Givat Shaul Colony

The Givat Shaul colony is located at the western entrance to Jerusalem at an elevation of 820 meters above sea level. It was built on the stolen lands of the Palestinian village of Deir Yassin and Lifta in 1906 by an association headed by Rabbis. The construction of the colony was delayed until 1919 due to difficulties in registering the land. The early residents were needy families granted small plots to cultivate fresh produce for the Jerusalem market. These families, mostly Yemeni Jews, were later joined by others from Meah Shearim and the Old City. The Ashkenazi community built the first public building, the Habirushim Synagogue, in 1912. An embroidery workshop was opened, and other industries established in Givat Shaul included the Fromin Biscuit Factory, a kerosene heater factory that produced weapons for the British army during the British Mandate in Palestine, and a matzah factory. In 1927, the Diskin orphanage moved from the Old City to Givat Shaul. This building, designed by a local architect, housed 500 orphaned child settlers. According to a 1931 census conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Givat Shaul had 966 settlers living in 152 inhabited homes. By 2015, the colony had grown to 8,969 settlers.   Source: Colony website