Ksalon

Ksalon lies in the Jerusalem Hills within the jurisdiction of the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. It is approximately 12 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 5 kilometers northeast of Beit Shemesh.[2] The moshav is near Highway 395, which connects Jerusalem's Ein Kerem neighborhood with Highway 38 at the Eshtaol Junction. Access is via a road branching south from Highway 395 near the neighboring moshav of Ramat Raziel.[2]

The surrounding terrain is hilly and mountainous. Ksalon's built environment consists predominantly of detached residential houses within agricultural holdings, together with farm buildings and public buildings.[2]

Ksalon was established in 1952.[1][2] A 9 April 1954 article in the Hebrew newspaper Davar was titled "Ksalon, frontier settlement" (כסלון, ישוב ספר), characterizing the community as a frontier settlement at that time.[3] Another newspaper headline, dated 28 March 1954, reported that Moshe Leon, identified as a resident of Kfar Ksalon, had been killed in an ambush.[4]

An archival catalog record from the period is titled "Settlement nucleus Ramat Raziel–Ksalon: conference of soldiers and youth, members of the Herut movement." The record documents a gathering connecting the names of Ksalon and Ramat Raziel with Herut movement soldiers and youth.[5]

Ksalon had 325 inhabitants as of 31 December 2004.[1] Its population was estimated at approximately 490 at the end of 2021.[2] A separate locality list records KESALON under locality code 0859 with a population of 522 and lists 1952 as the year of Jewish settlement.[6] The population appears under a column headed "Population 31.12," but the calendar year associated with that figure is not explicit in the available extract.[6]

Ksalon's physical organization reflects the agricultural-holding structure of a moshav. Detached homes stand within agricultural holdings alongside farm buildings and public buildings.[2] The community has no expansion neighborhood, and its environmental infrastructure is described as partial, including roads, overhead electricity, water supply, and sewage systems.[2]

Ein Ksalon is a spring near Ksalon and Ramat Raziel along Highway 395. Hiking routes of approximately 400 meters and 2 kilometers descend from the road through natural woodland to the spring, which is surrounded by dense aquatic vegetation, building remains, and agricultural terraces.[7] A dirt road from the site continues toward Ramat Raziel and connects with the access road to Ksalon.[7]

As of a 27 May 2025 government appraisal, Ksalon did not have an approved detailed plan.[2] Building rights within the moshav derived from two statutory outline plans, while the local planning committee customarily issued permits according to the boundaries of plan מי/829. That plan was deposited in 2005 but was ultimately not approved.[2] A new plan was being promoted to regulate land uses and agricultural-holding boundaries, but it had not yet passed the threshold conditions required for submission to the district committee.[2]

Plan מי/200ב׳, published for approval on 21 June 2004, permitted up to three residential units in no more than two buildings per agricultural holding, with the combined principal and service areas of the units not exceeding 450 square meters.[2] Plan 151-0387068, published for approval on 27 December 2018, permitted one additional residential unit per agricultural holding.[2] Amendment 1/35/ב to National Outline Plan 35, published on 7 July 2016, also permitted an additional residential unit subject to the plan's conditions.[2]

Ksalon's position in forested, mountainous terrain has made it vulnerable to wildfire emergencies. During a major 2021 wildfire in the Jerusalem area, residents of Ksalon were evacuated along with those of Shoresh, Sho'eva, and Beit Meir; they were later allowed to return after the immediate danger had passed.[8] The fire damaged more than 17,000 dunams and forced approximately 10,000 residents across the affected area to evacuate.[8]

On 2 August 2026, a wildfire in a forest near Beit Shemesh threatened homes in Ksalon, prompting the evacuation of houses closest to the flames.[9] Approximately 30 firefighting squads and six aircraft were reportedly mobilized to contain the blaze.[9]