Nataf
{{for|the surname|Nataf (surname)}}
{{for|the World War II air force|Northwest African Tactical Air Force}}
{{Infobox Kibbutz
| name = Nataf
|hebname=נטף
|arname=نطاف
| image = File:NatafMay132022 04.jpg
| caption = Nataf
| foundation = 1982
| founded_by =
| district = jerusalem
| council = Mateh Yehuda
| affiliation =
| popyear = {{Israel populations|Year}}
| population = {{Israel populations|Nataf}}
| population_footnotes={{Israel populations|reference}}
| pushpin_map=Israel jerusalem |pushpin_mapsize=250 |pushpin_label_position=bottom
|coordinates = {{coord|31|49|56|N|35|4|4|E|display=inline,title}}
| website = [http://www.nataf.co/ nataf.co]
}}
Nataf ({{langx|he|נָטָף}}, lit. Stacte) is a community settlement in central Israel. Located in the Judean Mountains, {{convert|12|miles}} west of Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In {{Israel populations|Year}} it had a population of {{Israel populations|Nataf}}.{{Israel populations|reference}}
Etymology
Its biblical name is adopted from the Hebrew word for stacte, one of the spices used in the Temple ({{bibleverse|Exodus|30:34}}).Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.358, {{ISBN|965-220-186-3}}Bitan, Hanna: 1948-1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements in Israel, Jerusalem 1999, Carta, p.47, {{ISBN|965-220-423-4}} {{in lang|he}}
History
According to Walid Khalidi, Nataf was founded in 1982 on land belonging to the depopulated Palestinian village of Bayt Thul,{{cite book |title=All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_By7AAAAIAAJ |first=Walid|last=Khalidi |authorlink=Walid Khalidi|year=1992|location=Washington D.C.|publisher=Institute for Palestine Studies|ISBN=0-88728-224-5|page=290}} less than 1 km south of the village site of Nitaf.Khalidi, 1992, p. 307 The village website states that Nataf was built on land bought from Arabs.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nataf.co/27j18Z|title=נטף {{!}} אודות נטף|website=www.nataf.co|language=he|access-date=2017-10-24}} According to Davar, 40 Israeli families bought the land from Abu Ghosh Arabs.{{Cite web|url=http://jpress.org.il/Olive/APA/NLI_heb/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=DAV/1981/11/12&id=Ar00204&sk=1815F594|title=זמיר יהודה למשטרה: למנוע הקמת ישוב בנטף הדרושיפ הצעירים דז|access-date=2017-10-25}}
Religious outlook
20% of the residents are Modern Orthodox; 80% of the residents are secular. The village has an unaffiliated synagogue with three sections for prayer: a men's section, a women's section and a mixed section.
Geography
Nataf is situated on a ridge bounded by Kefira Valley to the north and Hamisha Valley to the south; the elevation is around 500 m above MSL. It lies at the end of a 5-kilometer road that passes through Abu Ghosh.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}
Nataf spring, overlooking the Kefira Valley, is a popular hiking destination. The spring flows year-round but with little water during the dry summer. The water flows from a cave via a channel to a pear-shaped cistern (5X5 meters), from which it is impossible to exit. Entering the cistern is dangerous and many hikers have had to be rescued in a state of exhaustion and hypothermia.
Notable residents
- Avram Burg (b. 1955), politician, author and businessman
- Bradley Burston, retired journalist
- Ehud Shapiro (b. 1955), multi-disciplinary scientist, artist and entrepreneur
References
{{Commons category|Nataf}}
{{reflist}}
{{Mateh Yehuda Regional Council}}
Category:Community settlements
Category:Populated places established in 1982