Mateh Yehuda Regional Council
Mateh Yehuda
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| District | Jerusalem |
| Government | |
| • Type | Regional council (from 1964) |
| • Head of Municipality | Moshe Dadon |
| Area | |
| • Total | 480,420 dunams (480.42 km2 or 185.49 sq mi) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 51,500 |
| Website | Official website |
Mateh Yehuda Regional Council (Hebrew: מועצה אזורית מטה יהודה, Mo'atza Azorit Mateh Yehuda) is a regional council in the Jerusalem District of Israel. In 2008 it was home to 36,200 people.
The name of the regional council stems from the fact that its territory was part of the land allotted to the Tribe of Judah, according to the Bible.
The regional council administers moshavim, kibbutzim, Arab villages and other rural settlements in the Jerusalem corridor, north and south of Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, from Jerusalem to Latrun and up to area of Beit Shemesh (Ha'ela Valley) in the South.
The settlements vary greatly in their character. There are religious, secular and mixed Jewish communities, two Arab communities, and the only mixed Arab-Jewish village in Israel - Neve Shalom. Many of the Jewish communities in the Mateh Yehuda district were established by immigrants from India, Yemen, Iraq, Iran and countries in Eastern Europe.
The tourist activities in the area include mountain hiking and biking and historical sight seeing. Other attractions include natural phenomenon as Avshalom stalactites cave and natural water springs. Mate Yehuda is also home to goat cheese farms, over 30 wineries, 11 breweries and dozens of artists.
The regional council has sister city-like partnerships with these municipalities:
The regional council and Beit Shemesh are linked to South Africa and Washington, D.C., in the Partnership 2gether program of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
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Wikipedia