Ramat Gan
Ramat Gan
רָמַת גַּן רָמַת־גַּן | |
|---|---|
City(from 1950) | |
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • Also spelled | Ramat-Gan |
 View of theDiamond Exchange Districtfrom theAzrieli Center | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Ramat Gan  Ramat Gan | |
| Coordinates:32°04′12″N34°49′25″E/ 32.07000°N 34.82361°E | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Tel Aviv |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Carmel Shama |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12,214dunams(12.214 km2or 4.716 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
| • Total | 172,486 |
| • Density | 14,000/km2(37,000/sq mi) |
| Name meaning | Garden Heights |
| Website | ramat-gan.muni.il |
Ramat Gan(Hebrew:רָמַת גַּןorרָמַת־גַּן,IPA:[ʁaˈmatˈɡan]) is a city in theTel Aviv DistrictofIsrael,located east of the municipality ofTel Aviv,and part of theTel Aviv metropolitan area.It is home to aDiamond Exchange District(one of the world's majordiamondexchanges),Sheba Medical Center(the largest hospital in Israel) and many high-tech industries.
Ramat Gan was established in 1921 as amoshav shitufi,a communal farming settlement. In 2022 it had a population of almost 200,000.
History
[edit]
Ramat Gan was established by theIr Ganim[1]association in 1921 as asatellite townofTel Aviv.The first plots of land were purchased between 1914 and 1918.[2]It stood just south of theArabvillage ofJarisha.[citation needed]The settlement was initially amoshava,aZionistagricultural colony that grewwheat,barleyandwatermelons.[3]The name of the settlement was changed to Ramat Gan (lit:Garden Height) in 1923. The settlement continued to operate as a moshava until 1933, although it achievedlocal councilstatus in 1926. At this time it had 450 residents. In the 1940s, Ramat Gan became a battleground in the country's language war: AYiddishlanguage printing press in Ramat Gan was blown up by Hebrew-language extremists.[4]
Over the years, the economy shifted from agriculture to commerce and industry. By 1946, the population had grown to 12,000.[2]In 1950, Ramat Gan was recognized as acity.The city's population was greatly boosted by an influx ofIraqi Jewsinto Israel duringOperation Ezra and Nehemiah.So many Iraqi immigrants settled in Ramat Gan that it became known as "LittleBaghdad."[5]In 1955, it had a population of 55,000. The first mayor wasAvraham Krinitziwho remained in office for 43 years. In 1961, the municipal area of Ramat Gan expanded eastward, to encompass the area that includes theSheba Medical CenterinTel HashomerandBar Ilan University.In 1968, the world's largestdiamond exchangeopened in Ramat Gan.[2]TheSheba Medical Centerand theIsrael Diamond Exchangeare located in Ramat Gan.
Geography and climate
[edit]Ramat Gan is located in theGush Danmetropolitan area east ofTel Aviv.It is bounded in the north by theYarkon Riverand in the east byBnei Brak.Giv'atayimlies to the southwest.[3]
Ramat Gan experiences an average of 560 mm (22 in) of rainfall per year and is located, on average 80 m (260 ft)above sea level.[3]It is built onlimestone hills.[6]Ramat Gan parks includeThe National Park(Park Leumi) which covers some 1,900 dunams, and David Park in the Merom Naveh neighborhood.[7]25% of Ramat Gan is covered by public parkland.
Ramat Gan neighborhoods include: Shchunat Hageffen, City Center, Nachalat Ganim, Kiryat Krinitzi, Ramat Shikma, Ramat Yitzhak, Shchunat Rishonim, Tel Yehuda, Givat Geula, Neve Yehoshua, Kiryat Borochov, Merom Naveh, Ramat Amidar, Ramat Chen, Shikun Vatikim, Shchunat Hillel, Elite and Diamond Exchange District and Tel Binyamin.[2]
Demographics
[edit]| City of Ramat Gan Population by year[8] | |
| 1948 | 17,200 |
| 1955 | 58,500 |
| 1961 | 90,800 |
| 1972 | 118,000 |
| 1983 | 117,100 |
| 1995 | 128,700 |
| 2005 | 128,400 |
| 2010 | 146,200 |
| 2013 | 149,600 |
According to the1931 census,Ramat Gan had 975 inhabitants, in 253 houses.[9] As of 2006[update],Ramat Gan had 129,700 residents, in an area of 12,000dunams(12 km2).[10]The population was growing at a rate of 1.0% per annum with 90% of this growth coming throughnatural increase.[10]The population density of the city is 9,822.6 per square kilometer, one of the highest in Israel.[8]In terms of the origin of Ramat Gan's residents, 42,900 originate from Europe and America, 10,200 from Africa, 29,200 from Asia, and 40,600 from Israel.[11]86,200 of the residents of Ramat Gan were born in Israel, whilst 36,600 were born abroad.[11]
According to theIsrael Central Bureau of Statistics,as of 2001, Ramat Gan'ssocioeconomicranking stood at 8 out of 10. 70.9% of twelfth grade students received amatriculationcertificate in 2000. That year, the average wages in Ramat Gan were 6,995 NIS. As of 2006[update],32,100 of the city's households had people who were not in thelabour force,with 23,300 of these retired.[12]1,900 of the households had unemployed household members.[12]43,000 households were fully employed.[12]The largest sectors of jobs for those employed in Ramat Gan were business activities, which accounted for 18.1% of jobs; education (15.1%); wholesale and retail trade and repairs (14.2%); manufacturing (10.8%); and health, welfare, and social work services (10.0%).[13]
Economy
[edit]
Ramat Gan's economy is dominated by theDiamond Exchange Districtin the northwest of the city, home to a large concentration ofskyscrapers,includingMoshe Aviv Tower(also known as City Gate), Israel's second tallest building at 235 metres (771 ft), theIsrael Diamond Exchange(a world leader indiamonds), a large Sheraton hotel, and manyhigh-techbusinesses, among themCheck PointSoftware Technologies andArticlesBase.
Also located in the Diamond Exchange District is theState Bank of India's Israeli headquarters and the headquarters ofBank Mizrachi,whilst the embassies ofGhana,Kenya,Ivory Coast,Jordan,Eritrea,Norway,Belgium,the Netherlands,and theEuropean Economic Community,are located in the area.[14]Several other international embassies are also located in the city, as is theBritish Council.Also headquartered in the city is theHistadruttrade union. Located to the south of Ramat Gan isHiriya,the largestwaste transfersite in the Middle East.
Ramat Gan is also an important center for industry and manufacturing with major fruit and vegetable canning plants, textile mills, metal production plants, electrical manufacturers, furniture makers, and food producers based there.[15]Currently, theElite Tower,set to exceed theMoshe Aviv Towerin height, is being built on the site of the historicElite Candyfactory. As a tribute to the history of the site, the lower floors of the tower will house a chocolate museum.[16]At the end of 2006, Ramat Gan had three hotels, with a total of 408 rooms and 150,000 person-nights over the course of the year, which represented a 64% room occupancy rate.[17]
Local government
[edit]The mayor of Ramat Gan isCarmel Shama.
Below is a complete list of mayors:
| Mayor | Party | Took office | Left office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Avraham Krinitzi | General Zionists | 1926 | 1969 |
| 2 | 
|
Yisrael Peled | General Zionists | 1969 | 1983 |
| 3 | 
|
Uri Amit | Labor | 1983 | 1989 |
| 4 | 
|
Zvi Bar | Likud | 1989 | 2013 |
| 5 | 
|
Yisrael Zinger | Zinger LeRamat Gan | 2013 | 2018 |
| 6 | 
|
Carmel Shama | Likud | 2018 | Present |
Education
[edit]
Ramat Gan is home to Israel'ssecond largest university,Bar-Ilan University,with 24,000 students. The city is also the location of theShenkar College of Engineering and Design,Ramat Gan College,theCollege of Law and Business,Beit Zviacting college.[18][19]
Religions
[edit]
Judaism
[edit]Ramat Gan has 112synagogues,twoyeshivot,[20][21]and aKabbalahCenter.
Other
[edit]Ramat Gan also has aBuddhist templeand aScientologycenter.
Healthcare
[edit]TheSheba Medical Center,located in southeastern Ramat Gan andTel HaShomer,is Israel's largest hospital.[22]It includes the Safra Children's Hospital and Padeh Geriatric Rehabilitation Center. The city has 32 medical centers run by health authorities and 10 child-care clinics operated by the municipality.[23]The city is also served byMayanei Hayeshua Medical Center,aHaredihospital in nearby Bnei Brak.[24]
Archaeology
[edit]Northwest of the city is the archaeological site ofTel Gerisa,with its main occupation phases dating back to theMiddle and Late Bronze Agesand declining throughIron Age I and II.[25]
Culture
[edit]
Cultural venues in Ramat Gan include theRamat Gan Theater,theDiamond Theaterand theRussell Cultural Center.TheBeit ZviSchool of Performing Arts is based in Ramat Gan. Ramat Gan operates two cinema complexes: the Lev-Elram Cinema and the "YesPlanet "megaplex.Ramat Gan also has asafari park.The 250-acre site consists of both a drive-through African safari area and a modern outdoor zoo.[26]
Museums
[edit]Beit Avraham Krinitzi, home of the first mayor, is now a museum of the history of Ramat Gan.Man and the Living World Museumis anatural history museumand the Maccabi Museum is a museum which focuses on the history of Jewish sports since 1898.[27]TheRamat Gan Safari,a 250-acre (1.0 km2) zoo housing 1,600 animals, is the largest animal collection in the Middle East.[7][dubious–discuss]Other museums in the city include theMuseum of Israeli Art,Kiryat Omanut, which houses sculpture galleries and a ceramics studio, the Museum ofRussian Art,the Museum ofJewish Art,and the Yehiel Nahari Museum of Far Eastern Art.[citation needed]
Sports
[edit]
TheMaccabiah Gamesare held in Ramat Gan every four years.Ramat Gan Stadiumwas Israel's national football stadium until 2014. The stadium can seat up to 41,583 in practice (the official capacity is 13,370 seats).Hakoah Amidar Ramat GanandHapoel Ramat Gan,who both play at theWinter Stadium,are the city's main football clubs, both having won the championship at some point in their history.Beitar Ramat Ganplays in the South A Division ofLiga Bet(fourth tier league), whilst F.C. Mahanaim Ramat Gan,Maccabi Hashikma Hen,Maccabi Spartak Ramat Gan, andShikun Vatikim Ramat Ganare all playing in the Tel Aviv Division ofLiga Gimel(fifth tier league). The now-defunct clubsMaccabi Ramat GanandMaccabi Ramat Amidarwere both involved in mergers which formed Hakoah Amidar. In basketball,Ironi Ramat Ganplays inLigat HaAl,the top division.
Notable people
[edit]
- Blessing Afrifah(born 2003), Olympic sprinter
- Avi Arad(born 1948), CEO and founder ofMarvel Studios
- Lior Ashkenazi(born 1968), actor
- Gilad Atzmon(born 1963), jazz saxophonist
- Ehud Banai(born 1953), singer and songwriter
- Yoram Ben-Porat(1937–1992), economist and president of theHebrew University of Jerusalem
- Moshe Bromberg(1920–1982), a.k.a. Moshe Bar-Am; painter, artist
- Danny Danon(born 1971), politician
- Lior Eliyahu(born 1985), basketball player
- Tal Erel(born 1996),Israel National Baseball Teamplayer
- Ofer Fleisher(born 1966), basketball player
- David Frankfurter(1909–1982), executioner in 1936 of Swiss Nazi Party leaderWilhelm Gustloff
- Aviv Geffen(born 1973), musician
- Uzi Hitman(1952–2004), songwriter and singer
- Noam Jacobson(born 1975), musician
- Etgar Keret(born 1967), author
- James Kugel(born 1945), biblical scholar
- Amichai Lao-Lavi(born 1969), social entrepreneur, human rights activist and LGBT, conservative rabbi
- Inbar Lavi(born 1986), actress
- Lior Lubin(born 1979), basketball player and coach
- Käthe Ephraim Marcus(1892–1970), German-Israeli painter and sculptor
- Kobi Marimi(born 1991), actor and singer, Israeli representative atEurovision Song Contest 2019
- Doron Menashe,law professor
- Oren Peli(born 1970), film producer
- Vicky Peretz(1953–2021), international footballer
- Daniel Poleshchuk(b. 1996), squash player
- Ilan Ramon(1954–2003), first Israeli astronaut; killed inSpace ShuttleColumbiadisaster
- Dahlia Ravikovitch(1936–2005), poet
- Ze'ev Revach(born 1940), actor
- Gilad Segev(born 1974), singer and songwriter
- Ron Shachar(born 1962), professor and researcher
- Rona-Lee Shimon(born 1982), actress
- Silvan Shalom(born 1958), politician
- Yuval Spungin(born 1987), football player
- Tal Stricker(born 1979), Olympic swimmer
- Michael Zandberg(born 1980), footballer
- Tamar Zandberg(born 1976), politician
Twin towns – sister cities
[edit]
Barnet,United Kingdom(since 1976)
Kassel,Germany(since 1990)- Main-Kinzig District,Germany(since 2000)
Penza,Russia(since 2007)
Phoenix,United States(since 2005)
Qingdao,China(since 2012)
Rio de Janeiro,Brazil(since 2011)
San Borja,Peru(since 2014)- Shenyang,China(since 1993)
Strasbourg,France(since 1991)
Szombathely,Hungary(since 1995)
Taoyuan,Taiwan(since 2016)- Weinheim,Germany(since 1999)
Wrocław,Poland(since 1997)
References
[edit]- ^"Ramat Gan (Israel)".RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^abcd"Ramat Gan".Jewish Virtual Library.RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^abc"General Information".Ramat Gan Municipality. Archived fromthe originalon March 27, 2008.RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^Pilowsky, A: "Yiddish Alongside The Revival of Hebrew Public Polemics on the Status of Yiddish in Eretz Israel, 1907–1929", Readings in the Sociology of Jewish Languages, page 123. Joshua Fishman ed, Leiden – E.J. Brill, 1985.
- ^Benjamin, Marina (June 24, 2008).Last Days in Babylon: The Exile of Iraq's Jews, the Story of My Family.Simon and Schuster.ISBN978-1-4165-7204-6– via Google Books.
- ^"Ramat Gan".Archived fromthe originalon July 4, 2008.RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^ab"Parks & Safari".Archived fromthe originalon March 17, 2008.RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^ab"Population Densities".RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^Mills, 1932, p.15
- ^ab"Sources of Population Growth".RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^ab"Origins".RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^abc"Labour Force Characteristics".RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^"Industry of employment".RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^"Diamond Exchange Area turns into luxury residential spot".Jerusalem Post. Archived fromthe originalon January 12, 2012.RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^Ramat Gan.Encarta. Archived fromthe originalon December 2, 2007.RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^Petersburg, Ofer (June 20, 1995)."Trump to build projects in Israel – Israel Money, Ynetnews".Ynetnews.Ynetnews.RetrievedMay 6,2009.
- ^Central Bureau of Statistics."Statistical Abstract of Israel 2007 – No. 58 Subject 23 – Table No. 11".RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^"Academic Institutes".Archived fromthe originalon March 17, 2008.RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^המרכז האקדמי למשפט ולעסקים ברמת גן[The Academic Center for Law and Business in Ramat Gan].
- ^"Synagogues in Ramat Gan".
- ^"Our Faith".Archived fromthe originalon July 21, 2009.RetrievedAugust 3,2009.
- ^Ayala Hurwicz (May 7, 2007)."Sheba – Largest Hospital in Israel"(in Hebrew).RetrievedSeptember 14,2007.
- ^"Medical Services".Archived fromthe originalon March 17, 2008.RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^Gloria Deutsch (January 14, 2016)."A gentleman and a rabbi".
- ^Negev, Avraham;Gibson, Shimon(2001).Gerisa (Tel);Jerishe (Tell).New York and London: Continuum. pp. 194–5.ISBN978-0-8264-1316-1.RetrievedJune 1,2021.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^"Theatre & Cinema".Archived fromthe originalon March 17, 2008.RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^"Museums & Fine Art".Archived fromthe originalon March 17, 2008.RetrievedApril 6,2008.
- ^"Twin Cities".ramat-gan.muni.il.Ramat Gan.RetrievedFebruary 24,2020.
External links
[edit]
Media related toRamat Ganat Wikimedia Commons- Ramat-Gan municipal website
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
