Givat Shemesh
Givat Shemesh is a village and drug rehabilitation centre in central Israel. Located near Beit Shemesh above kibbutz Tzora and run by the Retorno organisation, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In it had a population of.History
Givat Shemesh is located on the land of the depopulated Arab village of Dayr Rafat, just west of the village site. Depopulation was caused mainly by migration from the war zone in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, both voluntary and involuntary by Jewish armed forces in order to save lives. Dayr Rafat, along with four other villages, were overtaken by Israeli forces on 17–18 July 1948. The villages had been on the front line since April 1948 and most of the inhabitants had already left the area and the few who remained at each village were expelled.
The Retorno rehabilitation centre was established in 1989 in Mexico by Rabbi Eitan Eckstein, and later opened in Israel. The centre has elements of Judaism in and around the therapy program and religious practice is the general lifestyle in the centre.
