Kiryat Gat
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| Kiryat Gat | ||
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| Country | Israel | |
| District | South | |
| Government | City | |
| Hebrew | קִרְיַת גַּת | |
| Arabic | كريات جات | |
| Population | 47,800 (2008) | |
| Area | 16,302 dunams (16.302 km2; 6.294 sq mi) | |
| Mayor | Aviram Dahari | |
| Founded in | 1972 | |
| Coordinates | 31°36′22″N 34°46′18″E / 31.60611°N 34.77167°ECoordinates: 31°36′22″N 34°46′18″E / 31.60611°N 34.77167°E | |
| Website | www.qiryat-gat.muni.il (Hebrew) | |
Kiryat Gat (Hebrew: קִרְיַת גַּת, Arabic: كريات جات), is a city in the Southern District of Israel. It lies 56 kilometres (35 mi) south of Tel-Aviv, 43 kilometres (27 mi) north of Beersheba and 68 kilometres (42 mi) from Jerusalem. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2007 the city had a total population of 47,800.[1]
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[edit] History
Kiryat Gat is named for Gath, one of the five major cities of the Philistines. In Hebrew, "gat" means "press". In the 1950s, archaeologists found ruins at nearby tel which were mistaken for the Philistine city of Gath. The real Gath was later discovered thirteen kilometers to the northeast at Tel es-Safi/Tel Gath. Gath was the hometown of the biblical giant Goliath the Gittite.[2]
Modern Kiryat Gat was established in 1955 as a development town by 18 families from Morocco.[3] It was situated on land of the nearby Palestinian village of Iraq al-Manshiyya, which was depopulated in 1948.[4]
The population rose quickly from 4,400 inhabitants in 1958 to 17,000 in 1969, mostly Jewish immigrants from North Africa. The economy was initially based on processing the agricultural produce of the Lachish region, such as cotton and wool. In December 1972, Kiryat Gat's municipal status was upgraded and it became Israel's 31st city.[5]
[edit] Demographics
According to Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the city's population in 2005 was 47,600. The ethnic makeup of the city was primarily Jewish and other non-Arabs.[6] In its early years, Kiryat Gat was populated mainly by Jews of Mizrahi origin. Since the mass immigration of Soviet Jews, approximately one third of the inhabitants hail from the former Soviet Union."[7]
[edit] Economy
The Polgat textile factory was the main employer in the town until it closed in the 1990s. In 1999, Intel opened a chip fabrication plant, known as Fab 18, to produce Pentium 4 chips and flash memories. Intel received a grant of $525 million from the Israeli government to build the plant. In February, 2006, the cornerstone was laid for Intel's second Kiryat Gat plant, Fab 28, which is due to begin production in the second half of 2008. Despite this, Kiryat Gat has one of Israel's highest unemployment rates.[7][8]
According to CBS figures for 2000, there were 15,257 salaried workers and 1,152 self-employed persons in Kiryat Gat. The mean monthly wage for a salaried worker was 4,125 shekels, a real change of +4.9% over the course of 2000. Salaried males had a mean monthly wage of 5,199 shekels (a real change of +7.3%) compared to 2,956 shekels for females (a real change of -1.8%). The mean income for the self-employed was NIS 5,494. A total of 1,336 residents received unemployment benefits and 6,487 received income supplements.
[edit] Schools and education
Kiryat Gat has 25 schools with an enrollment of 10,676. Of these schools, 18 are elementary schools with a student population of 5,498, and 13 are high schools with a student population of 5,178. In 2001, 54.7% of Kiryat Gat's 12th grade students graduated with a matriculation certificate. Kiryat Gat has a Pedagogic Center, science centers, a computerized library and a center devoted to industry, art and technology.[3]
[edit] Sports
The city's football team, Maccabi Kiryat Gat were promoted to Ligat ha'Al in 2001, but were relegated at the end of their first season at the top level. Since then, financial problems have led to the club being demoted to Liga Alef (the fourth tier), where they remain today.
[edit] Notable residents
- Ninet Tayeb, Israeli singer and actress
[edit] References
- ^ "Table 3 - Population of Localities Numbering Above 1,000 Residents and Other Rural Population". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2008-06-30. http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2009/table3.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-10-18.
- ^ Vilnay, Zev (1970). The Guide to Israel. Jerusalem, Israel: Hamakor Press. pp. 250.
- ^ a b "Partnership 2000, Kiryat Gat". Jewish United Fund. http://www.juf.org/p2k/kiryat_gat.aspx. Retrieved on 2008-10-20.
- ^ Khalidi (1992), p.108
- ^ Ed. Cecil Roth, ed. "Kiryat Gat". Encyclopaedia Judaica (CD-ROM Edition Version 1.0). Keter Publishing House. ISBN ISBN 965-07-0665-8.
- ^ "Kiryat Gat- Municipality Profile" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2005. http://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/local_authorities2005/pdf/255_2630.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-06-27. (Hebrew)
- ^ a b Rosenthal, Donna (2003). The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land. New York: Free Press. pp. 124–126.
- ^ Gazzar, Brenda (2006-01-05). "Intel's Inside". The Jerusalem Post. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=1136361019705&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull. Retrieved on 2008-10-20.
[edit] Bibliography
- Khalidi, Walid (1992), All That Remains, Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies, ISBN 0887282245
[edit] External links
- Official website (Hebrew)
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