Jewish Towns Lost in the War of

MAP 13

M E D I T E R R A N E A N

S E A

J O R D A N

SAMARIA

JUDEA

Gaza Strip

DEAD SEA DEAD SEA

Atarot Atarot Neve Ya’akov Neve Ya’akov

Jerusalem, Jewish Quarter Jerusalem, Jewish Quarter

Beit Ha’arava Beit Ha’arava

Kalya Kalya Revadim Revadim

Masuot Yitzhak Masuot Yitzhak Ein Tzurim Ein Tzurim

Kfar Etzion Kfar Etzion

Hebron Hebron

Kfar Darom Kfar Darom

L E G E N D

Israel, 1949 lines

Held by Jordan

Held by Egypt

Jewish community lost

N

20 km

12 mi

North at top. Positions are approximate. The map shows the area around Jerusalem and Hebron.

MAP-013 · map

HISTORICAL MAPS

MAP 13 Jewish Towns Lost in the War of Independence

1947 to 1948

During the War of Independence in 1947 and 1948, Jewish communities were destroyed or abandoned. The ancient Jewish community of Hebron fled as hostilities grew, ending a presence dating back millennia. North of the Dead Sea, Kibbutz Beit Ha’arava and Kalya were captured by the Jordanian army, displacing their residents. Four kibbutzim in Gush Etzion, west of Bethlehem, fell after fierce battles, marking the loss of pioneering settlements. North of Jerusalem, Atarot and Neve Yaakov, key Jewish outposts, were also overtaken. The Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City was captured, with its residents exiled and synagogues desecrated. In the Gaza Strip, Kfar Darom was seized by the Egyptian army after prolonged resistance.

The Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, a historic and spiritual center for Jews, faced devastating loss. After weeks of siege by the Jordanian Arab Legion, the quarter fell in May 1948. The Jewish defenders, outnumbered and outgunned, were forced to surrender. The residents were expelled, and centuries-old synagogues, including the iconic Hurva Synagogue, were systematically destroyed or desecrated. The Jewish Quarter remained under Jordanian control, inaccessible to Jews, until Israel’s reunification of Jerusalem in 1967.

COMMUNITIES LOST

Hebron The ancient Jewish community fled as hostilities grew, ending a presence dating back millennia.

Gush Etzion Four kibbutzim west of Bethlehem fell after fierce battles: Kfar Etzion, Masuot Yitzhak, Ein Tzurim and Revadim.

Atarot, Neve Ya’akov Key Jewish outposts north of Jerusalem, overtaken.

Jewish Quarter The Old City quarter fell in May 1948 after weeks of siege by the Jordanian Arab Legion.

Beit Ha’arava, Kalya North of the Dead Sea, captured by the Jordanian army, displacing their residents.

Kfar Darom In the Gaza Strip, seized by the Egyptian army after prolonged resistance.

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