Shabbat Shalom from Ma’ale Adumim

Ma’ale Adumim [Photo Credit: Davidmoseberg]

Ma’ale Adumim (The Red Rock Ascent) is perhaps the closest community, of Judea, to Jeruslaem, located approximately seven kilometers north of the city. The city boasts magnificent views of the mountains of Jerusalem, including Mount Scopus and the Mount of Olives. The name dates back to the times of Joshua. The ancient city rested on the line separating the biblical portions of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Due to the fact that the area served as an assent (which is the translation of the Hebrew word Ma’ale) and due to the red rocks (Adumim means red) that were part of the topography, the area became known as Ma’ale Adumim and maintains its name till today.

After the Yom Kippur War, a group known as the ‘Ma’aleh Adumim group’, which was organized in Jerusalem and included members from all walks of life and from all walks of life set out to inhabit the area of Ma’aleh Adumim. After much effort, in the year 1975, the Government of Israel decided to approve the establishment of a residential camp for the workers in the area (the area now called Givat HaMayasdim) and henceforth a new Jewish community was established.

Ma’aleh Adumim is a community largely comprised of families. As such the municipality does a great job of giving the residents a quality family life. One example of the family-friendly nature of the city is the Bnai Zion Municipal Library. The library works to provide maximum access to a wide range of books, reference books and consultation for the purposes of study, enrichment and leisure, with 85,000 titles in the library. New books in various languages, such as Hebrew, English, French, Spanish and Russian are available there. The library’s memberships includes approximately 4,800 families and 16,000 readers.

Ma’ale Adumim is located within the jurisdiction of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, but has its own locality due to its size, making it a city. In 2015 it had a population of 37,525, making it one of the largest cities in Judea and Samaria. The city is located in the portion of Israel that was designated for the tribe of Judah.