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JWR VerifiedJWR-2026-000052

Highest Jewish Settlement in the World

Record holder

NimrodPlace

Record value

1,110 metres above sea level (published locality elevation; entrance-point measurement pending)

Country: IsraelAchievement location: Nimrod, IsraelAchievement date: January 1999Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

High-resolution view of Nimrod community settlement on Mount Keta in the northern Golan

Nimrod community settlement, the verified highest currently inhabited Jewish settlement in the world under the JWR definition, photographed 2 May 2020.Zeev Stein / PikiWiki Israel / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY 2.5

Official record definition

The currently inhabited distinct civilian locality or settlement anywhere in the world whose present settlement identity is Jewish and whose published settlement elevation is the highest. General cities containing Jewish communities, military posts, ski facilities, uninhabited sites, and historically Jewish settlements with no current Jewish population are excluded.

Measurement methodology

Published locality elevation (Galilee Development Authority); not a surveyed entrance-point measurement. Confirm the entrance coordinate and orthometric elevation with an authoritative source before issuing a point-accurate plaque.

Measurement point: Published locality elevation, not an identified entrance gate. Candidate coordinate 33.245100 N, 35.751950 E is unverified and must not be represented as a surveyed entrance.

Record story

Nimrod is a tiny civilian Jewish community on Mount Keta in the northern Golan. The Golan Regional Council publishes its elevation at approximately 1,100 metres above sea level. For the world record, JWR applied a narrower test than simply asking which city with Jews sits highest: the candidate must be a distinct, currently inhabited civilian settlement whose present settlement identity is Jewish. The global counter-search included Red Settlement in Azerbaijan, identified by Azerbaijan Travel as a living Mountain-Jewish settlement and the world's last surviving shtetl; geographic data place it at about 569 metres. Purpose-built Jewish municipalities in the United States are also substantially lower. Historical high-altitude Jewish villages were excluded when they no longer had a current Jewish population. Under this frozen definition and the completed global counter-search, Nimrod is the highest verified currently inhabited Jewish settlement in the world.

Media

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
2 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The Galilee Development Authority locality page documents Nimrod as a currently inhabited civilian Jewish community and publishes its locality elevation as 1,110 metres above sea level. The source does not identify this value as the entrance gate, the highest residence, or another specific point within the settlement.

Superiority evidence

Global counter-search tested the principal current Jewish-settlement classes identified in the verification file. Azerbaijan Travel identifies Qırmızı Qəsəbə / Red Settlement as a living Mountain-Jewish settlement and the world's last surviving shtetl; geographic data place it at about 569 m, far below Nimrod. Major purpose-built Jewish municipalities in the United States are also substantially lower; USGS material for Kiryas Joel shows village well-site altitudes roughly 655–762 ft (about 200–232 m). Historical high-altitude Jewish villages were separately checked and excluded where they no longer have a current Jewish population. No qualifying currently inhabited distinct Jewish settlement above Nimrod was found.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Introduction to Jewish heritage in the Red Settlement — Azerbaijan Travel / Azerbaijan Tourism Board

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Nimrod — Golan Regional Council
  • Nimrod — locality profile — Galilee Development Authority

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Qırmızı Qəsəbə map and elevation — Mapcarta / OpenStreetMap / GeoNames
  • Drillers' logs of wells at Kiryas Joel, Orange County, New York — U.S. Geological Survey

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

  • Nimrod

    Official recordGolan Regional Council

    What this proves: Identifies Nimrod as Israel's highest Jewish settlement, confirms its inhabited civilian-community character and embeds the direct locality video.

  • Nimrod — locality profile

    Official recordGalilee Development Authority

    What this proves: Publishes Nimrod's locality elevation as 1,110 metres above sea level and documents its inhabited community context. It does not identify the elevation as the entrance gate, the highest residence, or another specific point within the settlement.

  • Introduction to Jewish heritage in the Red Settlement

    Official recordAzerbaijan Travel / Azerbaijan Tourism Board

    What this proves: Identifies Red Settlement / Qırmızı Qəsəbə as a living Mountain-Jewish settlement, historically the only entirely Jewish settlement outside Israel and the United States, and the world's last surviving shtetl.

  • Qırmızı Qəsəbə map and elevation

    Independent publicationMapcarta / OpenStreetMap / GeoNames

    What this proves: Places Qırmızı Qəsəbə at approximately 569 metres above sea level, well below Nimrod's documented 1,110 m.

  • Drillers' logs of wells at Kiryas Joel, Orange County, New York

    Official recordU.S. Geological Survey· 1979

    What this proves: Reports Kiryas Joel well-site altitudes of roughly 655–762 feet (about 200–232 m), demonstrating that this major purpose-built Jewish municipality is far below Nimrod.

  • 117597 Nimrod community settlement, Golan Heights

    Independent publicationWikimedia Commons / PikiWiki Israel· 2 May 2020

    What this proves: Identifies the depicted settlement, photographer, date and CC BY 2.5 license.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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