Motza Illit

Motza Illit מוצא עילית
31°47′35″N 35°9′28″E / 31.79306°N 35.15778°E / 31.79306; 35.15778
Country	Israel
District	Jerusalem
Council	Mateh Yehuda
Founded	1933
Founded by	Motza residents
Population  (2022)[1]	1,635

Motza Illit (Hebrew: מוֹצָא עִלִּית, מוצא עילית, lit. 'Upper Motza') is a community settlement in central Israel. Located on a picturesque slope overlooking the Jerusalem Mountains, Ein Karem, the Motza Valley and Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 1,635.^[1]

History

Settlement in the area goes back to ancient times, with thousands of year old terraces and archeological remains in the area. In 1929 old Motza was attacked by its Arab neighbors and many residents were murdered. Four years later in 1933 a new moshav, Motza Ilit, was established at a higher location on the same slope.^[2]

In January 1934 a house-warming party was held by twenty Jewish families who had built homes in Motza Illit with the aid of the Jewish National Council ("Va'ad Leumi") and emergency funds.^[3]

Motza Illit overlooks the Judean mountains, the churches and monasteries of Ein Karem, the Beit Zayit water reservoir and the Jerusalem Forest.

It has three secular kindergartens. Elementary school children study at the Ein Harim Elementary School near the Beit Zayit water reservoir. For secondary school, Motza Illit's children study at a range of local secondary schools (Ein Karem Secondary School) and in Jerusalem (University Secondary School, Boyer, Science and Arts Secondary School, Academy for Music and Dance and more).

Notable residents

• David Kaminsky (born 1938), basketball player and coach
• Ehud Olmert
• Anna Ticho

Gallery

• 
  Seven Sisters Road in 1948
• 
  Seven Sisters Road to Motza Illit in 2010
• 
  Street in Motza Illit

References