse which became popular among Europeans seeking respite from the summer heat in other parts of the country. The Beit Oren Hotel, still in operation, has 30 rooms, a yoga center and a swimming pool.[10]
Khirbet Oren (Shalale) is an ancient city in the center of Mount Carmel, on a steep hill overlooking Oren valley. There are few remains at the site indicating that the city flourished during Hellenistic and Roman times. Canaanite findings (25th–10th centuries BC) have also been found in the area.[citation needed]
Solomon Wasser, a professor fromHaifa University has found six strains of mushroom unknown to science while hunting through the Beit Oren Forest behind the university. Wasser's research found thatCyathus striatus, one of the strains, was effective in treating pancreatic cancer in animal trials.[11]
Authority control databases: National |
|---|