Givatayim

History

Antiquity

Archaeological remains of a Chalcolithic settlement have been found at the site of what is now Givatayim.

British Mandate era

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 for Dov Ber Borochov, founder of the Poalei Zion workers' party. Later, another 70 families joined the group, receiving smaller plots. The land was purchased with their private savings, but was voluntarily transferred to the Jewish National Fund, which organized Jewish settlement at the time, in keeping with the pioneers' socialist beliefs.

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

Shechunat Rambam was another neighborhood in what is today known as Givatayim. Rambam used to be more "bourgeois" in the eyes of Borochov's founders, who were considered socialists. Thus, the two neighborhoods used to function differently from an economic viewpoint.

Over time, more neighborhoods developed: Sheinkin (1936; named after Menahem Sheinkin), Givat Rambam (1933; named after Maimonides), Kiryat Yosef (1934; named after the biblical figure), and Arlozorov (1936; named after Haim Arlosoroff).

All these neighborhoods were merged to form a local council in August 1942.

State of Israel

Givatayim was declared a city in 1959.

Education and culture

Givatayim has 41 kindergartens, 9 elementary schools and 4 high schools. As of 2018, the city has one of the highest rate of secondary school matriculation in the country. Mayor Reuven 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 include Michal Yannai, Ido Mosseri, Tal Mosseri, Shai Maestro, Dikla Hadar, Shira Haas, Ohad Knoller, Ilanit, Mili Avital, Ziv Koren, Yael Tal and Maya Dunietz.

Urban development

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 near Ramat Gan and its Diamond Exchange District.

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. Current plans for the northwest of the city envision high-rise towers along Katznelson and Aliyat Hanoar Streets near the boundaries of Tel Aviv and Ramat 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.

Mayors

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 - the Jewish National Fund (2006–2007)

Reuven Ben-Shahar (2007–2013)

Ran Kunik (2013–present)

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

Voting Patterns

In the 2022 election, 75 percent of voters in Givatayim voted for the parties of the center-left coalition led by Yair Lapid, while 22 percent voted for the parties of the right-wing coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu and 0.7 percent voted for the Arab parties.

Notable people

Avi Belleli (born 1963), singer

Dvora Bochman (born 1950), artist

Izhar Cohen (born 1951), singer, Eurovision song contest winner

Tal Erel (born 1996), Israel National Baseball Team player

Oded Kattash (born 1974), basketball player and coach

Maxim Katz (born 1984), politician and YouTuber

Adir Miller (born 1974), actor, screenwriter and comedian

Sjaron Minailo (born 1979), opera director

Oren Moverman (born 1966), filmmaker

Igal Naor (born 1958), actor

Tzipora Obziler (born 1973), tennis player

Mickey Rosenthal (born 1955), Labor Party Member of the Knesset

Yuval Semo (born 1969), actor and comedian

A. B. Yehoshua (1936–2022), novelist and public intellectual

Twin towns and sister cities

Givatayim is twinned with: