Aminadav

Aminadav occupies a mountainside position in the Jerusalem Hills, west of Jerusalem, and borders the capital's municipal boundaries alongside the moshavim of Ora and Beit Zayit.[4][2] The village falls under the Matte Yehuda Regional Council, which in 2008 encompassed 41 moshavim and approximately 22,800 residents.[2]

Aminadav is also included in the western settlement bloc of the greater Jerusalem metropolitan area, together with Mevasseret Zion, Har Adar, Beit Zayit, Motza Illit, Even Sapir, and Ora. The bloc, rather than Aminadav alone, was reported as having about 40,000 residents.[6]

From Jerusalem, the approach to the forest passes Mount Herzl and Ein Kerem before turning toward Ora and Aminadav. Yad Kennedy stands about 500 meters west of the moshav.[7]

Aminadav was founded in 1950 as a moshav in the Jerusalem Hills.[1] By 1998 it had 67 agricultural holdings, and its mountainside terrain was an important factor in debates over the division of land for residential expansion.[4]

On September 24, 1956, terrorists killed a girl in the moshav's fields. A chronology of attacks described Aminadav at the time as a farming community near Jerusalem.[8]

Aminadav had 611 inhabitants on December 31, 2004.[1] The figure is a historical snapshot, not a current population estimate. For regional context, the Matte Yehuda Regional Council had 22,800 residents across 41 moshavim in 2008, including Aminadav, Ora, and Beit Zayit.[2]

Aminadav's economic identity is rooted in the moshav framework. This village model combines individual family plots, primarily intended for agriculture, with a shared economic cooperative, although not every resident is necessarily a cooperative member.[2] Aminadav was described in 1998 as having 67 agricultural holdings, with the mountain slope complicating the division of additional building lots.[4]

Aminadav Forest stretches across the Salmon-Sorek ridge southwest of Jerusalem. Planted by the Jewish National Fund, it covers approximately 7,000 dunams, or more than 1,700 acres.[7][3] Its planted trees merge with the ridge's natural woodland to form what has been described as the largest open green area near Jerusalem.[7] The forest offers walking and cycling routes, picnic areas, springs, agricultural terraces, and remains including wine presses, olive presses, and lime kilns. Near the main picnic area at Khirbet Sa'adim, a trail has been prepared for visitors with disabilities.[7]

Yad Kennedy, a memorial to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, stands roughly 500 meters west of the moshav and is an access point for visits to the forest.[7][9] Built in 1966, the 60-foot-high white-stone structure is shaped like a tree stump, symbolizing that Kennedy's life was cut short by assassination.[9][3] The site rises to 830 meters above sea level and offers views toward Mount Hebron, Gush Etzion, Betar, the Gilo Mountains, and communities in the Sorek and Refaim valleys.[9] Its 51 columns represent the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.[9]

In July 2026, KKL-JNF inaugurated a renovated Aminadav Forest Hub beside Yad Kennedy; the report said the memorial itself was slated for a separate renovation the following year.[3] The hub project refurbished the existing forest building, added an underground service facility with a ranger's office, shelter, and storage, and installed an ecological green roof, water reservoir, interpretive signs, and renovated public restrooms.[3] At the ceremony, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion described the Jerusalem Hills and surrounding forests as integral to the quality of life of the city's residents and the wider region.[3]

Aminadav's expansion plans generated protracted disputes involving the moshav, the Israel Lands Administration, the Jerusalem municipality, and environmental organizations. The moshav's first master plan was approved by its general assembly in December 1993. An arbitration committee concluded in December 1995 that the village should expand to 105 lots rather than the 87 approved by the Israel Lands Administration, adding 18 lots.[10] A new committee elected in August 1996 prepared another plan, prompting objections over changes to private and public land and the replacement of a planned cemetery with residential lots.[10]

A separate 1998 account reported that the Israel Lands Administration's policy allowed 80 discounted lots for mountain moshavim such as Aminadav, meaning that a 105-lot plan would exceed the allowance by 25.[4] The reports described opposition from the Administration, the Environmental Protection Ministry, and environmental organizations over plans affecting forest land said not to belong to the moshav.[4][10] Some moshav members also objected, alleging inadequate consultation and unequal treatment among residents.[10]

A longer legal conflict over non-agricultural uses on agricultural holdings began with Israel Land Authority proceedings in 1998–1999 over construction additions and unapproved uses.[5] A 2004 compromise allowed applications to regularize such uses, but a 2021 report said no action followed for a decade.[5] Reciprocal lawsuits were filed in 2014, and the Authority sought NIS 52 million from holding owners for past uses.[5] A later compromise approved by the Jerusalem District Court required moshav members to pay NIS 10 million in total, with payments ranging from NIS 20,000 to NIS 700,000 per holding. It also allowed a roughly 40-dunam employment area to advance while requiring unapproved uses to cease and illegal construction to be demolished or vacated.[5]