Kfar Uria
| Kfar Uria | |
|---|---|
  Kfar Uria | |
| Coordinates: 31°47′36.96″N 34°56′54.23″E / 31.7936000°N 34.9483972°ECoordinates: 31°47′36.96″N 34°56′54.23″E / 31.7936000°N 34.9483972°E | |
| Council | Mateh Yehuda |
| Region | Shephelah |
| Affiliation | Moshavim Movement |
| Founded |
1912 (original village) 1944 (first re-establishment) 1949 (second re-establishment) |
Kfar Uria (Hebrew: כְּפַר אוּרִיָּה, lit. Uriah Village) is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 445.
The village was first established in 1912 on land bought from Białystok Jews, and served as an agricultural training place. Amongst the residents were A. D. Gordon. In the 1929 Palestine riots Arab rioters from Jerusalem attacked Kfar Uria. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammad Amin al-Husayni (Huseni) incited and transported young rioter (Shabab) from Jeruslam that attacked the pastoral Jewish resident of Kfar Uria. The inhabitants of the adjacent Arab villages for the most part were on good terms with the residents of the Jewish village of Kfar Uria. The neighboring Arab villagers treated kfar Uria's association director, Baruch Yakimovsky, as Mukhtar (village chief) and he was friendly with the Arab Mukhtars of the nearby villages. The farmers of the area, both Jews and Arabs, cooperated and defended each other against raiding nomadic Bedouin. The Mufti’s rioters robbed and burned Kfar Uria in the 1929 riots with the aid of some opportunistic local Arab villagers. However, the six Jewish families that stayed behind, refusing to believe in the coming riots, were smuggled out by Baruch Yakimovsky and his friend, the Mukhtar of Beit Far, and their lives were spared. Apparently, they used one of the ancient natural tunnels that crisscrosses that area to smuggle the people out. Baruch was able to work the land of Kfar Uria for a few more years with the cooperation of some of the local Arab Mukhtars. In 1944, a new village was established on the ruins of the original one. However, it, too, was destroyed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
A third and final attempt at settling the area was made in 1949, when a moshav was established on the site.
The village name sound similar to Khirbet Cafarorie, a ruin located south - west of the village, which has a winepress hewn, mosaic and burial caves.
The village center features an old Khan, which once hosted the agricultural training workers, including A. D. Gordon. The Khan structure remains to this day at the heart of the community, but it requires renovations and therefore closed to visitors.
During the years 2009 - 2011 a new neighborhood was built and populated with 69 new houses and families.
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