![[Municipality of Shfar'am (Israel)]](../images/i/il-shfrm.gif)
image by Dov Gutterman | 2:3
Emblem adopted 19th May 1966
Last modified: 2015-06-29 by andrew weeks
Keywords: shefar'am | iriyat shefar'am | shfa omar | baladiyat shfa omar | druze | text: hebrew (blue) | text: arabic (blue) | text: english (blue) |
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image by Dov Gutterman | 2:3 Emblem adopted 19th May 1966 |
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Shefar'am, according to one explanation, derives its name from
Shofar HaAm, meaning 'Shofar of the People'.
Its Arab name is Shfa Omar or Omar's Health, afterthe
Muslim general Omar Bin-Elias. It is situated on the road from
the Qrayot to Nazareth (road 79), 8 km from the
seashore. Est. 1910, pop: 30,000 made up of Druzes, Christians and Muslims.
In my visit of 17 September 2001, I spotted a flag on the city
hall, white with a blue emblem and inscriptions in three
languages.
Dov Gutterman, 22 September 2001
Since the Hellenic era, it was the site of the Jewish town
Shefar'am (name from the word Shefer (Beauty, comfort).
At the 2nd century it was main Jewish center (after Usha and
before Bet-She'arim). It seems that it was populated with Jews
until the 9th or the 10th century.
The Crusaders built there a fort named La-Safran. Since the
beginning of the Ottoman era there was a Jewish community in
Shefar'am (last Jew left in 1920). In the mid 18th century it was
fortified by the ruler of the Galilee, Daher Al-Omar who renamed
it to Shfa-Omar (Omar Health). In 1910 it was granted with a
status of a city by the Ottoman regime. In the city you can find
the preserved fort of Daher Al-Omar on the ruins of the
Crusaders' fort which is also the municipal emblem.
Pop: 31,000 (57% Moslems, 28% Christians and 15% Druze).
Source: <www.mapa.co.il>.
Dov Gutterman, 8 May 2005
