How about a stroll through a city born from two hills? This is Givatayim. It is a city east of Tel Aviv in Israel. The name Givatayim means Two Hills.
Givatayim was established in 1922. Pioneers of the Second Aliyah founded it. By 2022, its population reached 61924. The city is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area.
Do you know the hills that gave Givatayim its name? They are Borochov Hill and Kozlovsky Hill. At 85 metres above sea level, Kozlovsky Hill is the highest in the Gush Dan region. In the 1930s, Givatayim expanded. It now includes four hills. These are Borochov, Kozlovsky, Poalei HaRakevet and Rambam Hill.
Givatayim has ancient roots. Archaeological remains show a Chalcolithic settlement existed here.
In 1922, 22 Second Aliyah pioneers led by David Schneiderman founded the modern town. They bought 300 dunams of land near Tel Aviv. This became Shechunat Borochov. It was the country’s first workers neighborhood. The neighborhood was named for Dov Ber Borochov. He was the founder of the Poalei Zion workers party. Later, 70 more families joined. They received smaller plots. The Jewish National Fund helped organize Jewish settlement.
Shechunat Borochov had some firsts. It established the first cooperative grocery store. It was called Tzarkhaniya. It operated in the same location into the 1980s. Shechunat Rambam was another neighborhood in today’s Givatayim. Founders saw Rambam as more bourgeois. Thus, the two neighborhoods functioned differently economically.
Over time, more neighborhoods developed. Sheinkin was founded in 1936. It was named after Menahem Sheinkin. Givat Rambam was founded in 1933. It was named after Maimonides. Kiryat Yosef was founded in 1934. It was named after the biblical figure. Arlozorov was founded in 1936. It was named after Haim Arlosoroff.
All these neighborhoods merged in August 1942. They formed a local council. Givatayim was also settled on Al-Khayriyya in April 1948. This was a former Palestinian village.
Givatayim became a city in 1959. Thelma Yellin High School for the Arts is in Givatayim. Alumni include Michal Yannai and Shira Haas.
Eurocom Tower is a 70 story skyscraper. It has four apartment towers. There is also a 50 story office building. A large square connects the area with bridges and underground passes. The complex is near Ramat Gan and its Diamond Exchange District.
The municipality promotes high rise construction on the city’s outer edges. This preserves residential neighborhoods deeper within the city center. Current plans envision high rise towers along Katznelson and Aliyat Hanoar Streets. These are near the boundaries of Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan. Katznelson Street will have colonnades along its length. There will be cycle paths on both sides of the road.
Many notable people have called Givatayim home. These include singer Avi Belleli and artist Dvora Bochman.
Givatayim is twinned with several cities. These include Chattanooga in the United States and Esslingen in Germany.
From its humble beginnings as a workers suburb to its modern status as a vibrant city, Givatayim is a testament to the vision and determination of its founders. Its unique blend of history and progress makes it a special place in the heart of Israel.