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Druze villages
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Sajur
Perched on the highest hill of the Sajur Plain, 1,700 feet above sea level, is the village of Sajur. Its neighbors include the city of Karmiel 2.5 miles to the west and Rama, a little over a mile to the east. Declared a local council in 1993, the village is home to 3,700 inhabitants, all of whom are Druze belonging to eight clans. Due to the rise in the quality of life and in the age of marriage the local annual growth rate is one of the country’s lowest - a mere 1%. The locals are mainly employed by the defense forces. Some engage in commerce and tourism services, while a handful still cling to the traditional occupation of agriculture. However, most families still own olive groves, and during the harvest each family goes out to tend to its trees. A subject of intense pride in the village is the high number of educated (including university-educated) women. The local education system is well-developed, with schools of all levels and two community centers offering a wide range of cultural and sports activities. The village is also scheduled to open a tennis court to serve local enthusiasts of the white sport.
Sajur was settled as early as the 11th century, when the Druze faith was first preached in the region. Over the ages many communities had resided there; relics found in the village point to the existence of a Roman village, while the burial sites of Jewish rabbis indicate that Sajur was built on the remains of the Jewish town of Shazur, where many Jewish clerics resided in the time of the Second Temple.
Legend tells of Rabbi Shimon of Shazur who used to study the Torah in hiding at a nearby cave due the Roman ban on such studies. Following his arrest the Emperor›s daughter fell in love with him and wanted to keep him for her pleasures. Rabbi Shimon rejected her advances and she had her father execute him, but kept his long tresses as a memento. Another possible explanation for the name pertains to the Arabic word Sajur, meaning ‘hard rock’. The village has long been known for its excellent chalk, which is widely used in construction under the moniker of Sajur Stone. Considered one of the finest sources of chalk in the world, Sajur is said to have supplied stones for the construction of many princely palaces. The village quarry is still in use.
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