Bnei Ayish

Bnei Ayish (Hebrew: בְּנֵי עַיִ"שׁ) is a town and local council in the Central District of Israel. Located around ten kilometers from Ashdod and adjacent to Gedera, it had a population of 6,978 in 2019.[1]

Bnei Ayish

  • בְּנֵי עַיִ"שׁ
  • بني عايش
Local council (from 1981)
Hebrew transcription(s)
  ISO 259Bnei ʕayš
  Also spelledBene Ayish (official)
Bnei Ayish
Coordinates: 31°47′18.94″N 34°45′39.29″E
DistrictCentral
Founded7 October 1957
Government
  Head of MunicipalityAryeh Garela
Area
  Total836 dunams (83.6 ha or 207 acres)
Population
 (2019)[1]
  Total6,978
  Density8,300/km2 (22,000/sq mi)
Name meaningSons of Akiva Yosef Schlezinger

History

The town was founded in 1957 on land that had belonged to the depopulated Palestinian village of Yasur.[2] Before 1948, the area had served as a military base for British Army troops during the Mandate era. It was named after Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlezinger, whose name is abbreviated to Ayish.

Bnei Ayish originally served as a transit camp for immigrants from Yemen in the early 1950s. Today its population is almost entirely made up of Jews of Yemenite descent and immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

References

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