Beit Meir

Beit Meir is a moshav in the Judean Hills west of Jerusalem, affiliated with the Ha-Po'el ha-Mizrachi moshavim association.[1] It lies near Shoresh and the Masrek Nature Reserve in a landscape of forests and protected woodland.[2]

Beit Meir was founded in 1950 by Jewish immigrants drawn mainly from Hungary, Romania, and Poland, and was named after Meir Bar-Ilan.[1] It was established after the War of Independence on the ruins of Bayt Mahsir.[2]

Before Beit Meir's establishment, Bayt Mahsir occupied the site and overlooked the road to Jerusalem.[2][6] A Mako account describes the village as a base for forces attacking Jewish convoys traveling through Sha'ar HaGai, while the Encyclopaedia Judaica entry states that an Arab garrison there had cut off Jewish Jerusalem.[2][1]

The Harel Brigade — formed by the Palmach on April 16, 1948 — was tasked with keeping Jerusalem's supply route open for food, medicine, and weapons.[7] A Ynet historical account reports that Harel Brigade fighters captured Bayt Mahsir during Operation Maccabi in May 1948 after three assault attempts.[6] Mako states that the capture later helped enable the opening of the Burma Road.[2] Defensive communication trenches dug by the village's defenders remain visible near the Masrek reserve.[2]

Beit Meir's founding population came mainly from Hungary, Romania, and Poland.[1] In 2002, its population was recorded as 527.[1] The community is a religious moshav and is affiliated with the Ha-Po'el ha-Mizrachi moshavim association.[1][2]

Early agricultural life in Beit Meir included the use of hydroponics, which allowed settlers to cultivate produce while conforming with the religious prescription of the sabbatical year.[1] A National Library of Israel archival record catalogs a photograph by Aliza Auerbach, dated June 21, 1972, of the moshav's guest house, Ramot Shapira.[8] Beit Meir is also associated with Israeli artist Yoram Raanan, who made the moshav his home and workplace.[5][9]

Beit Meir lies at the center of the Martyrs' Forest and beside the Masrek Nature Reserve.[1][2] The reserve has a short circular walking route through woodland of native pine, oak, and Palestinian terebinth, with viewpoints toward the Shephelah.[2]

The name "Masrek," meaning "comb," refers to the silhouette of the pine trees on the ridge against the surrounding slopes. Mako reports that Palmach fighters coined the name during the 1948 battles in the area.[2] Another route account identifies the site as Outpost 17, one of a series of numbered ridge positions used during the fighting over the road to Jerusalem.[10] Marl outcrops near the trail contain caves, and the local geological layer is formally known as the Beit Meir Formation after the neighboring moshav.[2]

Beit Meir and its surrounding forests have been repeatedly struck by wildfires. In 2001, a fire near the moshav prompted the evacuation of 25 families. Firefighters contained it before homes were damaged, but about 30 dunams of natural woodland burned, including most of the Masrek reserve.[3] A Jewish National Fund spokesperson said that much of the reserve had been lost and that this type of woodland was particularly difficult to restore after a major fire.[3]

A major fire broke out in and around Beit Meir on November 25, 2016, during a wave of fires across Israel. Twenty-five crews, comprising about 60 firefighters, battled the blaze.[11] All residents were evacuated, along with approximately 400 guests staying in the moshav's guest houses. Fire temporarily reached the moshav's only exit road, trapping some residents until firefighters pushed the flames back and cleared a route.[11]

Reports differed on the structural damage. Ynet's headline and summary reported at least four homes completely destroyed, while the body of the report said that ten homes burned and others were damaged.[4] High asbestos-particle readings were recorded at at least six locations, and air pollution levels were elevated.[11] Police arrested a suspect after receiving reports of people fleeing the scene, but the cited report did not establish a final cause for the fire.[4]

A further large fire in the Jerusalem Hills in 2021 led to the evacuation of more than 2,000 residents across Beit Meir, Kesalon, Ramat Raziel, and Givat Ye'arim as flames reached some homes. Two homes in Ramat Raziel were gutted, but the report did not identify homes burned in Beit Meir.[12] Fire Department spokesman Dedi Simhi said that the fire was "100% caused by people," although it was not yet known whether the cause was deliberate or accidental.[12]

In April 2025, Beit Meir was again among the communities evacuated during major Jerusalem Hills fires. Residents were later authorized to return gradually, initially to at least the first line of homes. An Israeli Air Force plane dropped fire-retardant material between the quarry area, Carmila Forest, and Beit Meir.[13]

Beit Meir is home to Israeli artist Yoram Raanan, who was drawn to settle in the moshav in part by the forests and nature reserves surrounding the community.[5][9] His studio, about 150 feet from his family's home, was engulfed during the November 2016 fire.[14]

Raanan and his wife attempted to evacuate by car, but police had closed the moshav's exit road. Together with about 150 other families, they watched as the fire consumed his studio.[14] The blaze destroyed approximately 1,500 canvas paintings and 2,000 works on paper, along with other materials and computer files representing some 40 years of artistic work.[14][5] The family's home was spared.[9]

Raanan later rebuilt a 300-square-meter studio with a higher ceiling and more fire-resistant materials.[9] The fire also influenced a shift in his painting toward earthy colors and imagery.[9] Of the loss, Raanan said: "The money is not the primary loss. What's lost is the historical fact of the artwork to share."[14]

Published accounts of Bayt Mahsir's role and fate during the War of Independence differ in emphasis. The Encyclopaedia Judaica entry states that an Arab garrison cut off Jewish Jerusalem and that the village's capture opened the Jerusalem Corridor, while Mako describes the village as a base for attacks on convoys and links its capture to the later opening of the Burma Road.[1][2] A Ynet historical account adds that the village was captured after three assault attempts and that its houses were demolished.[6]

Reports of the November 2016 fire also contain an unresolved numerical discrepancy: Ynet's headline and summary said that at least four homes were completely destroyed, while the body reported ten homes burned and others damaged. The same report recorded an arson arrest but did not establish a final cause for the fire.[4]