ϟ Jewish Population In Yesha Set to Pass 350,000 in 2012
The Jewish population in Judea and Samaria soared to 342,414 last year, a yearly increase of 4.3 percent, and the 350,000 figure is all but certain to be passed this year.
The numbers, stated by the Interior Ministry and reported by the Hebrew-language Yisrael HaYom newspaper, are higher than the 300,000 estimate used by most mainstream news agencies.
There are also an estimated 250,000-300,000 Jews in Jerusalem neighborhoods that are claimed by the Palestinian Authority for its desired new country within Israel’s borders.
Population figures are less precise for the Arab population in Judea and Samaria and areas in Jerusalem that the Palestinian Authority claims. Using the Palestinian Authority estimate of 2.4 million, a number that may be largely inflated, Jews now make up approximately 22 percent of the total population.
The actual percentage may be substantially higher because the World Bank and American-Israeli Demographic Research Group identified a 32 percent discrepancy between first-grade enrollment statistics documented by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, according to Wikipedia.
The true figure may be only slightly over 1.6 million Arabs, which would raise the Jewish percentage to closer to 25 percent.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has said that a PA state would be devoid of Jews. The Arab population of areas in the capital and in Judea and Samaria is estimated at 2.4 million. The presence of 650,000 Jews represents approximately 22 percent of the total population.
The figures for the Jewish population do not include thousands of students from urban centers who are learning in high schools and post-high school institutions in the region.
Judea and Samaria: The heart of the eternal Jewish homeland
(Source: israelnationalnews.com)
ϟ Yesha Residents - Let the Facts Speak for Themselves
Over the years, many entities in Israel have made systematic attempts at delegitimizing the sector of the Israeli public that lives in Judea, Samaria and Gaza (Yesha). The media, politicians and various spokesmen have done their best to demonstrate that the Jews of Yesha are outcasts, on the fringe, and all in all, a burden on Israeli society.
But recently-released facts suggest otherwise. Compared with other sectors of Israel, the citizens of Yesha are outstanding in their contribution to society and take a disproportionate share of the burden in defending the country.
According to statistics from the IDF, the percentage of enlistment into combat units amidst the incoming soldiers from Yesha is 61%, compared to 36% of new soldiers from Greater Tel Aviv and 44.2% of enlistees from throughout Israel.
Students from the IDF Prep Academy in Bet El
Yesha residents have stepped up to the challenge of educating the next generation: 23.4% of the Yesha workforce are teachers, as compared to the national average of 12.6%. Many of these educators work at institutions outside of Yesha.
Religious teachers at a conference in Bar Ilan University
Absorption of new immigrants into academic institutions is particularly high in Yesha. For example, at the University Center in Ariel (in Samaria), 400 Ethiopian students are studying towards their BA and Masters Degrees, as compared to a total of 25 Ethiopian students at the University of Tel Aviv.
Yesha residents do, however, have a weakness: they are terrible at waste production. The average Israeli in Yesha produces only 1.31. kilograms of trash per day, while Tel Avivians average 2.09 kilograms.
Women’s place in Israeli society has conquered the headlines in recent days, and in this regard too, the woman of Yesha have a higher than average employment rate standing at 64.2%.
Like Tennesseans (the Volunteer State), Yesha residents excel at chipping in for the sake of society. Ben Gurion University surveyed the various sectors of the Israeli public for the rate of volunteering for organizations. They found that 51% of Yesha residents volunteer, compared with 40% from Jerusalem and 32% from Tel Aviv.
A final point of interest is that in a survey held one year ago, 95% of Yesha residents said they led “happy” or “very happy” lives.
Happy smiles in Bet El
While Israel’s electronic media (radio and television) continue to do all in their power to demonize the residents of Yesha and paint them as terrorists and spies, it behooves a prudent observer to pay a visit to these blossoming Jewish towns to judge for himself the nature of this segment of Israel’s populace, without the agenda-driven verbiage of the radio and TV commentators.
ϟ פרשת וישב
וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן:
Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
(Genesis 37:1)
The first verse of this week’s Parsha uses two words to denote living arrangements - וַיֵּשֶׁב - and he dwelt, and מְגוּרֵי - sojournings.
וַיֵּשֶׁב has connotations of a permanent living space, whilstמְגוּרֵי refers to a temporary living arrangement.
After returning from Laban’s house, Jacob planned to make the Land of Canaan his permanent home. In fact, after his return from Charan, Jacob only left Canaan to go to Egypt - in order to reunite with his missing son. Jacob lived in Egypt for 17 years, while his son, Joseph was Viceroy, and his body was returned to Canaan - his real home, for burial.
In contrast to Jacob are his father and grandfather - Abraham and Isaac. Although both lived in the Land of Canaan, it was never their permanent home.
Today, the Hebrew word for settlements in Judea and Samaria is ההתנחלויות. Contrary to popular belief, not all these settlements were built post-1967, when Israel reclaimed Judea and Samaria. Many of these neighbourhoods and cities, were actually built pre-1948, and are given the status of a Yishuv - ישוב (from the same root of וַיֵּשֶׁב). Kalia, Beit HaAraba, Kfar Darom, Hebron and Gush Etzion are just a few examples of communities established before the creation of the State of Israel.
Like the title they are given (“Yishuv”, which indicates an element of permanence), these communities are permanent Jewish communities. They should never be destroyed, their citizens should never be relocated or expelled.
As mentioned earlier, the Hebrew world for settlements is ההתנחלויות. This word comes from the root, נ.ח. ל. This root means inheriting, passing through the generations. In fact, the Torah uses this root to describe the giving of the Land of Israel to the Jewish people.
לָתֵת אֶת הָאָרֶץ בְּנַחֲלָה בְּגוֹרָל לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
to give the Land as an inheritance through lot to the children of Israel,
(Numbers 36:2)
Just like the Land of Israel, which includes Judea and Samaria, is the permanent homeland for the Jewish people; the settlements built by Jews in Judea and Samaria should also be permanent homes. We should not be afraid to live permanently, or build permanent homes in our own country, in our permanent, national homeland.
As Benjamin Netanyahu said to Tamar Fogel earlier this year
הם רוצחים ואנחנו בונים
They murder, and we build
