Moishe Alexander donates to Rabbi Chaim Hertzel in Beitar Ilit

Located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Jerusalem, Beitar Illit was established in 1985 and initially settled by a small group of young families from the religious zionist yeshiva of Machon Meir, including that of Rabbi Reuven Hass (now of Beit El). As Beitar Illit began to grow, an influx of Haredi Jewish families came to predominate while the original group moved on. The city has since expanded to three adjacent hills.

Beitar Illit is a fast-growing settlement, with a higher birthrate than any other habitation in the West Bank or Israel. At the end of 2007, it had a total population of 32,200. According to former mayor Yitzchak Pindrus, the population is expected to reach 100,000 by 2020, based on population growth and the building of new apartments to attract more Haredim from older Haredi cities such as Bnei Brak and parts of Jerusalem. Like other settlements within the Israeli-occupied territories Beitar Illit is widely considered as illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

Beitar Illit was the first Haredi town to be established as such. The city’s ideology is based on the desire to have an exclusively Haredi environment. It is named after the ancient Jewish city of Betar, whose ruins lie 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) away.