| Kafr Yasif |
Downtown Kafr Yasif |
|
| Hebrew |
-- |
| Arabic |
-- |
| Name meaning |
"Joseph's village" |
| Government |
Local council (from 1925) |
| Also spelled |
Kfar Yasif (officially)
Kafar Yasef (unofficially)
|
| District |
North |
| Population |
8,300 (2005) |
| Jurisdiction |
3,194 dunams (3.194 km2/1.233 sq mi) |
| Head of municipality |
Awni Toma |
Kafr Yasif also spelled Kfar Yasif or Kafar Yasef, (Hebrew: „-“; Arabic: „-“ Kufr Yaseef) is an Arab local council in the North District in Israel. It is located 11 kilometers (7 mi) northeast of the city of Acre and adjacent to Abu Sinan. Christians make-up the majority of the population at 57%, while Muslims constitute 40% and the remaining inhabitants are Druze.[1]
History
Kafr Yasif was mentioned by Josephus Flavius. It was inhabited during the Crusader-era of rule in Palestine by Christians and paid tithes to the kingdom.[2] During Ottoman rule, Kafr Yasif primarily grew olives and cotton.[3] It had a population of 600 in 1880. In a 1961 census, there was a total of 2,975 inhabitants in the town, of which there were 1,747 Christians, 1,138 Muslims and 90 Druze.[4] In 1925, Kafr Yasif was one of the few Arab villages in the Galilee to receive local council status during the British mandate era. In 1939 the British Army burned down half of the village in response to an attack on British soldiers. It was later discovered the militiamen were not from Kafr Yasif and the town was rebuilt with a school and a renovated city hall, which are still in use in the present-day. Prior the 19th century, there also existed a small Jewish community and cemetery.[1]
Kafr Yasif was captured by Israel in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War during the Haganah's offensive Operation Ben-Ami which also took control of Acre. Unlike many captured Arab towns, the majority of the Arab population did not flee the area. However during the war some residents of nearby villages mostly from al-Birwa, al-Manshiyya and Kuwaykat took refuge in Kafr Yasif. On February 28, 1949, most of the 700 refugees that had taken refuge in the town "were put into trucks and driven to the front lines, where they were forced to cross the frontier border into Lebanon."[5][6] Kafr Yasif is one of the few Arab towns in the Galilee today that has been in complete Arab ownership without confiscation of land by Israel.[7]
It is popular belief that the tomb of the monotheistic prophet, al-Khadr is located in Kafr Yasif. It is especially venerated by the Druze, some of whom make annual pilgrimages to the tomb on January 25. The structure is composed of a large convention hall adjacent to the tomb, along with rooms and courtyards that serve both pilgrims and other visitors.[8] Al-Khadr is the Arabic name for Saint George in Christianity. There are three churches and two mosques in the town. The main bishop of the town's Greek Orthodox community is Atallah Makhouli.
People associated with Kafr Yasif
See also
References
- ^ a b Kafr Yasif (Israel) Municipality Flags and Descriptions
- ^ Ellenblum, Ronnie. (2003). Frankish Rural Settlement in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem Cambridge University Press, p.149.
- ^ Lewis, Bernard. (1952). Notes and Documents from the Turkish Archives Israel Oriental Society, p.17.
- ^ Betts, Robert Brenton. (1990). The Druze Yale University Press, pp.123-124.
- ^ C. Freeman, Evacuation of Refugees from Kafr Yasif March 25, 1949
- ^ Sabri Jiryis. The Arabs in Israel (1968). page 57.
- ^ Arabs versus Jews in Galilee: Competition for regional resources Ghazi Fallah
- ^ Dana, Nissim. (2003). The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status Sussex Academic Press, pp.30-31.
External links
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