Kfar Tavor
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Local council (from 1949) | |
 Watchmen's Square in Kfar Tavor, sculptor:Asaf Lifshitz | |
  Kfar Tavor  Kfar Tavor | |
| Coordinates:32°41′13″N35°25′15″E / 32.68694°N 35.42083°E /32.68694; 35.42083 | |
| Grid position | 189/232PAL |
| District | Northern |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Government | |
| • Head of Municipality | Oded Halperin |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,231dunams (1.231 km2; 0.475 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
• Total | 4,376 |
| • Density | 3,555/km2 (9,207/sq mi) |
Kfar Tavor (Hebrew:כְּפַר תָּבוֹר,Arabic:كفر تافور) is a village in theLower Galilee region ofNorthern Israel, at the foot ofMount Tabor. Founded in 1901, it was awarded local council status in 1949. In 2023 it had a population of 4,376. As of 2022, nearly all of its citizens areJewish.[2]
Ceramics from theByzantine era have been found here.[3]
In the early 9th century, underAbbasid rule, Abu Salih Khayr al-Khadim, aeunuch of Caliphal-Mu’tazz b’illah, left all his property in Kfar Tavor (then calledKafr Tabaria) and anotherGalilee village,Kafr Kanna, to awaqf (religious endowment). The endowments were supposed to be eternal, but were presumably ended by the conquest of theCrusaders in 1099.[4][5][6]
In theOttoman era there was a village here calledMes'ha.[7] In 1596 the village appeared under the name of "Masha" in thetax registers as part of thenahiya (subdistrict) of Tabariyya in theSanjak (district) ofSafad. It was noted as "hali" (=empty), but a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural product was paid. These products included wheat, barley and cotton; the taxes totalled 3,300akçe.[8] In 1799 it appeared asMechi on the mapPierre Jacotin compiled that year.[9]
In 1881, thePalestine Exploration Fund'sSurvey of Western Palestine described "Meshah" village with a population of 100Muslims, with houses chiefly ofbasalt stone, and a few ofadobe and stone. The village was situated on an arable plain, without trees. The water supply was from acistern in the village.[10]
Kfar Tavor was established in 1901 by pioneers of theFirst Aliya under the auspices of theJewish Colonization Association.[11] Twenty-eight farmers settled in the area with the assistance of the philanthropist BaronEdmond de Rothschild. The new settlement was originally known as Mes'ha, the name of the nearbyArab village.[12] It was renamed in 1903 at the urging ofZionist leaderMenachem Ussishkin who visited the site and was surprised to find it had noHebrew name.[13] At first, there was some debate over whether to use the termkfar ("village"), which some residents thought would bode badly for future growth. Ussishkin responded that he had visited theGerman town ofDüsseldorf, which had also originated as aDorf, or village, but was now a full-fledged city.The Rothschild administration determined that the site was ideal for cultivating grapes. The vineyards of Kfar Tavor became a supplier of grapes to the country'swineries.[citation needed]
On 12 April 1909 a group ofBar Giora members leftSejera, where they had been based, and met in secret at Kfar Tavor. Led byIsrael Shochat andYitzhak Ben-Zvi it was decided to establish an armedmilitia -Hashomer. Its members were to act as guards for Jewish colonies and work as laboured towards establishing further colonies.[14]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Mesha (Kufr Tabur) had a population of 274; all Jews.[15] The1931 census of Palestine recorded 328 persons inMas-ha living in 54 houses: 304 Jews, 20 Muslims and 4 Christians.[16]
In the1945 statistics Kfar Tavor had 230 inhabitants, all Jews. Mas-ha was noted as an alternative name.[17][18]
In 2022, 97.9% of the population was Jewish and 2.1% was counted as other.[19]
In the Hameyasdim neighborhood, the core of the village, there is a museum and other sites, including theHaShomer house, the first school and teacher's house (now a library) and a synagogue that was built in 1937. Another school, built in 1911, now serves as the Shenkar Tzfira Music Center. The main street of the neighborhood has houses left from the village's early days, as well as parts of the wall that surrounded it.[13]
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