Be'er Ora

Be'er Ora בְּאֵר אוֹרָה
Be'er Ora
Coordinates: 29°42′39.95″N 34°58′44.76″E / 29.7110972°N 34.9791000°ECoordinates: 29°42′39.95″N 34°58′44.76″E / 29.7110972°N 34.9791000°E
District	Southern
Council	Eilot
Founded	2001
Population (2014)[1]	525
Name meaning	Well of light

Be'er Ora (Hebrew: בְּאֵר אוֹרָה) is a communal settlement 19 kilometers from Eilat in the far south of Israel.^[2] Located in the Arava region, just west of Highway 90, north of kibbutz Eilot, and south of Elifaz and Timna Park, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Eilot Regional Council. In 2014 its population was 525.

History

Be'er Ora was founded in 2001 as part of a program to populate the Arava and to bring people from central Israel to the Negev, which was determined to be a preferred place for new settlement. Previously there was a Gadna army base, also called Be'er Ora, in that location. The word "Be'er" means "well of water". Before the community was established, there was a well within its area that served as the first source of fresh water for Eilat, before Eilat was connected to the national water network.

The word "Ora" (light) is borrowed from the nearby Ora Mountain and Ora Creek.

Aviation

In 2004, the government decided to move Eilat Airport to an empty area near Be'er Ora. This decision was made because the airport in Eilat is located very close to residential and commercial areas (planes landing in Eilat pass directly over a large shopping mall). The new airport will be called the Ramon Airport and is due to open in 2017.

References

1. 2014 populations Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
2. Plans being drawn up for Eilat: A new airport at Be'er Ora Ha'aretz, 13 January 2002