Kiryat Bialik

Kiryat Bialik קִרְייַת בְּיַאלִיק‎‎ كریات بیالیك‎
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	Qiryat Byáˀliq (Bialik)
Kiryat Bialik town hall
Logo
Kiryat Bialik
Coordinates:
District	Haifa
Founded	1934
Government
• Type	City
• Mayor	Eli Dukorsky
Area
• Total	8,178 dunams (8.178 km2 or 3.158 sq mi)
Population (2007)
• Total	36,200
Name meaning	Bialik Town
Website	www.qbialik.org.il

Kiryat Bialik (Hebrew: קִרְייַת בְּיַאלִיק‎) (also Qiryat Bialik) is a city in the Haifa District in Israel. It is one of the five Krayot suburbs north of Haifa. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2007 the city had a total population of 36,200.

The city was named after the poet Hayim Nahman Bialik.

History

In 1924, Ephraim and Sabina Katz, who immigrated from Romania, were the first Jews to settle in the Zevulun Valley in Haifa Bay. Their farm was destroyed in the 1929 Palestine riots. The one house that survived the riots, Beit Katz, was bequeathed to Kiryat Bialik in 1959 and designated for public use.

The town of Kiryat Bialik was established in July 1934 by a group of German Jewish immigrants who received a plot of land from the Jewish National Fund. The residents were mainly free professionals, doctors, engineers and lawyers who lived in private homes with gardens. During World War II, Kiryat Bialik was bombed due to its proximity to the oil refineries in Haifa. In 1950, it was declared a local council, attaining city status in 1976.

Local government

Mayors

• Z. Karliner (1945-1985);
• D. Zack (1985-2003);
• Rafi Werthiem (2003-2008);
• Eli Dukorsky (2008-)

Demographics

Kiryat Bialik in 1944

According to CBS, the ethnic makeup of Kiryat Bialik in 2003 was all Jewish, without a significant Arab population. In 2003, there were 17,700 males and 19,400 females. 25.8% of the population was 19 years of age or younger, 15.8% between 20 and 29, 17.4% between 30 and 44, 21.5 from 45 to 59, 3.8% from 60 to 64, and 15.6% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2005 was -0.3%.The city is ranked medium-high on the socio-economic scale (7 out of 10) Many Jewish immigrants have settled in Kiryat Bialik, from Ethiopia, the former Soviet Union and Argentina.

Economy

According to CBS figures for 2002, there were 17,514 salaried workers and 912 self-employed in Kiryat Bialik. The mean monthly wage for a salaried worker was 6,119 NIS; salaried males had a mean monthly wage of 7,851 NIS versus 4,491 NIS for females The mean income for the self-employed was 5,996 NIS. 557 people received unemployment benefits and 2,701 people received an guaranteed minimum income.

The town was known for the Ata textile factory, established in 1934 by Erich Moller.

The Ata plant, which opened in 1934, became an icon of the Israeli textile industry. It suffered from financial problems in the 1960s and closed down in 1985.

Education

According to CBS, there are 9 schools and 6,291 students in the city: 6 elementary schools with 2,540 students, and 3 secondary education schools (2 junior high and 1 high school, under the same administration) with 3,751 students. 63.4% of 12th grade students were entitled to a Bagrut (matriculation) certificate in 2002.

Ahava Village, a youth village for children from high-risk home situations, is located in Kiryat Bialik.

Notable residents

• Ronen Bergman, investigative journalist and author
• Aviv Kochavi, Israel Defense Forces officer
• Zehava Vardi, Miss Israel 1977
• Yochanan Vollach, association football player

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel

Twin towns — Sister cities

Kiryat Bialik is twinned with:

• Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany
• Zestaponi, Georgia
• Rosh HaAyin, Israel