Migdal HaEmek

Migdal HaEmek
Hebrew transcription(s)
 • Hebrew מִגְדַּל הָעֶמֶק
 • ISO 259 Migdal ha ʕemq
 • Also spelled Migdal HaEmeq (official)
Arabic transcription(s)
 • Arabic مجدال هعيمق/مغدال هعيمق

Logo
Migdal HaEmek
Coordinates: 32°40′17″N 35°14′26″E / 32.67139°N 35.24056°ECoordinates: 32°40′17″N 35°14′26″E / 32.67139°N 35.24056°E
District Northern
Government
 • Type City
 • Mayor Eliyahu Barda
Area
 • Total 7,637 dunams (7.637 km2 or 2.949 sq mi)
Population (2007)
 • Total 24,800
Name meaning Tower of the valley

Migdal HaEmek (Hebrew: מִגְדַּל הָעֶמֶק, also officially spelt Migdal HaEmeq, Arabic: مجدال هعيمق‎) is a city in the North District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2007 the city had a total population of 24,800.[1] There is a tower to the north-east, above the town.

History

Yad LaBanim soldiers memorial in Migdal HaEmek

Migdal HaEmek began in 1953 as a ma'abara, before becoming a development town. The original site of the ma'abara was west of the current site, at Shimron hill. Migdal HaEmek is built on the land of the depopulated Arab village of Al-Mujaydil.[2]

The chief rabbi of the city is Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, who won the Israel Prize in 2004 for his social service work and outreach youth programs.

Every year volunteers from Habonim Dror come to Migdal HaEmek to volunteer in the community. Typically these roles include members of Kvutsat Yovel, and involve teaching in primary and secondary schools, and working with local Magen David Adom units.

Demographics

According to CBS, in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was all Jewish and other non-Arabs. There were 11,900 males and 12,200 females. More recently the Jewish Agency estimated Migdal HaEmek's population at 28,000, almost half foreign-born, from Russia, the Caucasus, Ethiopia, Morocco, Iraq and South America.

Education

According to CBS, there were 22 schools and 5,777 students in the city in 2001: 13 elementary schools (2,995 students), and 2 high schools (2,782 students). 47.8% of 12th grade students qualified for a matriculation certificate in 2001.

Economy

Many Israeli and global high tech companies are located in three industrial parks. Among the companies: Tower Semiconductor (foundry), RSL Electronics (Control and Diagnostic solutions for defence and commercial applications ), KLA-Tencor (inspection tools), CI Systems (electro-optical test systems, non contact temperature sensors and wet chemistry analyzers), Nilit (Nylon for textile industry and thermoplastics for industrial and commercial applications), Vishay Intertechnology (discrete and passive semiconductors components) and Enzymotec (functional lipids).

References

  1. ↑ "Table 3 - Population of Localities Numbering Above 1,000 Residents and Other Rural Population" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  2. ↑ Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. ISBN 0-88728-224-5. Khalidi (1992), p.350

External links