Givatayim(Hebrew:גִּבְעָתַיִים,lit. "two hills" ) is a city inIsraeleast ofTel Aviv.It is part of themetropolitan areaknown asGush Dan.Givatayim was established in 1922 by pioneers of theSecond Aliyah.In 2022 it had a population of 61,924.[1]

Givatayim
גִּבְעָתַיִים
جفعاتايم
Hebrew transcription(s)
• Also spelledGiv'atayim
Flag of Givatayim
Official logo of Givatayim
Givatayim is located in Israel
Givatayim
Givatayim
Givatayim is located in Central Israel
Givatayim
Givatayim
Coordinates:32°04′17″N34°48′36″E/ 32.07139°N 34.81000°E/32.07139; 34.81000
CountryIsrael
DistrictTel Aviv
Founded1922
City status1959
Government
• MayorRan Kunik
Area
• Total
3,211dunams(3.211 km2or 1.240 sq mi)
Population
(2022)[1]
• Total
61,924
• Density19,000/km2(50,000/sq mi)
Ethnicity
Jews and others99.9%
Arabs0.1%
Name meaningTwo hills
Websitewww.givatayim.muni.il

The name of the city comes from the "two hills" on which it was established: Borochov Hill and Kozlovsky Hill. Kozlovsky is the highest hill in the Gush Dan region at 85 metres (279 ft)above sea level.The city was expanded in the 1930s so that today it is actually situated on 4 hills, Borochov, Kozlovsky, the Poalei HaRakevet ( "railroad workers" ), andRambamHill.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
19489,600
195519,800+106.2%
196130,900+56.1%
197248,600+57.3%
198346,700−3.9%
199549,000+4.9%
200852,100+6.3%
201054,000+3.6%
201658,508+8.3%
Source:
Givatayim by night

Geography

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Givatayim is located east ofTel Aviv,and is bordered on the north and east byRamat Gan.

History

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Antiquity

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Archaeological remains of aChalcolithicsettlement have been found at the site of what is now Givatayim.[citation needed]

British Mandate era

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Borochov Neighbourhood (Shechunat Borochov) in 1926, photo bySamuel Joseph Schweig

The modern town was founded on April 2, 1922 by a group of 22 Second Aliyah pioneers led by David Schneiderman. The group purchased 300 dunams (300,000 square metres (3,200,000 sq ft)) of land on the outskirts of Tel Aviv that became the Borochov Neighbourhood (Shechunat/Shekhunat Borochov), the first workers' neighbourhood in the country. It was named forDov Ber Borochov,founder of thePoalei Zionworkers' party. Later, another 70 families joined the group, receiving smaller plots. The land was purchased with their private savings, but was voluntarily transferred to theJewish National Fund,which organized Jewish settlement at the time, in keeping with the pioneers' socialist beliefs.[3]

Shechunat Borochov is credited for a number of innovations in the early Jewish settlement movement, including establishing the first cooperative grocery store (Tzarkhaniya,"Consumer" )[4]that still functioned in the same location into the 1980s.

Over time, more neighborhoods developed: Sheinkin (1936; named afterMenahem Sheinkin), Givat Rambam (1933; named afterMaimonides), Kiryat Yosef (1934; named afterthe biblical figure), and Arlozorov (1936; named afterHaim Arlosoroff).[citation needed]

All these neighborhoods were merged to form a local council in August 1942.[citation needed]The city was also settled onAl-Khayriyyain April 1948, a former Palestinian village.[5]

State of Israel

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Givatayim was declared a city in 1959.[citation needed]

Education and culture

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Givatayim park

Givatayim has 41 kindergartens, 9elementary schoolsand 4 high schools. As of 2018, the city has one of the highest rate of secondary school matriculation in the country.[6]Mayor Ruven Ben-Shachar initiated a special high school exam assistance program that after 3 years resulted in an 11% increase of high school test results in 2010.

Thelma Yellin High School for the Arts alumni includeMichal Yannai,Ido Mosseri,Tal Mosseri,Shai Maestro,Dikla Hadar,Shira Haas,Ohad Knoller,Ilanit,Mili Avital,Ziv Koren,Yael TalandMaya Dunietz.

Urban development

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Eurocom Tower is a 70-story skyscraper consisting of four apartment towers and a 50-story office building. A large square connects to surrounding areas with bridges and underground passes. The complex is nearRamat Ganand itsDiamond Exchange District.[7]

In addition to Eurocom Tower, other high-rise projects are planned for the city. According to former Givatayim mayor Reuven Ben-Shahar, the municipality's policy is to promote high-rise construction on the city's outer edges, while preserving the fabric of residential neighborhoods deeper within the city, including the city center.[7]Current plans for the northwest of the city envision high-rise towers along Katznelson and Aliyat Hanoar Streets near the boundaries ofTel AvivandRamat Gan.As part of the redevelopment, Katznelson Street will be colonnaded along its length and a 2-meter-wide cycle paths are planned for both sides of the road, with one lane for buses and another for cars.[8]

Mayors

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  • Shimon Ben-Zvi (1941–1965)
  • Kuba Kraizman (1965–1978)
  • Yitzhak Yaron (1978–1993)
  • Efi (Ephraim) Stenzler (1993–2006)
  • Iris Avram, replaced the previous mayor due to his early resignation after he became the chairman of KKL - theJewish National Fund(2006–2007)
  • Reuven Ben-Shahar (2007–2013)
  • Ran Kunik(2013–present)

Reuven Ben-Shahar was the first candidate fromKadimathat won a city election and the first mayor in Givatayim that was not from theIsraeli Labor Party.

Notable people

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Twin towns and sister cities

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Givatayim istwinnedwith:[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abc"Regional Statistics".Israel Central Bureau of Statistics.Retrieved21 March2024.
  2. ^"Statistical Abstract of Israel 2012 - No. 63 Subject 2 - Table No. 15"..cbs.gov.il. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-10-20.Retrieved2013-08-08.
  3. ^Sadeh, Shuki (2008-07-10)."Land day".Haaretz.Retrieved2008-07-22.
  4. ^"Givatayim - Official Site (Hebrew)".givatayim.muni.il. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-08.Retrieved2009-01-08.
  5. ^Khalidi, W.(1992).All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948.Washington D.C.:Institute for Palestine Studies.ISBN0-88728-224-5.
  6. ^"ההישגים והפערים: נתוני החינוך בכל עיר ובית ספר".Ynet.
  7. ^abLior, Ilan (2012-02-03)."Givatayim getting Israel's tallest skyscraper - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper".Haaretz.com.Retrieved2013-03-26.
  8. ^"Givatayim to go high-rise".Globes.2022-07-27.Retrieved2022-08-10.
  9. ^"עוד תאומה נולדה לגבעתיים".hamekomon.maariv.co.il(in Hebrew). Hamekomon Maariv. 2019-08-22.Retrieved2020-02-26.
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