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French Hill (settlement)

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History

French Hill (Standard Hebrew:הגבעה הצרפתית) is an Israeli settlement northwest of Mount Scopus.[1] It was named after either the British General (later Field Marshall) French or an earlier French church.[2] The official name for the settlement is actually Givat Shapira of which French Hill is one of two subsections, the other being Tzameret HaBira. However French Hill is the more common named for the entire area. The Hebrew name of French Hill is a mistranslation. HaGiva HaTzarfatit means the Hill of the French instead of French’s Hill.[3]

The area came under Jordan’s control after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Under Jordanian rule the area housed a military outpost and a small civilian population.[4] The territory of the area came under Israeli control after the Six Day War in 1967 as is part of the area, colloquially called East Jerusalem, officially annexed to Israel in 1967. [5] The two neighborhoods of apartment buildings comprising French Hill were built seperately. French Hill (the neighborhood) was built in a rush to connect West Jerusalem with Mount Scopus. Tzameret HaBira was built by an independent group of people, mainly American immigrants, seeking a better standard of living. There are also many private houses in French Hill.[6] The total area consists of 970 dunams.[7]

Demographics

Prior to the 1967 war the area was lightly populated by Palestinians from Lifta who arrived after the 1948 war.[8] Today French Hill's population is approximately 6,631 persons living in approximately 2,106 dwellings with the two neighborhoods having quite different population densities. French Hill (the neighborhood) has a population density 10.9 persons per dunam while Tzameret HaBira is populated more sparsely at 4.7 persons per dunam. The population is overwhelmingly Jewish but no statistics nor reliable estimates are available as to say what type of Jews (Ashkenazim, Sepharadim, etc.) live there nor the size of the Palestinian Arab population that continues to live there.[9] Mostly Jewish, it has 3 Orthodox synagogues, a Conservative synagogue (Kehilat Ramot Zion), and a large secular population. It is also the site of the first Conservative elementary school, the Frankel School. The founding of the Frankel School led to a new series of schools in Israel, called "Tali" (officially secular schools with added religious studies).

Many Hebrew University teachers choose to live in French Hill. A separate section of French Hill ("Tsameret Ha-Bira", Hebrew for "Top of the Capital") lies on the side of the hill facing Mount Scopus with a view to Hebrew University, Hadassah Hospital, the Dead Sea (only on a very clear day), and the hills of Gilead Jordan in the distance.

References

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