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Welcome To Kafr Bir'im - كفر برعم (כפר בירעים)

District of Safad
Ethnically cleansed days ago

العربية

Google Earth
Picture for Kafr Bir'im Village - Palestine: : That is how the
Gallery (208)
Statistic & Fact Value
Occupation Date November 4, 1948
Distance From District 11.5 (km) North West of Safad
Elevation 750 (meters)
Before & After Nakba, Click Map For Detailswhat's new
Pre-Nakba Map showing before and after destruction
Pre-Nakba Aerial Viewwhat's new
Pre-Nakba Aerial View
Map Location See location #41 on the map

View from satellite
Military Operation Operation Hiram
Exodus Cause Expulsion by Zionist troops
Village Temains Complete destruction of the village in 1953, Only the church and its bell tower left standing (it needs renovations, any volunteers!)
Ethnically Cleansing Kafr Bir'im inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed.
Pre-Nakba
Land Ownership
Ethnic Group Land Ownership (Dunums)*
Arab 12,244
Jewish 0
Public 6
**Total 12,250
*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics
**Town Lands' Demarcation Maps
Land Usage
As of 1945
Land Usage Arab (Dunum)*
Irrigated & Plantation 1,101
Olive Groves 143
Planted W/ Cereal 3,718
Built up 96
Arable 4,819
Non-Arable 7,335
*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics
Population
Year Population*
19th century 300
1922 469
1931 554
1945 710
1948 824
Est. Refugees 1998 5,058
*Sourced from British Mandate's Village Statisitics
Number of Houses
Year Number of Houses
1931 132
1948 196
Near By Townswhat's new
Lebanon

(N)
Sa'sa'  
   Fara
           
Sa'sa'
           
al-Ras al-Ahmar
Town's Name Through History The Canaanites referred to the village by Periya'm
Archeological Sites The village contained the remains of olive presses, a synagogue, tombs, and cisterns
Exculsive Jewish Colonies
Who Usurped Village Lands
Baram and Dovev
Featured Video

Village Before Nakba

The village stood on a rocky hill only a little higher than the surrounding area and faced north and west. A secondary road linked it to a number of villages in the west and east and led to the coastal highway and the highway to Safad. The village's name may have been a corruption of the name of the Canaanite town of Periya'm. In the late nineteenth century, Kafr Bir'im was described as a stone-built village, surrounded by gardens, olive trees, and vineyards. The population was estimated to be between 300 and 500. [[SWP (1881) I:198]] Most of the villagers were Christian; in modem times the population consisted of 700 Christians and 10 Muslims. Their houses, made of stone and mud, were built close together. Some of the land was forested. Agriculture, irrigated from the abundant springs, was the primary occupation of the villagers, who were especially active in olive and fruit cultivation. In 1944/45 a total of 3,718 dunums was allocated to cereals and 1101 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. Kafr Bir'im was an archaeological site that contained the remains of olive presses, a synagogue, tombs, and cisterns.

Village Occupation and Ethnic Cleaning

Kafr Bir'im surrendered in early November 1948, when Galilee fell to Israeli forces during Operation Hiram (see 'Arab al-Samniyya, Acre sub-district). Its residents, along with those of other border villages, were "temporarily" expelled for "security reasons." Some of those expelled across the border were later allowed to return to Israel, but not to their village. Others found hiding in caves near the village were transported to the village of Jish (3 km to the southeast) and settled in its previously emptied houses. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in July 1952 that there was no reason to prevent their return. The army, however, leveled the village in 1953.

Zionists Colonies on Village Lands

The settlement of Dovev (188273), established in 1963, is northwest of the village site on village land. To the northeast, a bit farther away from the site, is the settlement of Bar'am (191273), founded in 1949 by members of the Palmach. [[P:37]]

Village Today

The village has been demolished. The only standing structure is the church and its bell tower. Crumbled walls some scattered, partially-collapsed houses, and extensive rubble cover the hillside, all overgrown with bushes and wild grasses (see photos). Some of the archaeological remains are still visible. The village site has been closed off and the surrounding area declared an archaeological and tourist site.

Source

Dr. Walid al-Khalidi, 1992: All That Remains.

Related Maps Town Lands' Demarcation Maps
خرائط للقضاء توضح حدود القرى والاودية
Town's map on MapQuest
View from satellite
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Bibliography and References

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