Ramat Gan (, ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv, and is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. It is home to a Diamond Exchange District (one of the world's major diamond exchanges), Sheba Medical Center (the largest hospital in Israel) and many high-tech industries.
Ramat Gan was established in 1921 as a moshava, a communal farming settlement. In it had a population of .
History
thumb|left|250px|Ramat Gan in 1936
Ramat Gan was established by the Ir Ganim association in 1921 as a satellite town of Tel Aviv. The first plots of land were purchased between 1914 and 1918. It stood just south of the Arab village of Jarisha. The settlement was initially a moshava, a Zionist agricultural colony that grew wheat, barley and watermelons.
thumb|Ramat Gan in 1948
Over the years, the economy shifted from agriculture to commerce and industry. By 1946, the population had grown to 12,000. In 1955, it had a population of 55,000. The first mayor was Avraham Krinitzi who remained in office for 43 years. In 1961, the municipal area of Ramat Gan expanded eastward, to encompass the area that includes the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer and Bar Ilan University. In 1968, the world's largest diamond exchange opened in Ramat Gan. Nine buildings were destroyed, while hundreds of others were damaged at some level; approximately 100 residents were displaced from their homes due to the bombardment. On June 19, 22 people were injured due to a hit on the financial district with considerable material damage, with two of them seriously wounded.
On 17 March, during the 2026 Iran War, a cluster munition from the warhead of an Iranian missile hit an apartment building killed two residents in their 70s, who were found just outside their safe room. A statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called the barrage that killed the two civilians "revenge for the blood of martyr Dr. Ali Larijani and his companions," who had been killed a day before as the target of an Israeli airstrike.
Geography and climate
Ramat Gan is located in the Gush Dan metropolitan area east of Tel Aviv. It is bounded in the north by the Yarkon River and in the east by Bnei Brak. Giv'atayim lies to the southwest.
Ramat Gan experiences an average of of rainfall per year and is located, on average above sea level. Ramat Gan parks include The National Park (Park Leumi) which covers some 1,900 dunams, and David Park in the Merom Naveh neighborhood. 25% of Ramat Gan is covered by public parkland.
Ramat Gan neighborhoods include: Shchunat Hageffen, City Center, Nachalat Ganim, Kiryat Krinitzi, Ramat Shikma, Ramat Yitzhak, Shchunat Rishonim, Tel Yehuda, Givat Geula, Neve Yehoshua, Kiryat Borochov, Merom Naveh, Ramat Amidar, Ramat Chen, Shikun Vatikim, Shchunat Hillel, Elite and Diamond Exchange District and Tel Binyamin.
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According to the 1931 census, Ramat Gan had 975 inhabitants, in 253 houses.
, Ramat Gan had 129,700 residents, in an area of 12,000 dunams (12 km<sup>2</sup>). The population was growing at a rate of 1.0% per annum with 90% of this growth coming through natural increase. In terms of the origin of Ramat Gan's residents, 42,900 originate from Europe and America, 10,200 from Africa, 29,200 from Asia, and 40,600 from Israel. 86,200 of the residents of Ramat Gan were born in Israel, whilst 36,600 were born abroad. 1,900 of the households had unemployed household members.
Economy
thumb|255px|[[Diamond Exchange District also known as "The Bursa Area" of Ramat Gan]]
Ramat Gan's economy is dominated by the Diamond Exchange District in the northwest of the city, home to a large concentration of skyscrapers, including Moshe Aviv Tower (also known as City Gate), Israel's second tallest building at , the Israel Diamond Exchange (a world leader in diamonds), a large Sheraton hotel, and many high-tech businesses, among them Check Point Software Technologies and ArticlesBase.
Also located in the Diamond Exchange District is the State Bank of India's Israeli headquarters and the headquarters of Bank Mizrachi, whilst the embassies of Ghana, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Eritrea, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the European Economic Community, are located in the area. Several other international embassies are also located in the city, as is the British Council. Also headquartered in the city is the Histadrut trade union. Located to the south of Ramat Gan is Hiriya, the largest waste transfer site in the Middle East.
Ramat Gan is also an important center for industry and manufacturing with major fruit and vegetable canning plants, textile mills, metal production plants, electrical manufacturers, furniture makers, and food producers based there. Currently, the Elite Tower, set to exceed the Moshe Aviv Tower in height, is being built on the site of the historic Elite Candy factory. As a tribute to the history of the site, the lower floors of the tower will house a chocolate museum. At the end of 2006, Ramat Gan had three hotels, with a total of 408 rooms and 150,000 person-nights over the course of the year, which represented a 64% room occupancy rate.
Local government
The mayor of Ramat Gan is Carmel Shama.
Below is a complete list of mayors:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Mayors of Ramat Gan
! colspan="3" |Mayor
! Party
! Took office
! Left office
|-
| style="background: ; color: white" | 1
|alt=|93x93px
| Avraham Krinitzi
| General Zionists
| 1926
| 1969
|-
| style="background: ; color: white" | 2
|alt=|93x93px
| Yisrael Peled
| General Zionists
| 1969
| 1983
|-
| style="background: ; color: white" | 3
|alt=|93x93px
| Uri Amit
| Labor
| 1983
| 1989
|-
| style="background: ; color: white" | 4
|alt=|93x93px
| Zvi Bar
| Likud
| 1989
| 2013
|-
| style="background: #802B89; color: white" | 5
|alt=|93x93px
| Yisrael Zinger
| Zinger LeRamat Gan
| 2013
| 2018
|-
| style="background: ; color: white" | 6
|alt=|93x93px
| Carmel Shama
| New Hope (Israel)
| 2018
| Present
|-
|}
Education
thumb|250px|[[Bar-Ilan University]]
Ramat Gan is home to Israel's second largest university, Bar-Ilan University, with 24,000 students. The city is also the location of the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Ramat Gan College, the College of Law and Business, Beit Zvi acting college. Ramat Gan is home to the Israel Bible Center as well.
Religions
250px|thumb|right|Ramat-Gan Great Synagogue
Judaism
Ramat Gan has 112 synagogues, two yeshivot, and a Kabbalah Center.
Other
Ramat Gan also has a Buddhist temple and a Scientology center.
Healthcare
The Sheba Medical Center, located in southeastern Ramat Gan and Tel HaShomer, is Israel's largest hospital. It includes the Safra Children's Hospital and Padeh Geriatric Rehabilitation Center. The city has 32 medical centers run by health authorities and 10 child-care clinics operated by the municipality. The city is also served by Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center, a Haredi hospital in nearby Bnei Brak.
Archaeology
Northwest of the city is the archaeological site of Tel Gerisa, with its main occupation phases dating back to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages and declining through Iron Age I and II.
Culture
thumb|[[Ramat Gan National Park]]
Cultural venues in Ramat Gan include the Ramat Gan Theater, the Diamond Theater and the Russell Cultural Center. The Beit Zvi School of Performing Arts is based in Ramat Gan. Ramat Gan operates two cinema complexes: the Lev-Elram Cinema and the "Yes Planet" megaplex. Ramat Gan also has a safari park. The 250-acre site consists of both a drive-through African safari area and a modern outdoor zoo.
Museums
Beit Avraham Krinitzi, home of the first mayor, is now a museum of the history of Ramat Gan. Man and the Living World Museum is a natural history museum and the Maccabi Museum is a museum which focuses on the history of Jewish sports since 1898. The Ramat Gan Safari, a zoo housing 1,600 animals, is the largest animal collection in the Middle East.
- Barnet, United Kingdom (since 1976)
- Huntington Beach, United States (since 2024)
- Kassel, Germany (since 1990)
- Main-Kinzig District, Germany (since 2000)
- Penza, Russia (since 2007)
- Phoenix, United States (since 2005)
- Qingdao, China (since 2012)
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (since 2011)
- San Borja, Peru (since 2014)
- Shenyang, China (since 1993)
- Strasbourg, France (since 1991)
- Szombathely, Hungary (since 1995)
- Taoyuan, Taiwan (since 2016)
- Weinheim, Germany (since 1999)
- Wrocław, Poland (since 1997)
References
External links
- Ramat-Gan municipal website