Nataf

For the surname, see Nataf (surname).
Nataf

Village synagogue
Nataf
Coordinates: 31°49′56.28″N 35°4′4.44″E / 31.8323000°N 35.0679000°E / 31.8323000; 35.0679000Coordinates: 31°49′56.28″N 35°4′4.44″E / 31.8323000°N 35.0679000°E / 31.8323000; 35.0679000
District Jerusalem
Council Mateh Yehuda
Founded 1982
Population (2015)[1] 378
Website natafnik.com

Nataf (Hebrew: נָטָף, lit. Stacte) is a communal settlement in central Israel. Located in the Judean Mountains, twelve miles west of Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2015 it had a population of 378.

Etymology

Its biblical name is derived from "one of the spices used in the Temple" (Exodus 30:34).[2][3]

History

Nataf was founded in 1982 on land belonging to the depopulated Arab village of Bayt Thul,[4] less than 1 km south of the village site of Nitaf.[5] It overlooks Nataf Valley, a popular hiking destination. Nataf spring is watered all year round and has a number of small freshwater pools. The name Nataf is of biblical origins and referred to the incense Stacte. Only 20% of the residents are Modern Orthodox; 80% of the residents are secular. The village has a unique unaffiliated synagogue with three sections for prayer: a men's section, a women's section and a mixed section.

Geography

Nataf is situated on a ridge bounded by Kefira Valley to the north and Hamisha Valley to the south; the elevation is around 500m above MSL. It lies at the end of a 3-mile road that passes through Abu Ghosh.

Notable residents

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nataf.
  1. "List of localities, in Alphabetical order" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  2. Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.358, ISBN 965-220-186-3
  3. Bitan, Hanna: 1948-1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements in Israel, Jerusalem 1999, Carta, p.47, ISBN 965-220-423-4 (Hebrew)
  4. Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. p. 290. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
  5. Khalidi, 1992, p. 307
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