MAJD AL-KURŪM

Arab village in northern Israel, 10 mi. (16 km.) E. of Acre. In the Israel war of independence , the village capitulated to Israel forces (Oct. 30, 1948). In 1964 Majd al-Kurūm received municipal council status. It has an area of 3.5 sq. mi. (9 sq. km.) and had a 1969 population of 3,690, most of whom were Sunnite Muslims. The village economy was based on hill farming, with olive groves, deciduous fruit tree orchards, and vegetables and local workshops, stone and marble quarries, and factories, particularly for food processing. By the end of 2002 the population of Majd al-Kurūm had tripled to 11,400 inhabitants, with income less than half the national average. Its site is assumed to be identical with the talmudic Bet Kerem ("House of Vineyards"), known for its fertile soil and rich water resources (Nid. 2:7; Tosef., Nid. 3:11). (Efraim Orni)