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31°48′43″N 35°12′0″E / 31.81194°N 35.20000°E / 31.81194; 35.20000

For the moshav in the Golan Heights, see Ramot, Golan Heights.

Ramot (Template:Lang-he-n, lit. Heights), also known as Ramot Alon (Template:Lang-he, lit. Alon Heights) is one of the largest neighborhoods in Jerusalem, with about 40,000 residents. It is situated in the northwestern part of the city and divided into six sections, from Ramot 1, the oldest section, to Ramot 6, the newest section. Ramot 5 is the commercial center.

Because of its location east of the Green Line it is considered to be an Israeli settlement by the International Community, though Israel disputes this. The United States have also traditionally not referred to neighborhoods in East Jerusalem as settlements.

Name

In the Bible, during the story of the death of the prophet Samuel, it is written that as he died, all of Israel came to bury him in his home, in the Rama. Oral tradition indicates that place is the one of the highest peaks surrounding Jerusalem, some 905 meters above sea level. Ramot is located on the hills south of that peak.

There are Crusader era remains in Ramot 2 and Ramot 6.

The word Ramot in Hebrew means "heights" or "rises" (a plural of the word Rama). When used in reference to geography, the word is usually translated as "plateaus". The name Alon refers to Yigal Alon, a former prime minister of Israel. While the full name is Ramot Alon, the inhabitants refer to the neighborhood simply as Ramot.

Geography

The neighborhood is built upon two elongated ridges about 100-200 meters above the surrounding landscape (heights of 693-876 meters above sea level). Between the ridges is the Golda Meir highway, leading to Tel Aviv.

Population

The population is ethnically and religiously diverse, and housing ranges from expensive, single-family homes to inexpensive, multi-level apartments. Ramot is a relatively new area by Jerusalem standards; construction began in the 1970s and continues today.

All sections of Ramot have a large, growing population of young Orthodox and Haredi families. They have built and established many synagogues and yeshivas as well as communal institutions associated with Jewish religious life.

Ramot boasts a large English-speaking community, which is mostly located in Ramot 2 and 4.

References

1. • "Leor Tubul, 17 years old, and Ronan Karamani, 18, vanished at a busy intersection outside the Ramot neighborhood, a Jewish suburb built in an area that had been the West Bnk before Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1967." Slaying of 2 Jews Stirs Violence in Jerusalem New York Times August 7, 1990
   • "They began planting neighborhoods such as Ramot Allon on annexed West Bank land..." Clashing values alter a city’s face by Richard Boudreaux, Los Angeles Times June 05, 2007
2. Jerusalem Post, Jan 8, 2008

External links

• Ramot Alon's Community Management

• Neighbourhoods of Jerusalem