Giv'at Shmuel is a city in the Center District of Israel. It is located in the eastern part of the Gush Dan Metropolitan Area and bordered by Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak to the West, Kiryat Ono to the South and Petah Tikva to the East and North. In it had a population of.

History

Giv'at Shmuel was founded in 1944. It was named for the Romanian Zionist leader Samuel Pineles, founder and president of the Zionist Congress in Focșani and Vice-President of the First Zionist Congress in Basel. On November 5, 2007, the Israeli Minister of Interior accepted a committee recommendation to change the municipal status of Giv'at Shmuel to 'city'.

Demographics

At the end of 2019, the population of Givat Shmuel numbered 26,578 with a growth rate of 2.1%, and with the building of new neighborhoods is planned to grow to 40,000. Demographics are mixed religious/secular, with a socioeconomic standing of 8/10. Amongst immigrants from English-speaking countries, Giv'at Shmuel is home to Israel's largest community of lone immigrants, at approximately 950 students, young professionals, newly married couples and young families. It also has the highest rate of "successful aliyah" - the number of immigrants who remain in Israel after 5 years - in the country. Since 2013, Nefesh B'Nefesh has organized various events and activities, and works with the local authorities to expand programming. The GSC - Givat Shmuel Community (R.A.) was formed, creating an infrastructural backbone for English-speaking activities in the area.

Education

Sports

Maccabi Habik'a, formerly Elitzur Givat Shmuel, is a basketball team that played in Ligat HaAl, the top division of Israeli basketball, until relegation in 2007. The team reached the State Cup final in 2003, but lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 2010, an annual 10 km race was inaugurated with 350 runners from all over the country.

Landmarks

A leisure and sports center was established on an area of about 32 dunams (8 acres) in northeastern Giv'at Shmuel which incorporates tennis courts, fitness rooms, swimming pools, a roller skating rink, a cafeteria and other services, along with water park, covering an area of about 5 dunams (1.25 acre). In the center of town there is a park named after the Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

Twin towns – sister cities

Notable people

Gallery