Kiryat Shmona

Kiryat Shmona (Hebrew: קִרְיַת שְׁמוֹנָה, lit. Town of the Eight) is a city located in the North District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley near the Lebanese border. The city was named after the eight people, including Joseph Trumpeldor, who died in 1920 defending Tel Hai.

Today, about one-third of Kiryat Shmona's population of 23,100 are younger than 19, and the majority of its inhabitants are Jews, particularly of Moroccan extraction. Located near the Israel-Lebanon border, Kiryat Shmona is Israel's northernmost city.

History

Foundation (1949)

The town of Kiryat Shmona was established in May 1949 on the site of the former Arab-Palestinian village Al-Khalisa, whose inhabitants fled the village after Safed was gained by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Initially it was used as a transit camp for Jewish immigrants and refugees who worked mainly in farming. In 1953, it was classified as a development town. The town is named after eight members of nearby Tel Hai who were killed in 1920 during the Arab revolt against the French.