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{{Short description|Town in southern Israel}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                   = Yeruham
| native_name            = {{Lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|ירוחם}}|rtl=yes}}
| settlement_type        = [[Local council (Israel)|Local council]] 
| translit_lang1         = Hebrew
| translit_lang1_type1   = [[ISO 259]]
| translit_lang1_info1   = Yroḥam
| image_skyline          = Yeruham Aerial View.jpg
| image_caption          = View of Yeruham
| image_blank_emblem     = Yeruham.svg
| blank_emblem_type      = Coat of arms
| pushpin_map_alt        = 
| pushpin_map            = Israel north negev#Israel
| pushpin_mapsize        = 
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_caption    = 
| coordinates            = {{coord|30|59|19|N|34|55|41|E|region:IL|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type       = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name       = 
{{ISR}}
| subdivision_type1      = 
| subdivision_name1      = 
| subdivision_type2      = [[Districts of Israel|District]]
| subdivision_name2      = [[Southern District (Israel)|Southern]]
| subdivision_type3      = Subdistrict
| subdivision_name3      = [[Beersheba Subdistrict|Beersheba]]
| established_title      = Founded
| established_date       = 1000 BCE <small>(Tel Rahma)</small><br>1951 <small>(Israeli town)</small>
| leader_title           = Head of Municipality
| leader_name            = [[Tal Ohana]]
| unit_pref              = dunam
| area_total_dunam       = {{formatnum:38584|R}}
| population_footnotes   = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| population_total       = {{Israel populations|Yeroham}}
| population_as_of       = {{Israel populations|Year}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| website                = [http://www.yeroham.muni.il/ www.yeroham.muni.il]
}}

'''Yeruham''' ({{langx|he|ירוחם}}) is a [[local council (Israel)|town]] in the [[Southern District (Israel)|Southern District]] of [[Israel]], in the [[Negev]] desert. It covers {{convert|38,584|dunam}}, and had a population of {{Israel populations|Yeroham}} in {{Israel populations|Year}}.{{Israel populations|reference}} It is named after the [[Hebrew Bible|Biblical]] [[Jeroham]].

Until early 2011 the mayor of Yeruham was [[Amram Mitzna]], and he was succeeded by [[Michael Biton]] of [[Kadima]], who was elected mayor in November 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kadima Wins in Yeruham City Elections - Israel National News|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/198526|website=Israel National News|access-date=27 June 2017}}</ref> In 2018, dark horse candidate [[Tal Ohana]] was elected the first female mayor of Yeruham.

For many years, Yeruham was economically depressed and suffered from image problems, but major efforts to improve the quality of life took place during the early 2000s.<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/917486.html Yeruham calls elections overrated] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428164535/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/917486.html |date=2009-04-28 }} Haaretz, 28 October 2007</ref>

==History==
===Antiquity===
Yeruham is the site of Tel Rahma, dating back to the 10th century BCE. On the outskirts of Yeruham is an ancient well, Be'er Rahma.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

During the Nabatean, Roman and Byzantine periods there was a village in the western outskirts of the town and its ruins can be seen today.<ref name="Dauphin">{{cite book | author = Claudine Dauphin | title = La Palestine byzantine, Peuplement et Populations, Vol. III : Catalogue | series = BAR International Series 726 | year = 1998 | publisher = Archeopress | location = Oxford | page = 996 }}</ref> The site, known Qasr Rekhmeh or Mesad Yeruham, was excavated in 1966 by R. Cohen.<ref>{{cite journal | author = R. Cohen | title = Mesad Yeruham | pages = 123–124 | journal = Israel Exploration Journal | volume = 17 | number = 2 | year = 1967 | jstor = 27925089 }}</ref>

===Modern era===
[[File:Yeruham 997009452609505171.jpg|thumb|Yeruham in 1968]]
Modern Yeruham was founded on 9 January 1951 as ''Kfar Yeruham'' and was one of Israel's first [[development town]]s, created to settle frontier areas in the early days of the state. It was located near the [[Makhtesh Gadol|Large Makhtesh]], an area thought at the time to be rich with natural resources.<ref name="negev588">{{cite book|title=The Land of the Negev (English title)|author=Livni, Shimshon|editor1=Gardus, Yehuda |editor2=Shmuel, Avshalom |year=1994|publisher=Ministry of Defense Publishing|page=588|language=he}}</ref>

At the head of the settlement was Pinchas Maanit (Muchnik), one of the founders of [[Nahalal]], who moved to the place with his family after [[David Ben-Gurion|Ben-Gurion]] request to assist and help to settle and establish new home to Israeli new-comers. The crossing was established in the area where the Bedouins migrated from Mata al-Azama, some of whose residents now live in Rekha, an unknown village located in the Yeruham area.

In 1959, the settlement was dismantled, and a permanent settlement was established in its place, which was declared a local council. Maanit continued to serve as head of the council. Two years later, another settlement was established in the settlement, and almost 3000 residents were added.

[[File:Tempo factory in Yeruham 1968.jpg|thumb|Glass bottles in a [[Tempo Beer Industries|Tempo]] factory in Yeruham, 1968]]
The first influx of [[aliyah|olim]] (Jewish immigrants) came from [[Romania]], many of them [[Holocaust]] survivors, followed by immigrants from [[North Africa]], [[Iran]], [[India]] and elsewhere, who make up the majority of the town's population today (appr. 40%, 5%, 20%, 10% respectively). By 1961, the town's population was 1,574. In 1962, when about 1,700 residents lived in the settlement, the name was changed to Yeruham.<ref name="negev588" />

Yeruham was founded on the [[Petroleum Road (Negev)|Petroleum Road]] in the Negev desert and its initial growth was stymied by the construction of [[Highway 25 (Israel)|Highway 25]] and the [[Beersheba]] – [[Mitzpe Ramon]] section of [[Highway 40 (Israel)|Highway 40]], which created a new route to [[Eilat]] and made the Petroleum Road obsolete.<ref name="negev590">{{cite book|title=The Land of the Negev (English title)|author=Livni, Shimshon|editor1=Gardus, Yehuda |editor2=Shmuel, Avshalom |year=1994|publisher=Ministry of Defense Publishing|pages=590–592|language=he}}</ref> Because of these factors, in addition to Yeruham's distance from the center of the country, many young people left its territory and it suffered for many years from negative immigration.

[[File:A school at the town of Yeruham (FL61768185).jpg|thumb|School in Yeruham, 1972]]
Since autumn 1990, Yeruham had actively been involved in absorbing hundreds of olim from the former [[USSR]], who came to comprise 25% of the town's nearly 10,000 residents.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} In recent years,{{when|date=August 2019}} young couples and families from other localities have moved to Yeruham, and some have purchased lots and built their homes in the town's new neighborhoods.

Members of the Young People in Yeruham Student Settlement Group are involved in local social action projects, organize cultural events for young people, and attract young people to settle in Yeruham. In April 2008, the [[Ayalim]] Student Village opened in Yeruham to allow students in Negev institutions of higher education to live and volunteer in the town. North American students from [[Nativ College Leadership Program]] engage in volunteer community service in Yeruham every spring. They help teach English in the local high schools and yeshivot, work with the [[Magen David Adom]] ambulance corps, teach in preschools and much more.

==Geography==
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 40448 Geography of Israel.JPG|thumb|Yeruham lake]]
Yeruham is situated in the northern [[Negev]], 15&nbsp;km from [[Dimona]], 600 meters above sea level.

It is located within the Negev desert and has erosion [[cirques]] or ‘craters’ and close by is the Yeruham Iris Nature Reserve, where the rare native iris ''[[Iris petrana]]'' is found.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Hannah |title=Israel's Negev desert and the desert iris |url=https://www.gardensillustrated.com/gardens/international/israel-negev-desert-iris/ |access-date=16 March 2020 |work=Gardens Illustrated |language=en}}</ref>

==Economy==
The main employers are local and regional industry (53% of employed residents) and services and commerce. Most of those are employed in industry work in local factories such as Agis-Perrigo (Careline cosmetics and pharmaceuticals), Negev Ceramics, Phoenicia Glass Works (which moved to Yeruham from Haifa in 1968)<ref>[https://archive.today/20121129073146/http://www.pgw.co.il/About/General/tabid/75/Default.aspx Phoenicia Glass Works]</ref> Brand Metals, Ackerstein, Yehu Clays, TTK electronics, and Tempo (some of which utilize raw materials from the region). The rest of those employed work in the surrounding region in companies such as, [[Ramat Hovav]], [[Negev Nuclear Research Center]], [[Dead Sea Works]], [[Soroka Medical Center]] in Beer Sheva, [[Ben-Gurion University]], and in [[Sde Boker]]. Yeruham has suffered in the past from high unemployment rates, although today the rate is lower than the national average.

Tourism projects include development of the Lake Park around [[Yeruham Dam]] and Large Makhtesh. Professional training programs in computers, chemistry, engineering and other fields needed by industry. Local industrial zones have doubled in size and offer space for rental and construction.

Up to 2011, residential construction in Yeruham had been done in a non-profit manner, either by [[Amidar (company)|Amidar]] or the residents themselves. In anticipation of military personnel moving into Yeruham to server in the future adjacent [[City of Training Bases]], land had been released for private for-profit construction.<ref name="calcalist-private">{{cite news|url=http://www.calcalist.co.il/real_estate/articles/0,7340,L-3530254,00.html|title=Exclusive to Calcalist: Yeruham Dons Uniforms|author=Sasson-Azar, Shirly|work=[[Calcalist]]|date=September 4, 2011|access-date=September 4, 2011|language=he}}</ref>

In 2015, a tech incubator, MindCET, was established in Yeruham as a center for leadership and innovation in educational technology to foster specialized cooperation between entrepreneurs, researchers, teachers and students.<ref>[https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-yeruham-welcomes-new-tech-incubator-mindcet-1001091639 Yeruham welcomes new tech incubator, MindCET]</ref> MindCET operates a high-tech accelerator for edtech startups.<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/.premium-new-negev-taking-shape-young-entrepreneurs-bring-high-tech-arts-to-southern-israel-1.7418926 Negev taking shape: Young entrepreneurs bring high tech arts to southern Israel], [[Haaretz]]</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Jeruham.jpg|thumb|250px|Yeruham town hall]]
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2011}}
Yeruham has 5 elementary schools (State-General and State-Religious), 3  Ultra-Orthodox schools, and a comprehensive high school affiliated with [[ORT Israel|ORT]]. Since the inauguration of the "Anyone Can Do It" program, the number of high school students eligible for [[Bagrut]] matriculation certificates has risen. All schools in Yeruham use GBS, an online system which enables pupils to work at home on material from school. The "City Plays Music" program provides music education in all the elementary schools, and operates two youth orchestras.
[[File:Yeshivat HaHesder Yeruham Old Building.jpg|thumb|Yeshivat Heseder, Yeruham]]
Bilvav Shalem high school [[yeshiva]] for boys and Kamah junior high for girls attract pupils from all over the country. [[Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham]] (institute of higher Jewish religious education for men combining study with army service), also attracts students from all over the country and runs a special leadership program for Ethiopian young men. Midreshet Be'er offers a post-high school track for young religious women that combines study with community volunteering. The women do two years of [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]] or National Service,  and a final half-year of social action projects in Yeruham.

Education and training for over-30 adults are coordinated by the Ofek Center for Human Resources Development.

Joint programs with the Weizmann Institute, [[Ben-Gurion University]], the [[Open University of Israel|Open University]], the [[Hebrew University]] Center for Enrichment in Education, and volunteer tutoring by scientists at the Nuclear Research Center aim to improve educational achievements and  provide enrichment, especially in the sciences.

==Culture ==
[[File:Matnas Yeruham.JPG|thumb|250px|Yeruham community center]]
The Yeruham ''Matnas'' (local [[community center]]) organizes  plays, performances, summer events,  music lessons,  sports activities,  nature-oriented extracurricular activities, neighborhood clubs, immigrant absorption activities, a Yiddish choir and communal theater group. The library has 60,000 books in [[Hebrew]], [[Russian Language|Russian]] and [[English language|English]], and offers enrichment activities for pre-school and elementary school students, meetings with authors, computer training, workshops for parents and children and creative writing groups.

The Matnas Youth Department runs the Machsan 52 youth club, youth rock bands and two youth councils (for different age groups). The Israeli scout movement [[Israel Boy and Girl Scouts Federation|Tzofim]] and [[Bnai Akiva]] both have branches in the city. Midreshet Beyahad Seminar Center and youth hostel arranges hikes, workshops and other programming for visiting groups, mainly students, as well as Jewish programming in local schools.

Other cultural programs are the Teudat Zehut Yeruham project for community empowerment through documentation and the Bamidbar Regional Center for creative, pluralistic Judaism.

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel}}
Yeruham is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:

* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Miami]], [[Florida]], United States<ref name=lcsisters2>{{cite web|title=Internationalguide sistercities|url=http://jewishmiami.org/about/departments/israel_overseas/miami-yerucham_partnership/index.html/internationalguide-sistercities.cfm|publisher=Greater Miami Jewish Federation|access-date=27 June 2017}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Highland Park, Illinois|Highland Park]], [[Illinois]], United States<ref name=lcsisters>{{cite web|title=Lake County, Illinois Convention and Visitors Bureau|url=http://www.visitlakecounty.org/internationalguide-sistercities.cfm|publisher=www.visitlakecounty.org|access-date=27 June 2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Yerucham}}
{{Wikicommons}}
* {{official website|https://www.yeruham.co.il}}
* [http://www.bamidbar.org/ Atid BaMidbar]

{{Southern District (Israel)}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Development towns]]
[[Category:Local councils in Southern District (Israel)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1951]]
[[Category:1951 establishments in Israel]]