Beit Hilkia (Hebrew: בֵּית חִלְקִיָּה, lit. House of Hilkia) is a Haredi moshav in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah near Gedera, it falls under the jurisdiction of Nahal Sorek Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 1,480.[1]
Beit Hilkia בֵּית חִלְקִיָּה | |
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  Beit Hilkia  Beit Hilkia | |
| Coordinates: 31°47′27″N 34°48′44″E / 31.79083°N 34.81222°E | |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Central |
| Council | Nahal Sorek |
| Affiliation | Poalei Agudat Yisrael |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Founded by | Former Jerusalem and ma'abarot residents |
| Population (2022)[1] | 1,480 |
History
The village was established in 1953 by former residents of Jerusalem and ma'abarot who wanted to combine a Haredi and agricultural lifestyle. It is named after Hilkia, the father of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1).[2][3][4]
It was established on land that had belonged to the depopulated Palestinian village of Al-Mukhayzin.[5]
Archaeology
In 2015, a salvage excavation brought to light a prehistoric site near Beit Hilkia and the Revivim quarry, with findings from the Pottery Neolithic (Yarmukian), Late Chalcolithic, and the Middle Bronze Age IIA–IIB.[6] Somewhat surprising was the discovery of a typical Yarmukian-style fired clay figurine of a fertility goddess, the southernmost such finding.[6] Of 163 found up to that date, the vast majority had been discovered in the main area known for its Yarmukian settlements, in and around the northern type-site of Sha'ar HaGolan, with just two exceptions further to the south.[6] This new finding led to speculations that much of the Southern Levant might have been inhabited by a contiguous civilization during the time (c. 6400–6000 BCE), with differences in pottery types being more significant to today's archaeologists than to people living back then.[6]