Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut (), usually referred to as just Modi'in, is a city in the Central District of Israel, about southeast of Tel Aviv and west of Jerusalem, and is connected to those two cities via Highway 443. In the population was . The population density in that year was 1,794 people per square kilometer.

The modern city, which was built in the 20th century, is named after the ancient Jewish town of Modi'in, which existed in the same area. Modi'in was the place of origin of the Maccabees, the Jewish rebels who freed Judea from the rule of the Seleucid Empire and established the Hasmonean dynasty, events commemorated by the holiday of Hanukkah.

A small part of the city (the Maccabim neighborhood) is not recognized by the European Union (EU) as being in Israel, as it lies in what the 1949 Armistice Agreement with Jordan left as a no man's land, and was occupied in 1967 by Israel after it was captured from Jordan together with the West Bank proper.'Israel blasts EU listing,' UPI 15 August 2012

Etymology The name "Modi'in" () derives from the ancient Jewish village of Modi'im,The modern Hebrew spelling for Modi'in follows a reconstruction based on the Greek name Μωδαῒν / Μωδαί (Modin), while overlooking the more ancient spelling of this name found in the Mishnah (Pesahim 9:2; Hagigah 3:5), where the name is rendered as Modi'im (מודיעים). of the high priest Mattathias and his five sons, which was located in the same area as the modern city. The name "Maccabim" () is Hebrew for the Maccabees and is a common nickname given to Mattathias and his five sons.

History Ancient Modi'in

During classical antiquity, a town named Modi'in (, Mōdeeim)Madaba Map. existed in the general area of the modern city. It was the place of origin of the Maccabees, a group of Jewish rebel warriors who started and led the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid rule over Judea and the Hellenisation of its Jewish population. The revolt succeeded in driving out the Selucids, and the rededication of the Second Temple at the end of the revolt is commemorated by the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. After expelling the Selucids, the Maccabees formed the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled Judea in the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE.

Under Justinian, the Byzantine town in the area was known as Moditha ().

An ancient Jewish fortified homestead dating from the Hellenistic period through to the Bar Kokhba revolt has been discovered in the area. Archaeologists discovered what one of them suggested might be an orderly numismatic collection of 16 silver tetradrachms and didrachms (shekels and half-shekels) minted in the city of Tyre during the reign of two Seleucid kings. They further unearthed artifacts and structures from the Hasmonean period, the Great Revolt (66–74 CE) and the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135 CE), including a rock-hewn hiding complex entered through a mikveh (ritual bath).

Modern Modi'in is located near the site of the ancient Modi'in described in the Talmud, though the specific location is uncertain. Possibilities are Suba near Jerusalem, Umm el-Umdan near Route 20 to Canada Park and Latrun, al-Midya,, s.v. and Khirbet el-Burj (TituraShimon Gibson, ASOR Newsletter 49-1 (1999) pp. 16-17Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah, ASOR conference 2003Joshua Schwartz, Lod (Lydda), Israel: from its origins through the Byzantine period, 5600 B.C.E. - 640 C.E, Oxford University Press, 1991, pp. 61-63./Horbat Tittora).

Umm el-Umdan

Umm el-Umdan is an archaeological hilltop site near the southern Moriah (Buchman) neighbourhood of Maccabim Reut, towards Latrun Junction. The six main settlement strata excavated date to the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Early Muslim periods. However, the main findings are from a rural settlement from the Hasmonean through to the Early Roman periods. It contains the remains of a synagogue dated to the end of the 2nd-beginning of the 1st century BCE (Hasmonean period), in use until 132 CE (Bar Kokhba revolt). It has a 1st-century CE mikveh standing next to it.Alexander Onn, The ancient synagogue in Modi'in, Israel Antiquities Authority. Retrieved 15 April 2020.

Titura/Horbat Tittora Horbat Tittora, located on a hill at Modi'in, shows signs of habitation from the Chalcolithic to the Ottoman period, with continuous habitation from the Iron Age II in the First Temple period through to the Byzantine period and some traces from the Early Muslim, Mamluk and Ottoman periods.Elena Kogan-Zehavi, Gabriela Bijovsky and Yossi Nagar, "Tombs and Installations from the Iron Age II to the Byzantine Period from South Ḥorbat Tittora", 'Atiqot 72 (2012), Israel Antiquities Authority, pp. 89-91, accessed 19 December 2018.

Crusader castle at Titura The ruins of a Crusader castle have been excavated at Titura/Tittora. The findings from the castle's courtyard, which has also been used as a kitchen, include various kitchenware as well as bronze and silver jewelry lost by the medieval female kitchen staff.Amanda Borschel-Dan, School pupils help find 900-year-old Crusader jewelry trove, Times of Israel, 20 June 2017, accessed 19 Dec. 2018Zach Pontz, Kids found this 900-year-old jewelry in a Crusader castle, at From the Grapewine, 27 June 2017, accessed 19 Dec. 2018

Preservation efforts Lack of interest in archaeological sites during the construction of the new city led to the loss of important archaeological vestiges. Through the effort of several individual citizens, similar destruction was averted at Titura and Umm el-Umdan, with authorities taking over the preservation of the surviving sites, while the public actively included the Hasmonean antiquities into their annual Hanukkah rituals.

Modern city (est. 1985-1996)

The modern city was founded in the late 20th century. The city of Modi'in was built in the 1990s, and it was later merged with the nearby towns of Maccabim and Re'ut, which had been founded in the 1980s, to create the unified municipality of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut. After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, modern Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut's municipal boundary encompasses a number of depopulated Palestinian villages: Ajanjul, Barfiliya, Bayt Shanna, Bir Ma'in, Al-Burj, Innaba, Khirbat al-Buwayra, Kharruba, and Al-Kunayyisa.

In 1985, the construction of the town of Maccabim, which was led by the International Maccabi World Union (MWU) organization began.Markowitz, Pearl. "Hasmonean Heritage Museum Opens in Center of Modi’in", The Jewish Link, May 5, 2022. Accessed November 2, 2025. "Also in 1985, the adjacent community settlement of Maccabim was established by the Maccabi Olami movement." The project of founding nearby Re'ut, led by an association of Israeli army officers, started in 1987. The towns were united into Maccabim-Re'ut in 1990.

According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated land from two Palestinian villages for the construction of Maccabim, presently part of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut: 1,499 dunams from Beit Sira Beit Sira Village Profile, ARIJ, p. 17 and 471 dunams from Saffa.Saffa village profile, ARIJ, p. 17Other statistics published by ARIJ claim that in the wake of the 1967 war, 1680 dunams (415 acres) were confiscated to Israel, of which 840 dunams (207.5 acres) were initially designated for Maccabim settlement, while the remaining lands annexed to Israel without any designation. See: POICA – Beit Sira: A Palestinian Village on the verge of diminishing, Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem

The cornerstone of Modi'in was laid in 1993. It was built as a modern planned city with high standards of urban planning. Environmental issues and future growth were taken into consideration from the early design stages. Large greenspaces were incorporated into the city's layout and comprise 50% of the area within the city limits. The city was opened for residency in 1996. In 2003, the Israeli Ministry of Interior unified Modi'in and Maccabim-Re'ut into a single city.

Demography

Modi'in has become a magnet for Jerusalem residents displeased with the capital's growing Haredi character. Thousands of residents of Rosh HaAyin, Lod, and Ramla have also relocated to Modi'in. In 2008, it was decided to cap the growth of Modi'in to allow for the development of Lod and Ramla. The city was planned by the well-known architect Moshe Safdie. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the city is rated at level 8 out of 10 on the scale of socio-economic development, with a high proportion of high school graduation, 76.5% (2006–07), and an average monthly income of 9,659 NIS, compared to a national average of 7,466 (2006). Modi'in has attracted a large community of olim (Jewish immigrants) from English-speaking countries.

Neighborhoods

השבטים HaShvatim – The Tribes (North Buchman/Buchman) and מוריה Moriah (South Buchman) are the most southern neighborhoods in the city. Most of the buildings in this neighborhood are ground-level private homes and condos. The streets of Shvatim are named after the tribes of Israel, and the streets of Moriah are named after ancient historical Jewish figures. Moriah, the name of the southern neighborhood, is also a feminine name representing these women.

הפרחים HaPrachim – The Flowers (Miromi) is a small neighborhood in the city center. Located in HaPrachim is a commercial center, two primary schools and a secondary school. The neighborhood's streets are named after trees, flowers, and plants. At the northern part of the neighborhood there is a small compound where the streets are named after phrases from the Song of Songs.

הנחלים HaNechalim – The Rivers (Safdie) and משואה Masuah – Beacon (Givat C) are located towards the west of the city, and were planned by architect Moshe Safdie. Located in these neighborhoods are five commercial centers, a secondary school and three primary schools. The central street names are named after valleys in Israel, and the side streets are named after Israeli rivers and streets. The name "Masuah" was selected in order to represent the neighborhood's high altitude. Within the area consisting of the streets named after rivers and streams is the "Malibu" area, which, as with other areas, is colloquially named after the contractor who designed the neighborhood.

הכרמים HaKramim – The Vineyards (Tsipor) is the northernmost neighborhood in Modi'in. The streets are named after the Hebrew months. The name "Kramim" is in honor of the vineyards that were located where the neighborhood now stands before the city was founded.

אבני חן Avnei Chen – Precious Stones (Kaizer) is located towards the west of the city, and parts of it are still under construction. The main road is named "Avnei Choshen" and leads to the only retail under residential mixed use buildings in Modi'in. Other streets, in keeping with the neighborhood's name, are named for precious stones. The parks are connected through the center of the neighborhood and allow pedestrians to cross. A bike lane in the Emek Zvuloon street leads to the center of town.

הנביאים HaNevi'im – The Prophets (Northern Shimshoni) and המגינים HaMeginim – The Defenders (Southern Shimshoni) are located towards the northwest of the city. Streets in HaNevi'im are named for the Prophets of Israel, while HaMeginim's streets are named after generals and important battles in Israeli history. Located in the neighborhoods are three commercial centers, three primary schools, and one secondary school.

הציפורים HaTsiporim – The Birds (South Kaizer) is still being planned. Its streets will be named after different species of birds, and will be a relatively small neighborhood consisting of only seven streets.

Urban development