Azaria

For the surname, see Azaria (surname).

Not to be confused with Azariea in ancient Sicily.

Azaria (Hebrew: עֲזַרְיָה) or Azarya is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah around five kilometres south-east of Ramle, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gezer Regional Council. In 2023 it had a population of 1,322.^[1]

Azaria עֲזַרְיָה‎
Azaria Show map of Central Israel Azaria Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 31°53′21″N 34°54′35″E
Country	Israel
District	Central
Council	Gezer
Affiliation	Moshavim Movement
Founded	30 October 1949
Founded by	Jerusalemites
Population  (2023)[1]	1,322
Website	www.azarya.org

Etymology

Its name is symbolic, though there is a theory that it was named after Azariah of Judah. The symbolic meaning is an acronym from the Hebrew religious sentence 'עולי זאכו ראו ישועת ה (Oleh zakho ra'u yeshuat HaShem, lit. "Immigrants of Zakho (village in Kurdistan) saw the salvation of the Lord").^[2]

History

The moshav was established on the land of the depopulated Palestinian village of Al-Barriyya on 30 October 1949 by 25 families from Jerusalem as part of the "From the city to the village" plan.^[3][4]