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{{EngvarB|date=April 2023}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}{{Infobox settlement
| name = Afula
| native_name = {{Lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|עפולה}}|rtl=yes}}
| settlement_type = [[List of cities in Israel|City]]
| image_skyline =
{{center|{{Photomontage
|photo1a = Afula IMG 0889.JPG
|photo1b = Afula IMG 0911.JPG
|photo2a = Afula city hall.jpg
|photo2b = Afula 1.JPG
|photo3e =
|photo4e = WikiAir_Flight_IL-13-09_022.jpg
|size = 280
|color = transparent
|border = 0
}}}}
| image_blank_emblem = Coat of arms of Afula.svg
| blank_emblem_type = Coat of arms
| pushpin_map_alt=
| pushpin_map = Israel jezreel#Israel
| pushpin_mapsize=
| pushpin_label_position=
| pushpin_map_caption=
| coordinates = {{coord|32|36|23|N|35|17|17|E|region:IL|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name = Grid position
| grid_position = 177/224 [[Palestine grid|PAL]]
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{ISR}}
| subdivision_type1 =
| subdivision_name1 =
| subdivision_type2 = [[Districts of Israel|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Northern District (Israel)|Northern]]
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 1900 BCE <small>(Canaanite settlement)</small><br />7th century <small>(Samaritan town)</small><br />14th century <small>(Arab village)</small><br />1925–present <small>(Jewish village/city)</small>
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Avi Elkabetz{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}
| unit_pref = dunam
| area_total_dunam = {{formatnum:26909|R}}
| population_footnotes = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| population_total = {{Israel populations|Afula}}
| population_as_of = {{Israel populations|Year}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
| demographics1_footnotes= {{Israel populations|reference}}
| demographics1_title1 = [[Israeli Jews|Jews and others]]
| demographics1_info1 = 98.9%
| demographics1_title2 = [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arabs]]
| demographics1_info2 = 1.1%
}}[[File:Valley_train_afula_station.JPG|thumb|right|The historic train station of Afula in 2006]]
'''Afula''' ({{langx|he|עפולה}}) is a city in the [[Northern District (Israel)|Northern District]] of [[Israel]], often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic ___location in the [[Jezreel Valley]]. In {{Israel populations|Year}} the city had a population of {{Israel populations|Afula}}.{{Israel populations|reference}}
Afula's ancient [[Tell (archaeology)|tell (settlement mound)]] suggests habitation from the [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Chalcolithic |Late Chalcolithic]] to the [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Ayyubid period| Ayyubid period]]. It has been proposed that Afula is the ___location of the village of Arbela mentioned in the 4th-century [[Onomasticon (Eusebius)|Onomasticon of Eusebius]] and the 7th-century [[Samaritans|Samaritan]] village of ''Kirjath Ophlatha''. A fortress was built at the site during the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem |Crusader]] or [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Mamluk period| Mamluk period]].
A small Arab Palestinian village during the Ottoman period, it was sold in 1872 along with the entire Jezreel Valley to the [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] [[Sursock family]]. In 1925, the same area was acquired by the [[American Zionist Commonwealth]] as part of the [[Sursock Purchase]]. The majority Muslim and Christian population were removed by the family, and [[Aliyah|Jewish immigrants]], marking the foundation of modern Afula. After the establishment of the [[State of Israel]] in 1948, Afula was settled by [[Jewish]] immigrants from [[History of the Jews in Iraq |Iraq]], [[Yemenite Jews| Yemen]] and [[History of the Jews in Romania |Romania]]. In 1972, it gained the status of a [[City (Israel) |city]]. The 1990s saw Jewish immigration from [[Beta Israel| Ethiopia]] and the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union| former Soviet Union]] contribute to the growth of the city. Since 1995, the city has almost doubled{{when|date=July 2024}} its population.
==Etymology==
The name follows that of the small Arab village which occupied the site until the [[First World War]], possibly originating in the Canaanite-Hebrew root ''ʿofel'' "fortress tower",<ref name= EJ>{{Cite book |chapter=Afulah |title=[[Encyclopaedia Judaica]] |via= HighBeam.com |chapter-url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-2587500513.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328143727/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-2587500513.html |archive-date=28 March 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> or the Arab word for "ruptured".<ref>Palmer, 1881, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp00conduoft#page/142/mode/1up 142]</ref>
==History==
An ancient mound or [[Tell (archaeology)|tell]] known as Tel ʿAfula, located in the heart of modern Afula, suggests almost continuous habitation from the [[Ancient Near East#Chalcolithic|Late Chalcolithic]] ([[fourth millennium BC]]E) to the [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Ayyubid period| Ayyubid period]] in the 13th century.<ref name= Pringle/> At the beginning of the twentieth century, the mound served as a refuse dump for the nearby Arab village of [[el-Fuleh]].<ref name= Shalev>{{cite journal |first= Yiftah |last= Shalev |title= 'Afula, Tel: Final Report (16/07/2020) |journal=[[Hadashot Arkheologiyot]] |publisher=[[Israel Antiquities Authority]] |volume= 132 |year= 2020 |issn= 1565-5334 |url= http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/Report_Detail_Eng.aspx?id=25747 |access-date=27 July 2020}}</ref>
===Bronze Age to Byzantine period===
For archaeological finds from Tel ʿAfula predating the Crusader/Mamluk fortress, see the [[Afula#Archaeology|archaeology]] paragraph.
ʿAfula is possibly the place of [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Bronze Age| Bronze Age]] ''ʿOphlah'', mentioned in the lists of Pharaoh [[Thutmose III]].<ref name= SWP40>Conder and Kitchener (1882), SWP II, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp02conduoft#page/40/mode/1up 40].</ref> [[Zev Vilnay]] suggested to identify Afula with biblical ([[Timeline of the Palestine region#Iron Age II|Iron Age II]]) ''Ophel'', mentioned in [[Books of Kings|2 Kings]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vilnay |first=Zev |author-link= Zev Vilnay |date=1938 |title=שמות של ישובים עברים על יסוד השמות הערבים |trans-title=Names of Hebrew settlements based on the Arab names |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/dav/1938/04/08/01/article/102?&dliv=none&e=-------he-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1 |access-date=2022-02-16 |website=nli.org.il |lang=he}}</ref> After the destruction of the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]], the area continued to be inhabited and excavations have revealed artifacts from the periods of [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Persian period |Persian]] and [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Roman period |Roman]] rule. It may be identified with Arbela mentioned in the 4th-century [[Onomasticon (Eusebius)| Onomasticon of Eusebius]].<ref name= Tsafrir>{{cite book |author=[[Yoram Tsafrir| Tsafrir, Yoram]] |last2= Di Segni |first2= Leah |last3= Green |first3= Judith |title= Tabula Imperii Romani: Judaea - Palaestina |publisher= Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities |___location= Jerusalem |year= 1994 |page= 67}}</ref> [[Claude Reignier Conder]] suggested that ʿAfula was identical with ''Kirjath Ophlathah'', a place inhabited by Samaritans in the 7th century.<ref name=Conder>Conder (1876), p. [https://archive.org/stream/quarterlystateme07pale#page/196/mode/1up 196].</ref>
===Crusader/Ayyubid and Mamluk periods===
[[File:Afula Fortress P1170741.JPG|thumb|Remains of [[Kingdom of Jerusalem |Crusader]] fortress in Afula. Note the [[spolia]]: [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[sarcophagus|sarcophagi]] as the top layer.]]
At the centre of Tel ʿAfula stand the remains of a 19-metre square fortress from the [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Mamluk period| Mamluk period]], possibly first built during the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem |Crusader]] period.<ref name= Shalev/><ref name=Pringle/> The lower four [[Course (architecture)|courses]] are made of rough boulders, while the top remaining layer is made of reused [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[Sarcophagus |sarcophagi]]. The wall is a total of 5.5 meters tall. Pottery remains indicate that it was occupied in the 12th and 13th century.<ref name= Pringle>Pringle (1997), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=-_NbE5obqRMC&pg=PA18 18].</ref> The gate is dated based on pottery findings to the Mamluk period (13th–14th centuries CE), but as of the end of the 2017 excavation campaign it could not be determined when fortress itself was built, since it is perfectly possible that just the gate was renovated in the Mamluk period; the square shape and the use of Roman sarcophagi as building stones is closely resembling the [[Sepphoris#Crusader tower| Crusader tower at Sepphoris]].<ref name= Shalev/>
In 1321, ʿAfula was mentioned under the name of ''Afel'' by [[Marino Sanuto the Elder]].<ref name= SWP41>Conder and Kitchener (1882), SWP II, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp02conduoft#page/41/mode/1up 41].</ref>
===Late Ottoman period===
A map by [[Pierre Jacotin]] from [[French campaign in Egypt and Syria| Napoleon's invasion of 1799]] showed this place, named as ''Afouleh'' in a French transliteration of the Arabic.<ref>Karmon (1960), p. [http://www.jchp.ucla.edu/Bibliography/Karmon,_Y_1960_Jacotin_Map_(IEJ_10).pdf 167] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222063351/http://jchp.ucla.edu/Bibliography/Karmon,_Y_1960_Jacotin_Map_(IEJ_10).pdf |date=2019-12-22 }}.</ref>
In 1816, [[James Silk Buckingham]] passed by and described ''Affouli'' as being built on rising ground and containing only a few dwellings. He noted several other nearby settlements in sight, all populated by Muslims.<ref>Buckingham (1822), vol 2, p. [https://archive.org/stream/travelsinpalest04buckgoog#page/n397/mode/1up 381].</ref>
In 1838, [[Edward Robinson (scholar) |Edward Robinson]] described both ʿAfula and the adjacent [[El Fuleh]] as "deserted".<ref>Robinson and Smith (1841), vol. 3, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/n180/mode/1up 163], [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/n198/mode/1up 181].</ref>
<ref>NB: note that ruined villages were marked with a star in the village lists, however neither Afulah of El Fuleh were marked that way, see: Robinson and Smith (1841), vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/132/mode/1up 132].</ref> [[William McClure Thomson]], in a book published in 1859, noted that ʿAfula and the adjacent [[El Fuleh]] were "both now deserted, though both were inhabited twenty-five years ago when I first passed this way." Thomson blamed their desertion on the [[Bedouin]].<ref>Thomson (1859), vol. 2, p. [https://archive.org/stream/landandbookorbi08thomgoog#page/n228/mode/1up 216].</ref>
In 1875, [[Victor Guérin]] described ʿAfula as a village on a small hill overlooking a little plain. The houses were built of [[adobe]] and various other materials. Around the [[water well |well]], which Guérin thought was probably ancient, he noticed several broken sarcophagi serving as [[wikt:trough#English| troughs]].<ref>Guérin (1880), pp. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongogr01unkngoog#page/n122/mode/1up 109]-110.</ref> In 1882, the [[Palestine Exploration Fund]]'s ''Survey of Western Palestine'' described El ʿAfula as a small adobe village in the plain, supplied by two wells.<ref name= SWP40/>
A population list from about 1887 showed that el ʿAfula had about 630 inhabitants, all Muslim.<ref>Schumacher (1888), p. [https://archive.org/stream/quarterlystateme19pale#page/n208/mode/1up 183].</ref> [[Gottlieb Schumacher]], as part of surveying for the construction of the [[Jezreel Valley railway]], noted in 1900 that it consisted of 50-55 huts and had 200 inhabitants. North of the village was a grain stop, belonging to the [[Sursock family|Sursocks]].<ref>Schumacher, 1900, p. [https://archive.org/stream/quarterlystateme32pale#page/358/mode/1up 358].</ref>
[[File:Water tower used by Jezreel Valley railway, Afula.JPG|thumb|250px|Old water tower at Afula station]]
In 1904, the Ottoman authorities inaugurated the Jezreel Valley railway, at first operating between [[Haifa]] and [[Beit She'an| Beysan]] via ʿAfula and soon extended to [[Dera'a]]. Work eventually continued with an extension towards Jerusalem, the connection to [[Jenin]] being completed in 1913.
====First World War====
{{Main|Capture of Afulah and Beisan}}
During the [[Great War]], ʿAfulah was a major communications hub.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} In 1917, when Colonel [[Richard Meinertzhagen]] from the British intelligence established contact with the [[Nili]] Jewish spy network in Palestine, a German Jewish doctor stationed at al ʿAfulah railway junction provided the British with valuable reconnaissance reports on Ottoman and German troop movements southwards.{{cn |date= June 2021}}
With the advance of General [[Edmund Allenby]]'s British forces into Ottoman Palestine, al ʿAfulah was captured by the [[4th Cavalry Division (British Indian Army)|4th Cavalry Division]] of the [[Desert Mounted Corps]], during the cavalry phase of the [[Battle of Sharon]] in September 1918.{{cn |date= June 2021}}
===British Mandate===
According to the [[Mandatory Palestine|British Mandate]]'s [[1922 census of Palestine]], ''Affuleh'' had 563 inhabitants; 471 Muslims, 62 Christians, 28 Jews and 2 followers of the [[Baháʼí Faith]];<ref>Barron (1923), Table XI, [[Nazareth Subdistrict, Mandatory Palestine |Sub-district of Nazareth]], p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n40/mode/1up 38].</ref> 61 of the Christians were Orthodox, while one was [[Melkite]].<ref>Barron (1923), Table XVI, p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n52/mode/1up 50].</ref>
====Jewish Afula (est. 1925)====
In 1925, the area was acquired with money from the [[American Zion Commonwealth]] as part of the [[Sursock Purchase]].<ref name= JBG>Glass (2002), p.[https://books.google.com/books?id=dgqj1Ox8StsC&pg=PA219 219].</ref><ref name= Segev242>Segev (1999), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=lu_nXv6BCwkC&pg=PA242 242].</ref> The Arab tenant farmers were given four years during which they could either buy the land or leave, in the meantime having the right to cultivate it.<ref name= JBG/> A quarter of the one hundred Arab families who had lived in the area accepted compensation for their land and left voluntarily; the remainder were evicted by the new owners.<ref name= Segev242/><ref>130 families, according to the [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/ShawSursockTable.png List of villages sold by Sursocks and their partners to the Zionists since British occupation of Palestine], evidence to the [[Shaw Commission]], 1930.</ref> Jews began settling in Afula shortly after as the town developed, with many American and [[History of the Jews in Poland|Polish Jews]] purchasing the parcels. Many of the Polish Jews who bought land in the town perished in the [[The Holocaust|Holocoaust]], and were therefore unable to develop their plots.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The City's History |url=https://www.afula.muni.il/en/180/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250618020604/https://www.afula.muni.il/en/180/ |archive-date=2025-06-18 |access-date=2025-08-07 |website=www.afula.muni.il |language=en}}</ref> Nearby land had been purchased in a similar manner in 1909 or 1910, when [[Yehoshua Hankin]], in his first major purchase in the Jezreel Valley, bought 10,000 dunams (10 km<sup>2</sup>) of land on which [[Merhavia (moshav)| Merhavia]] and [[Tel Adashim]] were to be built.<ref name= Segev242/>
In 1924 former leaders of [[Hashomer]] established an arms factory in Afula. Disguised as a farm equipment repair workshop, it produced bullets and weapon parts.<ref>{{cite book |last= Ben Zvi |first= Rahel Yanait |author-link= Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi |title= Before Golda: Manya Shochat: A Biography |year= 1989 |orig-year= 1976 |contributor=[[Marie Syrkin]] |contribution= introduction |translator= Sandra Shurin |publisher= Biblio Press |place= New York |page= 114 |isbn= 0930395077 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aDsdAAAAMAAJ&q=Interchangeable |access-date= 4 June 2025}}</ref>
By the [[1931 census of Palestine |1931 census]], the population had increased to 874; with 786 Jews, 86 Muslims, nine Christians, and three classified as "no religion", in a total of 236 houses.<ref>Mills (1932), p. [https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas 73].</ref>
[[File:1940s Survey of Palestine map of Afula and Merhavya.png|thumb|1940s [[Survey of Palestine]] map of ʿAfula and Merhavya]]
In a [[Village Statistics, 1945|1945 survey]], the population of ʿAfula was estimated at 2300 Jews and ten Muslims.<ref name= DoS1945>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics (1945), p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p08.jpg 8].</ref> The town had a total of 18,277 [[dunam]]s of land, according to an official land and population survey.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945''. Quoted in Hadawi (1970), p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Nazareth/Page-062.jpg 62].</ref> Of this, 145 dunams of land was used to cultivate citrus and bananas, 347 dunams were for plantations and irrigable land, 15,103 for cereals,<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945''. Quoted in Hadawi (1970), p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Nazareth/Page-109.jpg 109].</ref> while 992 dunams were built-up land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945''. Quoted in Hadawi (1970), p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Nazareth/Page-159.jpg 159].</ref>
During this time, the community was served by the [[Jezreel Valley Railway]], a side branch of the larger [[Hejaz Railway]]. Since 1913 it had also been the [[terminus station]] of the branch connecting it to [[Jenin]] and later also to [[Nablus]]. Sabotage actions of Jewish underground militias in [[Night of the Trains|1945]], [[Night of the Bridges|1946]] and shortly before the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] rendered first the connection to Jenin, then progressively the entire Valley Railway, [[Jezreel Valley railway#Closure|inoperable]].{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}
<gallery>
File:עפולה - בית השיך-JNF043396.jpeg|Afula, Beit HaSheikh ("House of the Sheikh") 1925
File:מראה עפולה העמק יזרעאל-JNF022193.jpeg|Afula 1928
File:מלון שפירא, בית המלון הראשון בעפולה בעמק יזרעאל-JNF022260.jpeg|Afula, Shapira Hotel 1928
File:תחנת הרכבת בעפולה בעמק יזרעאל-JNF022273.jpeg|Afula railway station 1930
File:AN AERIAL PHOTO OF THE SETTLEMENT AFULA. צילום אויר של היישוב עפולה.D332-060.jpg|Afula 1937
File:יחידות דיור של פועלים בעפולה-JNF014123.jpeg|Workers housing, Afula 1946
</gallery>
===State of Israel===
[[File:Afula 1948.jpg|thumb|Members of [[Yiftach Brigade]] from [[Beisan]] on leave in Afula in 1948]]
[[File:AfulaEarly.jpg|thumb|250px|Afula c. 1950]]
====Railroad (1948-49; 2010s)====
Repairs to the Jezreel Valley Railway after 1948 restored service to [[Haifa]], but only until 1949 when it was abandoned. In 2011, construction began on a large-scale project to build a new [[standard gauge]] railway from Haifa to [[Beit She'an]] with stations in [[Afula railway station|Afula]] and other towns, along roughly the same route as the historical valley railway. [[Israel Railways]] began passenger service on the [[Jezreel Valley railway#Modern railway |new line]] on October 16, 2016.<ref>Hilley, Yonathan (October 16, 2016). [http://www.maariv.co.il/news/israel/Article-560355 "The Wheels of History: Valley Railway Returns After 64 Years"] [גלגלי ההיסטוריה: אחרי 64 שנים, רכבת העמק שבה לפעילות] (in Hebrew). ''[[Maariv]]''. Retrieved October 16, 2016.</ref>
====Terror attacks (1990s-2000s)====
Due to Afula's proximity to the [[West Bank]], it has been a target for [[Palestinian political violence]].<ref>[https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-102083298 "Five die in latest suicide bombing; British bomber dead"]</ref> On 6 April 1994, the [[Afula Bus suicide bombing]] killed five people in the center of Afula. In the [[Afula axe attack]] in November 1994, a 19-year-old female soldier was attacked and murdered by an axe-wielding Arab [[Hamas]] member.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120713091731/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72300639.html?dids=72300639:72300639&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT "Arab Kills Female Israeli Soldier With Ax"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 1 December 1994.</ref>
During the [[Second Intifada]], Afula was the target of a [[suicide attack]] on a bus on 5 March 2002, in which one person died and several others were injured at Afula's central bus station. In the [[Afula mall bombing]] on 19 May 2003, a female suicide bomber [[Afula mall bombing|blew herself up at the Amakim mall]], killing three and wounding 70. <ref>{{Cite news |title=Suicide bomber kills 3 at Israeli mall |url=https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2003/05/20/suicide-bomber-kills-3-at/50952113007/ |url-status=live |work=Cape Cod Times}}</ref> This attack was claimed by the [[Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine]] and the [[Fatah]] movement's [[Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades]].
====2006 Lebanon War====
On 17 July 2006, during the [[2006 Lebanon War]], [[Hezbollah]] fired [[Katyusha rocket launcher|Katyusha rockets]] at Afula, one of the southernmost rocket attacks on Israel from Lebanon. Six people were treated for shock as a result of the attack. On 28 July, a rocket landed causing a fire. The rocket carried {{convert|100|kg|0|abbr=off}} of explosives.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Hezbollah Missiles With 100kg Warhead Strike Jezreel Valley|newspaper=Haaretz|url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.4859426}}</ref>
====Recent development plans====
In September 2016, it was announced that seven new neighborhoods would be built, doubling the city's population.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Afula to Double in Size|date=September 14, 2016|website=Hamodia|url=https://hamodia.com/2016/09/14/afula-double-size/}}</ref>
====Notable incidents====
In June 2018, 150 of the city's Jewish residents protested against the sale of a home to an Arab family. Former Afula Mayor Avi Elkabetz joined the protest and said, "the residents of Afula don't want a mixed city, but rather a Jewish city, and it's their right. This is not racism."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hundreds of Israelis Demonstrate Against Home Sale to Arab Family|date=June 14, 2018|website=Haaretz|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2018-06-14/ty-article/.premium/hundreds-demonstrate-against-home-sale-to-arab-family/0000017f-e57e-df5f-a17f-fffe92570000}}</ref>
In June 2019, a demonstration happened in protest against a house being sold to an Arab family, joined by Afula's mayor, Avi Elkabetz, who had run for office on a platform of "preserving the Jewish character of Afula."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Afula mayor attends demonstration against sale of home to Arab family|date=June 16, 2019|website=Times of Israel|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/afula-mayor-attends-demonstration-against-sale-of-home-to-arab-family}}</ref>
== Demographics ==
In 2022, 89.5% of the population was Jewish and 10.5% was counted as other.<ref>{{Cite web |title=עפולה |url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/DocLib/2024/local_authorities22_1957/%D7%A2%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%94.pdf |access-date=15 July 2025 |website=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics|Central Bureau of Statistics]]}}</ref>
==Climate==
Afula has a [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Csa''). The average annual temperature is {{convert|20.4|°C|1}}, and around {{convert|468|mm|2|abbr=on}} of precipitation falls annually.
{{Weather box
| width = auto
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| ___location = Afula (1991–2020)
| Jan record high C = 24.7
| Feb record high C = 28.4
| Mar record high C = 37.0
| Apr record high C = 40.9
| May record high C = 43.2
| Jun record high C = 44.1
| Jul record high C = 41.9
| Aug record high C = 41.5
| Sep record high C = 43.2
| Oct record high C = 40.2
| Nov record high C = 35.6
| Dec record high C = 28.8
| year record high C = 44.1
| Jan high C = 16.9
| Feb high C = 18.2
| Mar high C = 21.6
| Apr high C = 26.0
| May high C = 30.1
| Jun high C = 32.5
| Jul high C = 34.2
| Aug high C = 34.6
| Sep high C = 33.4
| Oct high C = 30.9
| Nov high C = 24.9
| Dec high C = 19.0
| year high C = 26.9
| Jan mean C = 11.5
| Feb mean C = 12.1
| Mar mean C = 14.6
| Apr mean C = 18.2
| May mean C = 22.2
| Jun mean C = 25.4
| Jul mean C = 27.7
| Aug mean C = 28.3
| Sep mean C = 26.6
| Oct mean C = 23.6
| Nov mean C = 18.0
| Dec mean C = 13.2
| year mean C = 20.1
| Jan low C = 5.9
| Feb low C = 5.9
| Mar low C = 7.6
| Apr low C = 10.3
| May low C = 14.3
| Jun low C = 18.2
| Jul low C = 21.2
| Aug low C = 21.9
| Sep low C = 19.8
| Oct low C = 16.2
| Nov low C = 11.1
| Dec low C = 7.4
| year low C = 13.3
| Jan record low C = -5.2
| Feb record low C = -2.5
| Mar record low C = -0.4
| Apr record low C = -1.5
| May record low C = 6.2
| Jun record low C = 11.4
| Jul record low C = 15.4
| Aug record low C = 15.6
| Sep record low C = 10.2
| Oct record low C = 6.9
| Nov record low C = -0.3
| Dec record low C = -3.0
| year record low C = -5.2
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 110.4
|Feb rain mm = 96.6
|Mar rain mm = 54.9
|Apr rain mm = 15.8
|May rain mm = 4.5
|Jun rain mm = 0.8
|Jul rain mm = 0.0
|Aug rain mm = 0.0
|Sep rain mm = 0.7
|Oct rain mm = 19.5
|Nov rain mm = 61.2
|Dec rain mm = 101.4
|year rain mm =
|unit rain days = 0.1 mm
|Jan rain days = 11.7
|Feb rain days = 10.6
|Mar rain days = 7.8
|Apr rain days = 3.1
|May rain days = 1.1
|Jun rain days = 0.1
|Jul rain days = 0.0
|Aug rain days = 0.0
|Sep rain days = 0.3
|Oct rain days = 3.1
|Nov rain days = 6.6
|Dec rain days = 10.0
|year rain days=
| source 1 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Israel/CSV/AFULA_NA.csv
|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Afula
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = January 10, 2024}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[World Meteorological Organization]] (rainfall and rain days 1981–2010)<ref>{{cite web|url = https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=1929|title = World Weather Information Service – Afula|publisher= World Meteorological Organization|access-date = November 12, 2022}}</ref>
}}
==Economy==
[[File:Afula city hall.jpg|thumb|250px|Afula city hall]]
[[File:ביג.jpeg|thumb|250px|BIG shopping center]]
The Alon Tavor Industrial Zone is located northeast of Afula off [[Highway 65 (Israel)|Highway 65]]. The [[Tadiran]] air conditioner factory is located there.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120331080943/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=5093074 Company Overview of Tadiran Air Conditioners Ltd.]</ref> Two Israeli plastics manufacturers, [[Keter Plastic]] and [[StarPlast]], are also based there.<ref>[http://www.nbn.org.il/aliyahpedia/community-a-housing/community-guide-beta-listings/1583-afula.html Afula community guide].</ref>
==Education and culture==
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 13351 Great Synagogue in Afula.jpg|thumb|250px|Great [[synagogue]] of Afula]]
[[File:Afula City Auditorium and Art Gallery 01.jpg|thumb|250px|City Auditorium and Art Gallery]]
According to [[CBS]], there are 24 schools and 8,688 students in the city: 16 elementary schools with a student population of 3,814 and 12 high schools with 4,874 students. 52.3% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001.
==Health care==
[[HaEmek Medical Center]] in Afula was the first [[Health care in Israel| regional hospital]] in Israel.<ref name= EJ/>
==Archaeology==
[[File:HaAtzmaut square Afula 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|HaAtzmaut Square]]
The ancient mound of ʿAfula, known as Tel ʿAfula, is close to the city center, west of Route 60 and south of Ussishkin Street. Very little of the initial six-acre tell remains due to construction work done in this area since the [[Mandatory Palestine |British Mandate]] period. The southern peak of the mound is the better preserved part. It was once widely considered to be the biblical site of [[Ophrah]], the hometown of the [[Biblical judges |judge]] [[Gideon]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tourism.gov.il/GOVheb/Ministry%20of%20Tourism/MoreyDerech/Documents/MOZAR-NOTZRI.pdf |title= ? (Ministry of Tourism document) |access-date=2014-04-13 |archive-date=2014-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140414153107/http://www.tourism.gov.il/GOVheb/Ministry%20of%20Tourism/MoreyDerech/Documents/MOZAR-NOTZRI.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> but contemporary scholars generally disagree with this supposition. Archaeological finds date from the [[Chalcolithic]] through the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] period, followed by remains from the Crusader and Mamluk periods.
The first excavations at Tel ʿAfula, carried out in 1948, found Late Chalcolithic–[[Timeline of the Palestine region#Early Bronze Age| Early Bronze Age]] remains. Tombs from the Early Bronze Age, [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Middle Bronze Age| Middle Bronze Age II]], [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Late Bronze Age| Late Bronze Age]]–[[Timeline of the Palestine region#Iron Age I| Iron Age I]] and Roman period were discovered near the municipal water tower. Archaeologists discovered the Crusader-Mamluk fortress on the southern peak of the tell, a Byzantine olive oil press and evidence of an Early Bronze Age settlement near the northern peak.<ref name= Feig>Feig (2012)</ref>
In 1950–1951, excavations on the northwestern slope of the peak revealed a pottery workshop for [[Tell el-Yahudiyeh Ware]] from Middle Bronze Age II and another pottery workshop from Middle Bronze Age I.<ref name= Feig/>
From the 1990s, several small excavations unearthed an uninterrupted sequence of settlement remains from the Chalcolithic until the Late Byzantine periods as well as remains from the Mamluk period.<ref>Dalali-Amos (2009).</ref>
In 2012, excavations were conducted by the [[Israel Antiquities Authority]] on the southern peak of Tel ʿAfula where the Crusader-Mamluk fortress is located. Due to construction activity from the 1950s, settlement layers on the tell may have been destroyed. Only meager remnants were found, indicative of a settlement from Early Bronze Age I and the Roman period. Pottery from Early Bronze Age III, Iron Age I and a single [[Timeline of the Palestine region#Hellenistic period| Hellenistic]] [[Attica |Attic]] fragment indicate settlement on the tell in these periods. Fragments of glazed bowls from the 13th century (Mamluk period) were found along the southern edge of the excavation.<ref name= Feig/>
==Sports==
The city's basketball club, [[Hapoel Afula B.C.|Hapoel Afula]], currently play in the [[Liga Leumit (basketball)|Liga Leumit]].
The main football club, [[Hapoel Afula F.C.|Hapoel Afula]], won [[Liga Alef]] in the 2012–13 season and is currently playing in [[Liga Leumit]].
==Twin towns==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! City
! State
! Country
|-
| [[Ingelheim am Rhein]]
| {{flagicon|Rhineland-Palatinate}} [[Rhineland-Palatinate]]
| {{flagicon|GER}} [[Germany]]
|-
| [[Osnabrück]]
| {{flagicon|Lower Saxony}} [[Lower Saxony]]
| {{flagicon|GER}} [[Germany]]
|-
| [[Biłgoraj]]
| {{flagicon|Lublin Voivodeship}} [[Lublin Voivodeship]]
| {{flagicon|POL}} [[Poland]]
|-
| [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]]
| {{flagicon|Rhode Island}} [[Rhode Island]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States]]
|-
| [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]]
| {{flagicon|Massachusetts}} [[Massachusetts]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States]]
|-
| [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]]
| {{flagicon|Connecticut}} [[Connecticut]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States]]
|-
| [[Stamford, Connecticut|Stamford]]
| {{flagicon|Connecticut}} [[Connecticut]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States]]
|-
| [[West Hartford, Connecticut|West Hartford]]
| {{flagicon|Connecticut}} [[Connecticut]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States]]
|-
| [[Fresno, California|Fresno]]
| {{flagicon|California}} [[California]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States]]
|-
| [[Santa Fe, Argentina|Santa Fe]]
| {{flagicon|Santa Fe}} [[Santa Fe Province]]
| {{flagicon|ARG}} [[Argentina]]
|-
| [[Mingachevir]]
| {{no flag}} [[Mingachevir]]
| {{flagicon|AZE}} [[Azerbaijan]]
|-
| [[San Fernando, Chile|San Fernando]]
| {{flagicon|O'Higgins}} [[O'Higgins Region]]
| {{flagicon|CHI}} [[Chile]]
|}
==Notable people==
*[[Dalal Abu Amneh]] (born 1983), singer, producer, and research doctor in brain sciences
*[[Mosh Ben-Ari]] (born 1970), musician, lyricist and composer
*[[Amir Blumenfeld]] (born 1983), writer, comedian, actor, and television host
*[[Yaakov Bodo]] (born 1931), actor and comedian
*[[Dina Doron]] (born 1940), actress
*[[Sarit Hadad]] (born 1978), singer
*[[Eden Kartsev]] (born 2000), football player
*[[David Kushnir]] (born 1931), Olympic long-jumper
*[[Hila Lulu Linn]] (born 1964), artist
*[[Nikol Reznikov]] (born 1999), model and [[Miss Israel|Miss Universe Israel 2018]]
*[[Samuel Scheimann]] (born 1987), football player
* [[Dagan Yivzori]] (born 1985), basketball player
* [[Vini Vici]] (Matan Kadosh & Aviram Saharai) (born 1983 & 1985), DJ/producer duo
==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}
==
{{Refbegin}}
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*{{cite journal |last= Dalali-Amos |first= Edna |title= 'Afula: Final Report |journal=[[Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel]] |publisher=[[Israel Antiquities Authority]] |volume= 121 |year= 2009 |url=https://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=979&mag_id=115 |access-date= 4 June 2025}}
*{{cite journal |last= Dalali-Amos |first= Edna |title= Afula |journal=[[Hadashot Arkheologiyot]] |publisher=[[Israel Antiquities Authority]] |volume= 124 |year= 2012 |url=https://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=2088&mag_id=119 |access-date= 4 June 2025}}
*{{cite journal |last= Dalali-Amos |first= Edna |title= 'Afula: Final Report |journal=[[Hadashot Arkheologiyot]] |publisher=[[Israel Antiquities Authority]] |volume= 126 |year= 2014 |url=https://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=7482&mag_id=121 |access-date= 4 June 2025}}
*{{cite journal |last1= Dalali-Amos |first1= Edna |last2= Getzov |first2= Nimrod |title= 'Afula: Preliminary Report |journal=[[Hadashot Arkheologiyot]] |publisher=[[Israel Antiquities Authority]] |volume= 126 |year= 2014 |url=https://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=9569&mag_id=121 |access-date= 4 June 2025}}
*{{cite journal|last=Eisenberg|first=Michael|title='Afula, Tel|journal=[[Hadashot Arkheologiyot]]|volume= 118|year=2006 |url=https://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=457&mag_id=111 |access-date= 4 June 2025}}
*{{cite journal |last= Feig |first= Nurit |title= 'Afula, Tel: Final Report |journal=[[Hadashot Arkheologiyot]] |publisher=[[Israel Antiquities Authority]] |volume= 124 |year= 2012 |url=http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=2093&mag_id=119 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130518121539/http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=2093&mag_id=119 |archive-date= 2013-05-18}}
*{{cite book|last=Glass|first=Joseph B.|title=From new Zion to old Zion: American Jewish immigration and settlement in Palestine, 1917-1939|year=2002|publisher=Wayne State University Press|place=Detroit|isbn=0814328423|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dgqj1Ox8StsC|access-date= 4 June 2025}}
*{{cite book|author=Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics|year=1945|title=Village Statistics, April, 1945|url=http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nli/Hebrew/library/Pages/BookReader.aspx?pid=856390}}
*{{cite book|last=Guérin|first=V.|author-link=Victor Guérin|title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine|url=https://archive.org/details/descriptiongogr01unkngoog|volume=3: Galilee, pt. 1|year=1880|publisher=L'Imprimerie Nationale|___location=Paris|language=fr}}
*{{cite book|title=Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine|url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html|first=S.|last=Hadawi|author-link=Sami Hadawi|year=1970|publisher=Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center|access-date=2015-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208215837/http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html|archive-date=2018-12-08|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite journal|author = Karmon, Y.|title = An Analysis of Jacotin's Map of Palestine|url = http://www.jchp.ucla.edu/Bibliography/Karmon,_Y_1960_Jacotin_Map_(IEJ_10).pdf|journal = Israel Exploration Journal|volume = 10|issue = 3,4|year = 1960|pages = 155–173; 244–253|access-date = 2015-04-23|archive-date = 2019-12-22|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191222063351/http://jchp.ucla.edu/Bibliography/Karmon,_Y_1960_Jacotin_Map_(IEJ_10).pdf|url-status = dead}}
*{{cite book | editor = Mills, E. | title = Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas | url = https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas | publisher = Government of Palestine | ___location = Jerusalem | year = 1932 }}
*{{cite book|last=Palmer|first=E.H.|author-link=Edward Henry Palmer|year=1881|url=https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp00conduoft|title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer|publisher=[[Palestine Exploration Fund|Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund]]}}
*{{cite book|title=Secular buildings in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: an archaeological Gazetter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_NbE5obqRMC|first=D.|last=Pringle|author-link=Denys Pringle|year=1997|isbn=0521-46010-7|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}}
*{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft|title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838|___location=Boston|publisher=[[Crocker & Brewster]]|volume=3}}
*{{cite journal |last= Schumacher |first= G. |author-link= Gottlieb Schumacher |title= Population list of the Liwa of Akka |journal=[[Palestine Exploration Fund#Quarterly publication|Quarterly Statement]] |publisher=[[Palestine Exploration Fund]] |volume= 20 |pages= 169–191 |url=https://archive.org/details/quarterlystateme19pale |year= 1888}}
*{{cite journal | author = Schumacher, G. | author-link = Gottlieb Schumacher | title = Reports from Galilee | journal = Quarterly Statement - Palestine Exploration Fund | volume = 32 | issue = 4 | pages = 355–360 | url = https://archive.org/details/quarterlystateme32pale | year = 1900 | doi = 10.1179/peq.1900.32.4.355 }}
*{{cite book|last=Segev|first=T.|author-link=Tom Segev|title=One Palestine Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lu_nXv6BCwkC|year=1999|publisher=Abacus|___location=London|isbn=978-0-349-11286-2}}
*{{cite book|last=Thomson|first=W.M.|author-link=William McClure Thomson|title=The Land and the Book: Or, Biblical Illustrations Drawn from the Manners and Customs, the Scenes and Scenery, of the Holy Land|url=https://archive.org/details/landandbookorbi08thomgoog|edition=1|volume=2|publisher=Harper & brothers|___location=New York|year=1859}}
* Zevulun, U., "Tell el-Yahudiyeh Juglets from a Potter’s Refuse Pit at Afula", ''[[Eretz-Israel]] 21 (1990), pp. 174–190, p. 107.
{{Refend}}
==External
{{Wikivoyage|Afula}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130627225645/http://www.afula.muni.il/English.html Afula municipal website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070119/http://147.237.248.50/reader/pop_in_locs/pop_in_locs_e.html?MIval=%2Fpop_in_locs%2Fpop_in_locs_e.html&Name_e=AFULA Central Bureau of Statistics, Afula]
*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 8: [http://www.iaa-archives.org.il/zoom/zoom.aspx?folder_id=93&type_id=6&id=8389 IAA], [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Survey_of_Western_Palestine_1880.08.jpg Wikimedia commons]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20141022054211/http://ru.afula.muni.il/ Afula municipal website on russian lang/]
*[https://www.nli.org.il/en/maps/NNL_MAPS_JER002714130/NLI#$FL10589809 Air-photo of Afula with index, 1946] - Eran Laor Cartographic Collection, The [[National Library of Israel]]
{{Northern District (Israel)}}
{{Largest Israeli cities}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Canaanite cities]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1925]]
[[Category:Jewish villages in Mandatory Palestine]]
[[Category:1925 establishments in Mandatory Palestine]]
[[Category:Cities in Northern District (Israel)]]
[[Category:Jezreel Valley]]
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