ATA (Israeli Company)
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ATA Textile Company Ltd. (
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
: "אתא חברה לטקסטיל בע"מ") was one of the first industrial enterprises founded in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, established in 1934. It was the first company in Israel to manufacture and design textiles locally. The textile factory continued to grow until the 1970s, and closed in 1985. ATA was re-established as a fashion brand in 2016 and is now based in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
.


History

ATA was founded in 1934 by Erich Moller, the son of Jewish industrialists from
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. Moller purchased 110 acres of land in the small community of Kefar Ata (or "Kufritta", now known as
Kiryat Ata Kiryat Ata () also spelled Qiryat Ata, is a city in the Haifa District of Israel. In it had a population of , 92% of whom were Jewish citizens. History The Early Bronze Age site at Kiryat Ata has been extensively excavated since 1990, reveal ...
), where he began the construction of a textile factory. Although named after the community in which it was founded, Israeli writer and
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate
Shmuel Yosef Agnon Shmuel Yosef Agnon (; August 8, 1887 – February 17, 1970) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Israeli novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew literature. In Hebrew, he is known by the pseudonym Shai A ...
later declared that "ATA" stood for "Ariga Totzeret Artzenu" ("Textiles from our land"). In the summer of 1934, a water well was drilled on Moller's property, and a road was built directly linking the factory to nearby
Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
. Following the paving of the road, the area was electrified and telecom infrastructure was built. The architecture of the factory was based on plans from the Czechoslovak
Škoda Škoda means "pity" in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to: Czech brands and enterprises * Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav ** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto responsi ...
plant, who, due to financial agreements, became secondary contractors for construction of the factory. Machinery was also imported from Czechoslovakia, and pamphlets urging members of
Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
organizations in the country to study textile manufacturing were distributed in order to gather potential employees. The first workers who arrived from Czechoslovakia lived in communal workers' quarters on the site of the factory. By 1936, the ATA factory had 115 employees, mostly from nearby
kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...
im, including Mishmar Yam (now Afek),
Ein HaMifratz Ein HaMifratz (, ''lit.'' Bayview) is a kibbutz south of Acre in northern Israel. Located on the Mediterranean coast, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council. As of it had a population of . History Kibbutz Ein HaMifrat ...
, and
Kfar Masaryk Kfar Masaryk (, ) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in Western Galilee near the Belus River and south of Acre, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council. In , it had a population of . History The founders were J ...
. In 1938, the factory had 205 employees, and ownership of the plant was passed onto Erich Moller's cousin, Hans Moller, who then made
aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...
.


1940s

The advent of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
created a disconnect between Škoda in Czechoslovakia and ATA. Now operating independently, ATA became the largest supplier of tents and uniforms to the British Army in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
. During the war,
Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...
served as a strategic centre for British military operations in the region, which guarded travel to
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
via the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
. As British supply transport was regularly subject to German submarine attacks, distribution and manufacturing was forced to centre around local factories in Palestine. Thus, much of what became Israeli industry after the establishment of the State of Israel grew during this period. Hans and Erich Moller established a
subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...
in order to market ATA goods during this period, called Theta ("תטא"). The company managed its own stores, as well as franchising them. Franchisees followed strict product display guidelines, thus these stores maintained a uniform appearance. Sales grew during this period and customers flocked to the stores. As ATA grew in popularity and in size, it began to establish benefits for its employees, as well as establishing its own discounted
grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday US usage, however, "grocery store" is a synon ...
s for employees and their families, and operating as a pseudo-co-operative wherein workers were entitled to company shares. They also constructed more formal employee housing near the factories, and allowed ATA workers from nearby kibbutzim to move in. Managers and employees received similar wages. By 1946, ATA had 921 workers and was in the process of expanding the factory. With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, as well as the consolidation of Jewish paramilitary organizations into the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
("IDF"), ATA became the chief manufacturer of IDF uniforms, socks, underwear, stretchers, tents, and machine gun straps. In 1948, the factory numbered 1128 employees, and the Moller family sold a portion of its shares to
Africa Israel Investments Africa Israel Investments Ltd. (AFI Group) is an international holding and investment company based in Yehud, Israel. The group consists of several private and public companies active in areas such as real estate, construction, infrastructure, ...
. Due to disagreements between Erich and Hans, Erich left the company and formed his own weaving workshop in
Nahariya Nahariya () is the northernmost coastal city in Israel. As of , the city had a population of . The city was founded in 1935 by Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Etymology Nahariya takes its name from the stream of Ga'aton River, Ga'aton (riv ...
, as well as a textile factory in
Kiryat Shmona Kiryat Shmona () is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley near the Lebanon, Lebanese border. In it had a population of . Located near the Blue Line (withdrawal line), Israel ...
.


1950s

In the early 1950s, ATA became a supplier of rations through Israel's national austerity plan, providing clothing to civilians through rationing coupons that could be spent at ATA shops. Despite this economic downturn, the plant flourished, with products selling well in Israel and reaching an export income of around $1 million by 1954. Already producing cotton, yarn, and other woven fabrics, the plant began to produce corduroy by 1956. Initially, ATA focused on producing khaki clothing, including tembel hats, trousers, and shirts that became synonymous with the company. Practical work clothing became the most acceptable style in Israel during this period, as other styles were associated with Jews of the diaspora. Dark blue work clothes were common, as well as white and light blue shirts. However, by the latter half of the 1950s, the standard of living in the country rose, and with it new fashion trends emerged; ATA, though still experiencing popularity, neglected to transition to higher fashion manufacturing. However, buying clothing from ATA stores was still considered a rite of passage for new immigrants, and was seen as a symbol of Israeli culture. Israel began to receive payments from Germany in the mid-1950s. Experiencing high rates of unemployment in less-developed areas of the country, Minister of Trade and Industry
Pinchas Sapir Pinchas Sapir (; born Pinchas Kozlowski 15 October 1906 – 12 August 1975) was an Israeli politician during the first three decades following the country's founding. He held two important ministerial posts, Minister of Finance (1963–68 and ...
encouraged the establishment of new textile factories. Thus, ATA's hold on the textile industry in Israel began to be threatened. During this period, a new line of women's clothing was met with little response by consumers. In April 1956, Hans Moller attempted to lay off a number of workers and limit wage raises. This caused a labour dispute, wherein factory workers demanded higher wages. The conflict continued to last until 1957, and the 1,680 ATA workers began a three-month long strike in May of that year. During this period, nearby Haifa was known as "red Haifa", as it was the traditional centre of the labour movement and left-wing political organizing in Israel; thus, a workers' victory seemed likely in the ATA strike, and striking workers were supported by the Haifa Labour Council. However, the
Histadrut Histadrut, fully the New General Workers' Federation () and until 1994 the General Federation of Labour in the Land of Israel (, ''HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael''), is Israel's national trade union center and represents the m ...
, Israel's national trade union centre, was led by
Mapai Mapai (, an abbreviation for , ''Mifleget Poalei Eretz Yisrael'', ) was a Labor Zionist and democratic socialist political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in January ...
members who were unable to reach a deal with the striking workers. Workers established a
Mapam File:Pre-State_Zionist_Workers'_Parties_chart.png, chart of zionist workers parties, 360px, right rect 167 83 445 250 Hapoel Hatzair rect 450 88 717 265 The non-partisans (pre-state Zionist political movement), Non Partisans rect 721 86 995 243 ...
and
Ahdut HaAvoda Ahdut HaAvoda () was the name used by a series of List of political parties in Israel, political parties in Israel. Ahdut HaAvoda in its first incarnation was led by David Ben-Gurion. It was first established during the period of Mandatory Pales ...
coalition in response to Mapai's hold on the Histadrut. Ultimately, Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary List of national founders, national founder and first Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister of the State of Israel. As head of the Jewish Agency ...
had to personally intervene to end the strike.


1960s

In the 1960s, Israel sold ATA-made uniforms to
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
. In 1962, the ATA factory manager died, and Hans Moller had trouble finding a replacement. Thus, the factory was sold to a group of investors headed by Tibor Rosenbaum, who appointed Amos Ben-Gurion to manage the plant.


1970s

in 1974 ATA was sold to the Eisenberg Group, an investment company based in Israel.


1980s

In 1980, David Arbel replaced Amos Ben-Gurion as factory manager, and continued in his role as CEO until the company's closure. At the beginning of 1985, the Eisenberg Group attempted to sell the company to a group of real estate investors led by Michael Albin, leading to layoffs of employees and the closure of the factory. The company's workers received little to no support from the Histadrut, who cooperated with the closure of the factory, and workers went public with their grievances, coining the slogan, "''Today it is ATA, tomorrow it is you!''" ATA's assets were eventually purchased by Kitan, a manufacturer owned by the Clal Industries investment company, and rebranded as Golf & Co. Golf & Co. was later purchased by IDB Holding Corporation Ltd. On the site of one of the former ATA plants, the Kryon company established a factory. On the original Kiryat Ata site, a residential neighbourhood was established. Prior to the construction of the neighbourhood, a preservation and heritage survey was undertaken and some of the original site's buildings were chosen for preservation. The original water tower also remains.


Re-invention as a fashion brand

In 2016, following an exhibition of ATA history and clothing by the
Eretz Israel Museum The Eretz Israel Museum (also known as Muza) is a historical and archaeological museum in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel. Eretz Israel Museum, established in 1953, has a large display of archaeological, anthropological and h ...
, businessman Shahar Segal and Yael Shenberger re-established ATA. The re-invented company is now based in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
. The new ATA was established with the intention of reinstating the value of the clothes we wear. Aside from manufacturing old classics like the tembel hat and some work clothing, ATA now seeks to produce modernized versions of classic Israeli clothing (Segal once noted that the pockets of ATA-branded clothing were now able "to fit an
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
"). ATA manufactures its clothes and considers them through a spectrum of time traveling; through what was and should be, through what is going on now, and through what is yet to come.


Tembel hat

A tembel hat (
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
: kova tembel, כובע טמבל) is a
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
which is an Israeli
national symbol A national symbol is a manifestation of a nation or community, serving as a representation of their National identity, identity and values. National symbols may be not only applied to sovereign states but also nations and countries in a state of ...
. The tembel hat was commonly worn by
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
from the beginning of the 20th century until the 1970s and was a symbol of hard-working, Zionist Israelis. In Israeli
cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...
s it is still used to symbolize the typical Israeli (e.g., the cartoon character
Srulik Srulik (, ) is a cartoon character symbolizing Israel. The character was created in 1956 by the Israeli cartoonist Kariel Gardosh, known by his pen name ''Dosh.'' The cartoon appeared for many years in the newspaper '' Maariv''. Yosef Lapi ...
). Tembel hats were most notably produced by ATA and are now being repreduced again. In October 2017 the tembel hat was presented at the
MOMA The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
as part of the "
Items: Is Fashion Modern
"'' exhibition, alongside some iconic fashion items such as the Levi's 501s, the Breton shirt, and the Little Black Dress, and as ancient and culturally charged as the sari, the pearl necklace, the kippah, and the keffiyeh.


Collaborations

Pilpeled - May 2017. Capsule collection designed by the Israeli artist Pilpeled for ATA. Working Class Hero - November 2017. Capsule collection with the Tel Avivian streetwear brand Holyland civilians.
Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv () is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as football, basketball, w ...
- May 2018. Hapoel is a Tel Avivian sports club / soccer team but also means "The worker". ATA teamed up with the sport club with a special T-shirt for
labor day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
. 1991 - December 2018. Capsule collection with the famous Israeli model,
Anya Martirosov Anya, Ania or Anja is a given name. The names are feminine in most East European countries and unisex in several African countries. Origins and variant forms * Anya (Аня) is a Russian diminutive of Anna. * Ania is the spelling in Polish, w ...
, telling her story of escaping from the USSR and moving to Israel. Sara Kori - July 2019. Working overall for the Tel Aviv-based Tattoo artist Sara Kori (shin studio). WHAT IF WOMEN RULED THE WORLD - May 2020. A couple of months after the covid pandemic started, ATA collaborated with
Yael Bartana Yael Bartana (; born 1970) is an Israeli artist, filmmaker and photographer, whose past works have encompassed multiple mediums, including photography, film, video, sound, and installation. Many of her pieces feature political or feminist themes ...
as part of her project "WHAT IF WOMEN RULED THE WORLD", as printed t-shirts asking / wondering how the world would be like if we had women ruling, especially in this critically times. The New Denim Project - a collection made only with Guatemala-based TNDP fabrics, all up-cycled, hand woven, natural fabrics.


See also

*
Economy of Israel An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with ...


References

{{reflist


Further reading

*''The Story of ATA: Industry, Fashion and Dream.'' Tel Aviv 2011 (Exhibition catalog Eretz Israel Museum Tel Aviv)


External links

*https://atawear.co.il/ Clothing companies of Israel Clothing companies established in 1934 Defunct manufacturing companies of Israel Textile companies of Israel 1934 establishments in Mandatory Palestine