Bat Yam

Bat Yam, city, west-central Israel, on the Plain of Sharon and the Mediterranean coast just south of Tel Aviv–Yafo. Founded in 1926 as a suburban development called Bayit ve-Gan (Hebrew: “House and Garden”), its site was established a few kilometers south of Jaffa, then a major Arab port city. During the Arab riots of 1929 residents of Jaffa attacked the small and isolated community and it was evacuated. When it was resettled the following year, it developed as a seaside resort and residential suburb of Tel Aviv. In 1936 the name was changed to Bat Yam (meaning “daughter of the sea”), and the town received municipal status. After 1950 its population grew rapidly, as housing quarters were built for new Jewish immigrants, and it was incorporated as a city in 1958. It later served as a focal point for immigration to Israel following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Bat Yam was historically a principal center of Israel’s printing and publishing industry as well as the beverage industry. In the 2010s the tourism and service industries, as well as real estate and construction, surged as Bat Yam emerged as a more affordable alternative to Tel Aviv for residents of the metropolitan area. Pop. (2022) 128,152.