Shefayim שְׁפָיִים | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Shefayim  Shefayim | |
| Coordinates:32°13′2″N34°49′28″E / 32.21722°N 34.82444°E /32.21722; 34.82444 | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Central |
| Council | Hof HaSharon |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 1935 |
| Founded by | Polish Jews |
| Population (2022)[1] | 1,368 |
| Website | www |
Shefayim (Hebrew:שְׁפָיִים,lit. High Hills) is akibbutz in centralIsrael located 2.5 miles north ofHerzliya along theMediterranean coast. Shefayim falls under the jurisdiction ofHof HaSharon Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 1,368.[1]
Kibbutz Shefayim was established in 1935 byJewish immigrants from Poland.[2] The name is taken from theBook of Isaiah: "I will open rivers in high hills.[3]" During theBritish Mandate for Palestine, Shefayim was a base forclandestine immigration.
In the1948 Arab–Israeli War, it absorbed refugees from the abandoned kibbutzBeit HaArava near theDead Sea.
In the early 1970s, the kibbutz established Polycad, a plastics factory. In the early 1980s, it established the Shafitbiotechnology plant. In the mid-1990s, it acquired the Zirei Israel plant, which has become a leader in the Israelicotton-ginning industry.[4]
In 2012IBM acquired New York- and Shefayim-basedmobile application developer Worklight Ltd., founded in 2006 by Shahar Kaminitz, formerly ofAmdocs.[5]
Kibbutz Shefayim is among the wealthiest kibbutzim and was one of the few that did not require debt assistance from the state and banks during the recession in the 1980s. On the contrary, Shefayim contributed NIS 4 million to help failing kibbutzim. The main income source of the kibbutz is Hutzot Shefayim, a shopping mall, on real-estate previously classified as agricultural land. Other sources of income are a hotel and conference center, and a water park.[6]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
