Kfar Tapuach (Hebrew: כְּפַר תַּפּוּחַ, lit., Apple-village) is an Orthodox Jewish Israeli settlement in the West Bank, founded in 1978. It sits astride Tapuach Junction, one of the major traffic junctions in the West Bank. (where the 2013 Tapuah Junction stabbing took place) The executive director of the village council is Yisrael Blunder, and the chief rabbi is Shimon Rosenzwieg. In 2022, it had a population of 1,639.[citation needed]

Kfar Tapuach
כפר תפוח
Official logo of Kfar Tapuach
Etymology: Apple Village
Kfar Tapuach is located in the Northern West Bank
Kfar Tapuach
Kfar Tapuach
Coordinates: 32°7′5″N 35°15′0″E / 32.11806°N 35.25000°E / 32.11806; 35.25000
DistrictJudea and Samaria Area
CouncilShomron
RegionWest Bank
AffiliationHapoel HaMizrachi
Founded1978
Founded byThe Jewish Agency
Population
 (2022)[1]
1,639

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[2]

History

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According to ARIJ, Kfar Tapuach was established in 1978 on land which Israel had confiscated from the Palestinian town of Yasuf.[3]

Demographics

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Although its population consists entirely of Jews, Kfar Tapuach is one of the more diverse Israeli settlements, with its population coming from a range of backgrounds.[citation needed] Founded by a core of Habbani Yemenite Jews from the moshav of Bareket, it has since absorbed Jewish immigrants from Russia and the United States, a large group of Peruvian converts to Judaism from Trujillo, Peru, and others. Between February 2004 and August 2009, over 90 new families moved to Kfar Tapuach.[4]

Public services

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The settlement includes four synagogues, two mikvaot (ritual baths) for women and men, a nursery school, and three kindergartens.[5]

Biblical Tappuah

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Kfar Tapuach is named after biblical Tapuach (Tappuah or Tapuah[6]), which appears in the Bible in the Book of Joshua (Joshua 12:17) as one of the first 31 cities conquered by Joshua Bin-Nun and the children of Israel.[7]

Kahanism

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Kfar Tapuach is noted for its concentration of followers of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane.[8][9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  3. ^ Yasuf Village Profile, ARIJ, p. 16
  4. ^ "Kfar Tapuach Population Doubles in Two Years – Good News – Israel News". Israel National News. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  5. ^ "The Kfar Tapuach Playground Project". Tapuach.org. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  6. ^ Douai-Rheims 1899 American Edition
  7. ^ Bitan, Hanna: 1948–1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements in Israel, Jerusalem 1999, Carta, p.34, ISBN 965-220-423-4 (Hebrew)
  8. ^ "Israel's enemy within: A community on the edge". Public Radio International. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Letters to the Editor: Tapuach Terrorism – WRMEA". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs | Telling the truth for more than 35 years. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
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