Tel HaShomer

Tel HaShomer תֵּל הַשּׁוֹמֵר
Neighborhood of Ramat Gan
Tel HaShomer
Coordinates: 32°2′31.02″N 34°51′22.42″E / 32.0419500°N 34.8562278°E / 32.0419500; 34.8562278Coordinates: 32°2′31.02″N 34°51′22.42″E / 32.0419500°N 34.8562278°E / 32.0419500; 34.8562278
Country	Israel
City	Ramat Gan

Tel HaShomer (Hebrew: תֵּל הַשּׁוֹמֵר, lit. Hill of the Guardsman) or Kiryat Krenizi is a Neighborhood in Ramat Gan, Israel. It is bordered to the north by Kiryat Ono, to the east by Yehud, and to the south by Or Yehuda. A major Israel Defense Forces base and the Sheba Medical Center are located in Tel HaShomer.

History

Tel Litvinsky (later Tel Hashomer) was a moshava established in 1934 by Moshe and Emil Litvinsky in memory of their father Elhanan Litvinsky. The first inhabitants were Jewish immigrants from Germany and Poland. In 1936, it was noted for its high proportion of academics and doctors.^[1] During World War II, most of the village lands were expropriated for the construction of a British military base. The base was of strategic importance because it controlled the Jaffa–Lydda Airport road. It was also used to house Italian prisoners of war.

In September 2015 it was announced that 11,500 housing units would replace the military complex on the site.^[2]

1948 Arab–Israeli War

A Jewish attack on the base took place on November 29, 1947, when the Palmach stole explosives and 75 rifles.^[3] Towards of the end of the British Mandate of Palestine, Arabs under the command of Hasan Salama began smuggling in arms and personnel disguised as laborers into the camp. The Haganah command saw this as a threat and on April 15, 1948, two companies for the 32nd and 33rd Battalions of the Alexandroni Brigade entered and captured the base. Arab forces counterattacked from al-Khayriyya, Kafr 'Ana, al-'Abbasiyya and Saqiya, but the Jewish forces reinforced and pushed them back to a small salient in the south of the camp, which was captured later in Operation Hametz. The Alexandroni Brigade lost three soldiers, which the Arab losses are estimated at about 50.^[4]

The area was renamed to Tel HaShomer in 1948, after HaShomer, an early Ottoman-period Jewish defense organization.

Structures and installations

It is well known for its central Israel Defense Forces base (Camp Yaakov Dori), which contains important installations such as:

• The Recruitment Bureau (Lishkat HaGiyus) - handles new draftees before they are recruited.
• Meitav, until May 2006 known as Bsis Klita UMiyun (Bakum) - induction base for drafted soldiers, where they get "militarized" (receive uniforms, basic gear, etc.) and are allotted to their units.
• Factory which manufactures Merkava tanks (7100th Maintenance Center).^[5]
• Several IDF corps' HQs: Military Police, Educational Corps, Logistics Corps, Ordnance Corps, Medical Corps.

Adjacent to the base there are both military and civilian hospitals (in adjoining complexes) known as the Tel HaShomer Hospital. The civilian hospital is named Sheba Medical Center and is under the municipal jurisdiction of Ramat Gan. Magen David Adom has its headquarters and main blood bank on site.

References