| Kiryat Shmona | |||
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| Hebrew transcription(s) | |||
| • Hebrew | קִרְיַת שְׁמוֹנָה, קריית שמונה | ||
| • ISO 259 | Qiryat Šmona | ||
| • Also spelled | Qiryat Shemona (official) | ||
| View of Kiryat Shmona from Manara cliffs | |||
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Kiryat Shmona
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| Coordinates: | |||
| District | North | ||
| Founded | May 1949 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | City (from 1975) | ||
| • Mayor | Nissim Malka | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 9,960 dunams (10 km2 / 3.8 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2007)[1] | |||
| • Total | 23,100 | ||
| Name meaning | City of Eight | ||
Kiryat Shmona (Hebrew: קִרְיַת שְׁמוֹנָה, lit. City of the Eight) is a city located in the North District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley on the Lebanese border. The city was named for the eight people, including Joseph Trumpeldor, who died in 1920 defending Tel Hai.
Today, about one-third of Kiryat Shmona's population of 23,100[1] are younger than 19, and the majority of its inhabitants are Jews, particularly of Sephardic descent. Located near the Israel-Lebanon border, Kiryat Shmona is Israel's northernmost city.
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The town of Kiryat Shmona was established in May 1949[2] on the site of the former Bedouin village Al-Khalisa, whose inhabitants evacuated the village after Safed was gained by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.[3] Initially it was used as a transit camp for immigrants who worked mainly in farming. In 1953 it was classified as a development town.[4] The town is named after eight members of nearby Tel Hai who were killed in 1920 during the Arab revolt against the French.
Kiryat Shmona's location close to the Lebanon makes it a rich target for rocket fire cross-border attacks.
On April 11, 1974, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, sent three members across the border from Lebanon to Kiryat Shmona. They killed eighteen residents of an apartment building, including many children, before being killed in an exchange of fire at the complex, which became known as the Kiryat Shmona massacre. [5]
The city continued to be the target of attacks after this, including Katyusha rocket attacks by the PLO in July 1981,[6] a Katyusha rocket attack by the PLO in March 1986 (killing a teacher and injuring four students and one adult),[7][8][9] and further Katyusha rocket attacks by Hezbollah during 1996's Operation Grapes of Wrath.[10] The citizens of the town had suffered almost daily attack from the mid-1970s until 2000, when the IDF left Lebanon.
In the years 2000–06, the locals enjoyed relative peace but suffered from loud explosions every few weeks because of Hezbollah anti-aircraft cannons fired at IAF planes flying across the Israeli-Lebanese border.
During the 2006 Lebanon War, the city was again the target of Hezbollah Katyusha rocket attacks. Approximately half of the city’s residents had left the area, and the other half who remained stayed in bomb shelters. During the war, a total of 1,012 Katyusha rockets hit Kiryat Shmona.
Kiryat Shmona is located in the Finger of the Galilee next to the Hula Valley, about 5 km south and 2 km east of the Israel–Lebanon border. Its elevation is about 150 m (492 ft) above sea level.[2]
According to CBS, in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 97.9% Jewish and other non-Arabs, without a significant Arab population. In 2001 there were 121 immigrant settlers. The Jewish population of the town is largely of North African and Middle Eastern heritage, and many are industrial workers employed in local small industry and in neighboring kibbutzim.
According to CBS, in 2001 there were 10,800 males and 10,700 females. The population of the city was spread out with 33.5% 19 years of age or younger, 19.8% between 20 and 29, 19.3% between 30 and 44, 15.3% from 45 to 59, 3.5% from 60 to 64, and 8.5% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 1.8%.
According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 8,303 salaried workers and 467 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is 4,306 shekels, a real change of 4.6% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of 5,443 shekels (a real change of 7.1%) versus 3,065 shekels for females (a real change of −2.2%). The mean income for the self-employed is 6,769. There are 564 people who receive unemployment benefits and 1,655 people who receive an income guarantee.
Kiryat Shmona has diverse economic activities amongst its inhabitants. The town's economy is based on both light industry, involving consumer-oriented products such as communications, information technology, and electronics as well as agriculture on the surrounding lands and tourism.
The town has a cable car link with Manara above in the Naftali mountain range and also is home to an activity center and toboggan run located in the south of the town.
According to CBS, there are 12 schools and 4,339 students in the city. They are spread out as 9 elementary schools and 2,355 elementary school students, and 6 high schools and 1,984 high school students. 49.3% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001.
The [Tel-Hai Academic college] is a college located near Kibbutz Kfar Giladi and north of Kiryat Shmona. The college offers academic and continuing education programs for approximately 4,500 students, 70 percent of whom come from outside the Galilee. Minorities comprise about 10 percent of the student body. The college offers degrees in life sciences, social sciences, computer science and the humanities.
Kiryat Shmona is the smallest city in Israel with a top flight football club, Ironi Kiryat Shmona. Formed by a merger of Hapoel Kiryat Shmona and Maccabi Kiryat Shmona in 2000, the club won promotion to the top division for the first time at the end of the 2006–07 season.
Tennis is also part of the Kiryat Shmona sport scene. The town is home to one of the 14 Israel Tennis Centers (ITC). These Centers throughout Israel teach children life skills through tennis. The Centers are primarily funded through donations. The Israel Children's Centers in the United States, and the Canada Israel Children's Centres are largely responsible for the funding of the Tennis Centers, which strive to never turn a child away due to financial need.
Kiryat Shmona is twinned with:
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