Tzrifin

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Tzrifin (Hebrew: צְרִיפִין‎) is an area in Gush Dan (Dan Region) in central Israel, located on the eastern side of Rishon LeZion and including parts of Be'er Ya'akov. The area proper is defined as an 'area without jurisdiction' between the two cities.

Nearly the entire area of Tzrifin proper is taken up by the central Israel Defence Forces base, Camp Yigael Yadin (a.k.a. Camp Tzrifin, Camp 782), with which it is synonymous, even though the base also spills into Rishon LeZion and Be'er Ya'akov. Camp Yadin contains a multitude of training bases, as well as Prison Four, the largest Israeli military prison.

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[edit] History

Tzrifin was founded in the 1930s as a British base in the mandate named Sarafand, after the nearby Arab village Sarafand al-'Amr. Sarafand was a central British base in a strategic location, having a railway connection to Jaffa and Lydda (Lod). This railway has since been dismantled, with the only known remains in the 108th Air Force Unit's base.

On May 14, 1948, one day before the Israeli declaration of independence, the British forces vacated Sarafand for the Jordanian Arab Legion. The adjacent Arab village Sarafand al-'Amr was depopulated on May 15. After a two-day battle, between the 18th and 19th of May, the base was captured by the Jewish forces from the Givati Brigade.[1] The place was named Tzrifin after an historical city with that name located in the area and mentioned in the Talmud.[2]

As the years passed, Rishon LeZion expanded more and more to the east, eventually reaching the fences of Camp Yadin. As a result, the IDF decided to vacate Tzrifin and sell the entire land of the base to private contractors due to the high land value. Most bases inside Camp Yadin are planned to be relocated to the City of Training Bases in the Negev.

[edit] Location

Tzrifin is located between Rishon LeZion on the west, and Be'er Ya'akov on all 3 other sides. The base in it has three main entrances - Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem Gate and Rishon LeZion Gate, all of which are located within the municipalities, and not within Tzrifin proper.

The Jaffa Gate links a street within the base to Road 44 (Tzrifin Junction). At this location, there are a number of fast food restaurants and a pedestrian bridge which connects the base to the bus terminal on the other side of the road. The Asaf HaRofe Hospital is located near the Jaffa Gate.

The Jerusalem Gate links the base to Tzahal Road (Road 4313) in Be'er Ya'akov, which ultimately connects to Road 44 at the Nir Tzvi Junction in the Emek Lod Regional Council.

The Rishon LeZion gate is located deep within Rishon LeZion and connects Rishon's Jerusalem Street with the base.

[edit] Bases

As with many other IDF bases, Camp Yadin is merely a container base for many smaller ones. The following is a list of bases within Camp Yadin.

[edit] Training bases

See also: Bahad
  • Bahad 7 - the school for telecommunications and computers - technically located outside Camp Yadin

[edit] Other bases

  • 108th Air Force Unit and Erez Workshop
  • Military Police Corps area, including Prison Four (Unit 394), Yamlat 8225, CID Dan and Yamar Center
  • Lotem telecommunications unit (Unit 818)
  • 779th Military Rabbinate Unit (Beth din)
  • 542nd Medical Corps Unit
  • Anti-WMD Base B
  • 276th Anti-WMD Center
  • Military court for off-duty days
  • Food supply center (Units 6100, 6110 and 6120)
  • 562nd and 564th building and maintenance units
  • Combat support and training (Magal) unit (Unit 7990)
  • Chief Field Intelligence Officer's headquarters (Mekamshar)
  • Combat Equipment and Spare Parts Center (Matzlah) (Unit 6800)
  • Hoshen Center (Unit 868)
  • Maintenance and Rehabilitation Center (Unit 7000)
  • 791st Workshop
  • 387th C4I Corps Unit
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Non-military use

During the 1950s, a Ma'abara was located on the lands of Tzrifin, the residents of which eventually moved out to the nearby towns, especially Lod.

Currently, several non-military installations are located in the Tzrifin area:

  • Asaf HaRofe Hospital, which provides care for both military and civilian patients
  • Shmuel Harofe Geriatric Hospital
  • Storehouses belonging to the Jewish Agency for Israel
  • Various industrial complexes

[edit] References

  1. ^ Regev, Yoav (1993). Ness Ziona - 110 Years (in Hebrew), 48. 
  2. ^ HaReuveni, Immanuel (1999). Lexicon of the Land of Israel (in Hebrew). Miskal - Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books, 823. ISBN 965-448-413-7. 
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