Zanoah

Zanoah
Zanoah
Coordinates: 31°43′55.91″N 34°59′57.12″E / 31.7321972°N 34.9992000°E / 31.7321972; 34.9992000Coordinates: 31°43′55.91″N 34°59′57.12″E / 31.7321972°N 34.9992000°E / 31.7321972; 34.9992000
District	Jerusalem
Council	Mateh Yehuda
Affiliation	Poalei Agudat Yisrael
Founded	1950
Founded by	Yemenite Jews
Population (2015)[1]	510

Zanoah (Hebrew: זָנוֹחַ‎) is a moshav in central Israel. Located adjacent to Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2015 it had a population of 510.

History

The village was established in 1950 by immigrants from Yemen, and was initially named Dayraban Gimel after the nearby abandoned Arab village of Dayr Aban.^[2] In the following years the founders left and were replaced by immigrants from Morocco.

Geography and archaeology

Nahal Zanoah is a stream that runs north and drains into Nahal Sorek.^[3]

The ruins (Khirbet Zanu') south of the moshav are probably the ancient village of Zanoah mentioned in Egyptian letters, later part of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:34), and in the "Second Temple period ... reinhabited,"^[4] as recorded in the Bible (Nehemiah 3:13). According to the Tosefta, the finest of the wheat used to grow in the valley adjacent to Zanoah, from whence it was taken for the offering of the Omer in the Temple. Although listed in Joshua 15:34 as being a city in the plain, it is actually partly in the hill country, partly in the plain.

Education

The Beit Shemesh Yeshiva is located in Zanoah. Most of the students are from Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef. Aside from Talmud study, the curriculum includes English language and mathematics, and unlike many such institutions in Israel today, students study for the Bagrut matriculation exams.^[5] From 2004 to 2015, when it closed, Zanoah was also the home of Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah, which offered a gap year program for international English-speaking students.

References