Nof HaGalil is a city in the Northern District of Israel with a population of. Founded in 1957 as Nazareth Illit, it was planned as a Jewish town overlooking the Arabcity of Nazareth and the Jezreel Valley. Today, 23% of the city's population is Arab. Its name was changed in 2019 to "Nof HaGalil" following a plebiscite in which 80% of voters approved the change.
History
The establishment of Nazareth Illit was conceived in the early 1950s when development towns such as Karmiel and Beit She'an were founded. There were economic and security reasons for developing a town in this region, but according to Shimon Landman, director of the Interior Ministry's Department of Minorities, the Nazareth municipal elections in 1954, in which the Israelcommunist partyMaki became the largest faction, were a source of concern. A parcel of 1,200 dunams of land, about half formerly within the municipal boundaries of Nazareth, was allocated in 1954, relying on a law that permitted expropriations for public purposes. Protests at this action reached the Supreme Court of Israel, which in 1955 accepted the government's word that the sole purpose of the land was to erect government facilities. However, it had already been decided that only 109 dunams would be used for that purpose and planning for residential neighborhoods continued. The first dwellings were completed in September 1956 and the first residents moved in later that year. According to historian Geremy Forman, the director of the IDF Planning Department, Yuval Ne'eman, stated that the town would "safeguard the Jewish character of the Galilee as a whole, and... demonstrate state sovereignty to the Arab population more than any other settlement operation." Forman wrote that Nazareth Illit was meant to "overpower Nazareth numerically, economically, and politically." Initially the city was referred to as the "Jewish neighborhood" of Nazareth, then as Kiryat Natzeret. The name Nazareth Illit was adopted in 1958. In 1961, Nazareth Illit was recognized as a municipal local council. In 2019 the city decided to rename itself to Nof HaGalil.
Demographics
According to CBS, in 2014 the ethnic and religious makeup of the city was 64.4% Jewish and other non-Arabs, 21.6% Arab. In the 1990s, Nazareth Illit was the fastest developing city in the country with a growth rate of nearly 70 percent. Newcomers included new immigrants from the former Soviet Union and South America, as well as young couples. In 2012, Arabs accounted for 17 percent of the city's 40,000 residents. The city's population has been dwindling ever since, due to its failing as a commercial and industrial center. Thus, a large portion of the younger population has left, which altered the city's demographics.
In 2010, the city had 12 elementary schools and two high schools. In 2019, after a successful school fundraising, a scientific and ecological greenhouse was set up on a 500 square meters site in the . The students of Atzmon will not only grow vegetables and fruits, but also invent new varieties and experiment with the scientific process involved in their development. A new high school for religious boys opened in 2010 and the Yeshivat Hesder of Maalot, which combines army service with Torah study, opened a branch there. The city also has a regional engineering college.
Tourism
Nof HaGalil municipality cares for maintaining the city's green grounds and for the forestry of the city. Located by the city is the "Churchill Forest". The forest, which lies on the downslope between Nazareth and Jezreel Valley, provides observation spots on the valley view.
Sports
is the city's major football club. Having been promoted to the top divisionfor the first time in 2003, the club was later relegated in 2006 to Liga Leumit, the second tier, where they currently play. The city's other football club, F.C. Nazareth Illit, plays in Liga Gimel. The city's main football stadium is Green Stadium. In addition to hosting matches of the city's two football teams, the stadium hosted in the past Israeli Premier League matches of Hapoel Acre and Bnei Sakhnin whose stadiums didn't meet Israeli Premier League. During 2013–14 the stadium also hosted Hapoel Afula matches. The city's basketball team, Hapoel Nazareth Illit, plays in the IBA fourth tier, Liga Alef. The city's table tennis team, Hapoel Nazareth Illit, plays at the Israeli Table-tennis Premier league. The team won both the championship and the state cup at the 2011–12 season.
