Kiryat Shmona
Kiryat Shmona
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| Hebrew transcription(s) | ||
| • ISO 259 | kiryat Šmona | |
| • Also spelled | kiryat Shemona (official) | |
View of Kiryat Shmona from Manara cliffs
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 Kiryat Shmona
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| Coordinates: 33°12′27″N 35°34′11″E / 33.20750°N 35.56972°ECoordinates: 33°12′27″N 35°34′11″E / 33.20750°N 35.56972°E | ||
| Country | Israel | |
| District | Northern | |
| Founded | May 1949 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | City (from 1975) | |
| • Mayor | Nissim Malka | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 9,960 dunams (9.96 km2 or 3.85 sq mi) | |
| Population (2015) | ||
| • Total | 23,076 | |
| Postal code | 12100 | |
| Name meaning | Town of Eight | |
Kiryat Shmona (Hebrew: קִרְיַת שְׁמוֹנָה, lit. Town of the Eight) is a city located in the Northern 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.
In 2015 it had a population of 23,076, the majority of whom are Jews, particularly of Moroccan extraction. Located near the Israel-Lebanon border, Kiryat Shmona is Israel's northernmost city.
The town of Kiryat Shmona was established in 1949 on the site of the former Arab village al-Khalisa, whose inhabitants had fled after Safed was taken by the Haganah during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and an attempt by the village to come to an agreement with the Jewish authorities was rejected. Literally Town of the Eight, Kiryat Shmona was named after eight Jewish militia men, commanded by Joseph Trumpeldor, who had fallen in the 1920 Battle of Tel Hai during the Franco-Syrian War adjacent to the new town.
Initially the empty houses of Khalisa were used as a transit camp for Jewish immigrants and refugees who worked mainly in farming. It was called Kiryat Yosef after Yosef Trumpeldor. The first residents were fourteen Yemenites who arrived on July 18, 1949 and were followed by more Yemenites a month later. The name was changed to Kiryat Shmona in June 1950, recalling eight members of nearby Tel Hai who were killed in 1920 during the Arab revolt against the French. By July 1951, the population had grown to nearly 4,000. Relationships with nearby kibbutzim were often strained.
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