History
Tzrifin was founded in 1917, during World War I, as a British base named Sarafand, after the nearby Arab village Sarafand al-Amar. Sarafand was a central British base in a strategic location, having a railway connection to Jaffa and Lydda (Lod). The Transjordan Frontier Force (TJFF) was established at Sarafand on 1 April 1926 with a cadre drawn from the Arab Legion. The TJFF subsequently moved to Zerqa in October 1926. During World War II, the Jewish Brigade was formed in Tzrifin.
On 14 May 1948, one day before the Israeli declaration of independence, British forces vacated Sarafand for the Jordanian Arab Legion. The adjacent Arab village Sarafand al-'Amr was depopulated on 15 May. After a two-day battle, between the 18th and 19th of May, the base was captured by the Jewish forces from the Givati Brigade. The place was named Tzrifin after a historical city with that name located in the area and mentioned in the Talmud.
As the years passed, Rishon LeZion expanded to the east, eventually reaching the fences of Camp Yadin. As a result, the IDF decided to vacate Tzrifin and sell its land to private contractors due to the high land value. Most bases inside Camp Yadin are planned to be relocated to the City of Training Bases in the Negev.
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