ABOUT BEIT SHEMESH
The history of Beit Shemesh can be traced back over three thousand years to the times of Yehoshua. The city is first mentioned in Sefer Yehoshua, Perek 15, Passuk 8 and is part of the area inhabited by the tribe of Yehuda.
The city was established anew on Chanukah, 27 Kislev 5701 (Dec. 12, 1950) by Olim from Romania, Iraq and Iran. On 13 Tammuz 5751 (June 25, 1991), the Israeli government granted Beit Shemesh official city status.
Beit Shemesh is situated in between Yerushalayim and Tel Aviv making the city an ideal location for those commuting to work. In recent years, the city has absorbed many young families as well as many Olim- many of whom are educated and professionals in their respective fields. This has helped Beit Shemesh to thrive as a community with chinuch for all ages, shuls, public institutions, shopping districts and much more. The city has two industrial zones with forty five factories and over seventy batei melachah.
Beit Shemesh is constantly building as well as expanding. The population now stands at 52,000 people, 50% of whom are under the age of 21 and 78% are under the age of forty. The unemployment rate is miniscule (1.2%) when compared to the rest of Israel (8.7%). It is with this foundation that the city hopes to continue to grow for the benefit of all its inhabitants.
Information courtesy of the office of Yehuda Gur Aryeh, City Spokesman
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