Kafr Yasif 22.12.42
Translation with [comments]
[This village is still there in the Galilee]
Its name in the Bible is Akhshav, established by Yosifus the Jew [Josephus Flavius – the Jewish historian from the Roman era]. Jews inhabited the village a long time, even during Turkish rule. Gradually they left the village. There still remains a Jewish cemetery, surrounded by many olive trees. The Jews buried their dead from Acre there until 1925. Around the village are gardens and wells and caves, proving this village has great historical importance.
Water there is one spring in the village. In the times of the Turks water was drawn by buckets. After the conquest a pump was installed. Assessments are that 500 water buckets (about 10 cubic metres) are drawn per hour. The spring lies west of the village on the road to Abu Snan [see file]. Next to the spring is a water pool to water the livestock. There are many holes for rainwater, most of them ancient. Their water is drawn.
Roads there are no asphalt roads, and all the other ways are unpaved. The Safed-al-Faradiya [actually spelled al-Faradiyya in the Safad area, destroyed on 1 February 1949] -Acre highway runs by the village. The internal roads have been paved by the local council and they are in good condition the year round because the village is built on a slope. Other roads lead to the villages: Abu-Snan, Yarka [See file], Kuwikat [see File]. Transportation is easy. The villagers have two buses, connecting the village to the neighbouring villages.
Buildings ancient, of loam and stone. There are new buildings of stone with concrete roofs. The fences - brambles and sabres [prickly pear].
Wadis from east to north Wadi Abu Snan, from the south Wadi al-Gezazi.
Khirbes a khirba to the west of the village - Khirbat Dar al-Gharbia (the house of the west), with ancient ruined buildings.
Livestock 100 heads of cattle, 250 goats, 1000 chickens.
Land 4000 dunams, some for seasonal field crops [mainly referring to wheat and barley] and most with olive trees.
Plantations olives and grapes. Main crops of the village: olives, oil, field crops.
[Ownership] There are no foreign landowners in the village. Average area per family - thirty dunams. The land is in one block. There are no families without land. In recent years there has been slight improvement in olive and grape cultivation. There is no irrigated land. They have not received land from the government. The village has no ties with the waqf.
The village has no land elsewhere.
Number of residents about 1350.
[Families] There are two hamulas [extended families] in the village. The first is Christian: its families are: Bulus, Sa'id, Atim, [probably al-Taim] Tuma, al-Susu. The Christians number 900. The second hamula is Muslim, the families: al-Haj and Saghyer. Both are old families in the village. Their land was inherited from the fathers. The leader of the Bulus hamula is Dr Daud Bulus who lives in Jerusalem now and Laviv Toma who is in the village. The leader of the Muslims - Naif Mahmoud al-Haj. Two thirds of the land belong to the Christians.
Important members of the village who live elsewhere:
1. Dr Daud Bulus
2. Faiz Huri, a clerk in the department of statistics in Jerusalem
3. Habib Toma al-Huri, in the education department in Jerusalem
4. Dr Ibrahim al-Taim in Gaza
5. Dr Wadi'a al-Taim in Jerusalem
6. Dr Kamal al-Taim in Jerusalem
7. Nabia Bulus, an engineer in Nablus
8. Hana Bulus, regional officer.
Many of the villagers are government officials in various departments, all Christians.
Relations between the families and with neighbouring villages are good.
[Mukhtars] First Mukhtar: Habib Toma al-Huri, who has been officiating for the past 18 years. Accepted by all.
Second Mukhtar: Naif Mahmud al-Haj, appointed by the government 3 years ago. Accepted by all.
Local council Yani Yani - chairman, Lviv al-Jubran, Toma Jubran al-Huri, Naif Mahmud al-Haj, Hana al-As'ad, Michail Musa, Salim al-Kubati.
[Schools] There is a boys' government school of 7 classes, 90 pupils. The headmaster Halim Shehadeh of Kafr Yasif. A girls' government school with 30 pupils.
Artisans the village has quarrymen, well diggers, 4 drivers. The village has 10 oil presses. Most residents currently work in the army.
[Shops] There are 10 groceries and industry. The shopkeepers make their living from the shops and from agriculture. 4 people work as clerks at the railway. Many have left the village to work in Haifa and Acre.
[Guesthouses] There are no public guesthouses only private ones in the homes of the notables.
[Taxes] Tax levied by the local council to the annual sum of 50 Erez Israel mil [Palestine coin a thousand of which constitute one pound] for every man over 15 years of age, and a house tax of 50-200 Erez Israel mil.
[Jews] There are no ties with the Jews as there are no Jews around the village. There are no workers or guards in the Jews' orchards.
[Mosques and Churches] There is no mosque: there are attempts to build a new one. There are churches: for the Roman Orthodox community in the north of the village, the priest: Huri 'Abed 'Atallah, of the village. For the Catholics, the priest: Huri Hana Toma, of the village. The Protestant priest has passed away recently and has not yet been replaced, an external priest officiates when needed.
[Guards] There are 75 gaffirs [security men] among the villagers and 7 army recruits. There is no official guard. Every year two are chosen to guard the olives. Relations with the government are good. Informers are not known. The residents have big debts to the banks. There are no smugglers.
During the Troubles [the Arab Revolt] Sa'id Turki was in the village, who implements the decisions of the Arab committee and the rebels. He is the instigator in the village. Commander of the rebels was a man from Majd Al-Krum [see file] - Mubada Farhat, currently working for the government.
The army killed two of the villagers in a clash in the mountains. The rebels killed two: 1. Naif Yunis, for having handed over his rifle to the government. 2. Habib Bulus, for his attempt to take over leadership of the rebels. There were not many arrests.
Weapons were not confiscated from residents of the village. The quantity of arms currently in the village is unknown.
During the uprising the rebels laid a mine in the village road. It blew up an army vehicle killing all passengers. The army pulled in all the residents, burnt down 72 houses and shops in the Eastern road. The damage is estimated at seven thousand Eretz Israel Lira [Palestine pounds].
There are no exiles or deportees.