Kfar Saba ( ), officially Kfar Sava , is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in the Sharon region, of the Central District of

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 ...

. In 2019 it had a population of 110,456, making it the 16th-largest city in Israel. The population of Kfar Saba is nearly entirely

Jewish 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 ...

History of modern Kfar Saba

The village of

Kafr Saba Kafr Saba () was a Palestinian village famous for its shrine dating to the Mamluk period and for a history stretching back for two millennia. In Roman times, it was called Capharsaba and was an important town in Palestine. By around 1000, it was ...

was considered to be ancient Capharsaba, an important settlement during the

Second Temple period The Second Temple period or post-exilic period in Jewish history denotes the approximately 600 years (516 BCE – 70 CE) during which the Second Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem. It began with the return to Zion and subsequent reconstructio ...

in ancient Judea.The Origin of the Name Capharsaba
Kfar Sava Municipal Council It is mentioned for the first time in the writings of

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...

, in his account of the attempt of

Alexander Jannaeus Alexander Jannaeus ( , English: "Alexander Jannaios", usually Latinised to "Alexander Jannaeus"; ''Yannaʾy''; born Jonathan ) was the second king of the Hasmonean dynasty, who ruled over an expanding kingdom of Judaea from 103 to 76 BCE. ...

to halt an invasion from the north led by

Antiochus Antiochus (Ancient Greek: Ἀντίοχος) is a Greek male personal name, likely meaning "resolute in contention", or "unwavering". It is derived from the two words αντί ("against") and ὄχη ("support"). It was a dynastic name for rulers of ...

, appears in the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

in connection to corn tithing and the Capharsaba

sycamore fig ''Ficus sycomorus'', called the sycamore fig or the fig-mulberry (because the leaves resemble those of the mulberry), sycamore, or sycomore, is a fig species that has been cultivated since ancient times. Etymology and naming The specific n ...

tree.

Beginnings (1898–1913)

The Jewish

moshava A moshava (, plural: ''moshavot'' , ''colony'' or ''village'') was a form of agricultural Jewish settlement in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine (now Israel), established by the members of the Old Yishuv beginning in the late 1870s ...

of Kfar Saba was established in 1898, following the purchase of land from the Arab village of the same name. Acquiring 7,500

dunams A dunam (Ottoman Turkish, Arabic: ; ; ; ), also known as a donum or dunum and as the old, Turkish, or Ottoman stremma, was the Ottoman unit of area analogous in role (but not equal) to the Greek stremma or English acre, representing the amount ...

(equivalent to 1,668 acres in

Ottoman Palestine The region of Palestine (region), Palestine is part of the wider region of the Levant, which represents the land bridge between Africa and Eurasia.Steiner & Killebrew, p9: "The general limits ..., as defined here, begin at the Plain of ' ...

, where a dunam equals 900 square meters), the endeavor faced initial challenges: the land was desolate, neglected, and distant from other Jewish settlements. Furthermore, the Ottoman

pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

Nablus Nablus ( ; , ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 156,906. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a ...

, to whose governorate the land belonged, refused to give building permits, forcing the first settlers to live in huts made of clay and straw. They earned their living by growing

almonds The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the sh ...

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

and

olives The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

. It was located approximately 3 km to the west of the Arab village of

, after which it was named. Despite attractive advertisements in Jerusalem and London, initial attempts to sell plots to private individuals were unsuccessful. Starting in 1903, Jewish workers resided on the site of Kfar Saba. A well was dug in 1906. Most of the manual laborers on the land were peasants from

Qalqilya Qalqilya or Qalqiliya () is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, which serves as the administrative center of the Qalqilya Governorate. The city had a population of 51,683 in 2017. Qalqilya is surrounded by the Israeli West Bank barrier, Israeli We ...

. In 1910, an Arab guard employed by Jewish landowners shot at a group of Arab almond thieves from Qalqilya, killing one. An Arab mob then descended on Kfar Saba, beating residents, breaking and looting equipment, and taking two Jewish guards prisoner. The situation was defused when reinforcements from Petah Tikva arrived, and a peace was negotiated. This attack drew widespread public attention among Jews in Palestine and around the world, and it was subsequently decided to turn Kfar Saba into a permanent settlement, even without building permits. In 1912, the construction of twelve single-story permanent houses began along a route that is now Herzl Street. The houses were camouflaged due to the lack of building permits. Construction was finished in 1913.

World War I

When

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

broke out in 1914, the Ottoman authorities harassed the residents, confiscating work animals and crops. The 1915 Palestine locust infestation destroyed vegetation in the area. Before Kfar Saba had fully recovered, about a thousand Jewish refugees of the

Tel Aviv and Jaffa deportation Tel Aviv and Jaffa deportation was the expulsion on April 6, 1917, of 10,000 people from Jaffa, including Tel Aviv, by the authorities of the Ottoman Empire in Palestine. The evicted civilians were not allowed to carry off their belongings, and ...

who were seeking shelter arrived. The town's few houses could not accommodate the large number of refugees, and many died due to the harsh sanitary conditions. In the

Palestine Campaign The Sinai and Palestine campaign was part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, taking place between January 1915 and October 1918. The British Empire, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy fought alongside the Arab Revolt ...

of the war, Kfar Saba was on the front line between British General

Edmund Allenby Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, (23 April 1861 – 14 May 1936) was a senior British Army Officer (armed forces), officer and imperial governor. He fought in the Second Boer ...

's Egypt Expeditionary Force and the Ottoman Army for almost a year, and by the time of the British victory in September 1918, it had been destroyed.

British Mandate

Following Kfar Saba's destruction in World War I, residents began rebuilding the town. During the

1921 Jaffa riots The Jaffa riots (commonly known in ) were a series of violent riots in Mandatory Palestine on May 1–7, 1921, which began as a confrontation between two Jewish groups but developed into an attack by Arabs on Jews and then reprisal attacks by ...

, Kfar Saba, then a small and isolated town, was evacuated on orders of the

Haganah Haganah ( , ) was the main Zionist political violence, Zionist paramilitary organization that operated for the Yishuv in the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine. It was founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv's presence in the reg ...

. It was attacked during the riots. In May 1921 the original residents returned and found their homes had been looted and burned. They began to rebuild the town for a third time, and it slowly recovered. In 1924 additional settlers joined Kfar Saba. In this period the moshava began to redevelop as cultivation of citrus fruit began, replacing almonds. The first elections for the local council were held. In August 1947, a Jewish man was found shot to death outside the town. File:Kfar Saba 1929.jpg, Paving a street in Kfar Saba, 1929 File:כפר סבא - פנורמה - פרדסים צעירים.-JNF044195.jpeg, Kfar Saba 1930 File:כפר סבא - התאחדות הנהגים "השרון".-JNF044331.jpeg, Kfar Saba 1934 File:Ghaffir force Kfar Saba 1933.jpg, Kfar Saba police 1933 File:שכונת אליעזר - סלילת כביש בשכונת אליעזר ליד כפר סבא-JNF036039.jpeg, Kfar Saba 1938 File:נקודה חדשה לפליטים ע"י שכונת אליעזר בכפר-סבא-JNF014323.jpeg, Kfar Saba immigrant housing 1945

1947–48 war

In December 1947, as the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

between the Arab and Jewish communities got underway, leaders of both sides in the area pledged to keep the peace between the local communities. In the following months, Kfar Saba was attacked by local Arab militia from the nearby Arab village of Kafr Saba. The

Arab Liberation Army The Arab Liberation Army (ALA; , better translated as Arab Rescue Army (ARA) or Arab Salvation Army (ASA), was an army of volunteers from Arab countries led by Fawzi al-Qawuqji. It fought on the Arab side in the 1948 Palestine war. It was set ...

(ALA), an outfit consisting of volunteers from several neighboring Arab countries, sent troops to aid in these attacks. The village was depopulated of its Arab residents by

forces on May 13, 1948, one day before the new State of Israel was declared.Morris, 2004, pp
246
247 File:Biyar 'Adas 1942.jpg, Kfar Saba 1942 1:20,000 File:Qalqilya 1945.jpg, Kfar Saba 1945 1:250,000

State of Israel

In May 1948, when Israeli independence was declared, Kfar Saba had a population of approximately 5,500. Following the war, it rapidly expanded as many Jewish immigrants from Arab and Muslim countries settled there, and new housing projects were built to accommodate them. The town found itself at the narrowest point of Israeli territory, with just 14 km from the sea to the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

village of

. It expanded over the depopulated Arab village of

, the site of which is today located in the Shikun Kaplan area of the city. As it became obvious that agriculture alone could not support the economy, an industrial zone was established. In 1953, the population was about 15,000.

Meir Hospital Meir Medical Center (, ''Merkaz Refu'i Me'ir'') is regional hospital in Kfar Saba, Israel. It is the seventh largest hospital complex in the country, and is part of a network of hospitals owned and operated by Clalit Health Services. History ...

was opened in 1956. The rapid growth of the town meant that its status as a moshava was outdated, and it was granted city status in 1962, with head of the local council, Mordechai Surkis, becoming its first mayor.Mordechai Surkis: Public Activities
Knesset website The city had a population of 19,000 at the time. After receiving its city status, a court, a police branch, and offices of the National Insurance Institute and the Israel Tax Authority were established in Kfar Saba. Agriculture also continued to decline in importance in the city's economy as new factories were built. Despite this, the city still had thousands of acres of orchards in the late 1960s. During the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...

in 1967, two neighborhoods in Kfar Saba were shelled by Jordanian artillery, and an attack on a factory by Jordanian warplanes killed four workers. Following the war, the population increased as many people moved to Kfar Saba from the

Gush Dan Gush Dan (, ) or Tel Aviv metropolitan area is a conurbation in Israel, located along the country's Mediterranean coastline. There is no single formal definition of Gush Dan, though the term is in frequent use by both governmental bodies and the ...

area, and during Soviet-Jewish immigration to Israel in the early 1970s, the city took in many Soviet immigrants and established an immigrant absorption center. In 1977, Kfar Saba had a population of 35,000.

First and Second Intifada

Kfar Saba is located just across the Green Line from the Palestinian city of

. During times of relative peace, residents of Kfar Saba would shop in Qalqilya: this practice ended at the start of the

First Intifada The First Intifada (), also known as the First Palestinian Intifada, was a sustained series of Nonviolent resistance, non-violent protests, acts of civil disobedience, Riot, riots, and Terrorism, terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians ...

in 1987. In the following years, Kfar Saba became a frequent target of Palestinian terror attacks. In April 2001, a Palestinian

suicide bomber A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

wearing an explosive belt killed a doctor and wounded 50 at a bus stop in Kfar Saba. In March 2002, a Palestinian opened fire on passersby at a major intersection, killing an Israeli girl and wounding 16 before being shot dead. In April 2003, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up at the Kfar Saba train station during the morning rush hour, killing a security guard and wounding 10 bystanders.

Israel Hamas conflict

On 25 March 2019, a rocket hit a private home injuring 7. On 26 May, rockets were fired from

Rafah Rafah ( ) is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and the capital of the Rafah Governorate. It is located south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889. Due to the Gaza war, about 1.4 million people from Gaza C ...

towards Central Israel around 2 pm. One landed in Kfar Saba, creating a large crater; no serious injuries were reported.

Demographics

The

1922 census of Palestine The 1922 census of Palestine was the first census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate of Palestine, on 23 October 1922. The reported population was 757,182, including the military and persons of foreign nationality. The divis ...

listed the population of Kfar Saba as 14 Jews. By the 1931 census it had grown to 1,405 inhabitants, all Jews, in 395 houses.Mills, 1932, p
14
/ref> In the 1945 statistics, the town had a population of 4,320 Jews.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p
27
/ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p
52
/ref> According to the

Israel Central Bureau of Statistics The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (, ''HaLishka HaMerkazit LiStatistika''; ), abbreviated CBS, is an Israeli government office established in 1949 to carry out research and publish statistical data on all aspects of Israeli life, including ...

(CBS), in 2001, the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.9%

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish and 0.1% Others. Additionally, there were 523 immigrant residents. Also according to the CBS, there were 37,000 males and 39,600 females in 2001. The population of the city was spread out, with 31.1% 19 years of age or younger, 16.3% between 20 and 29, 17.7% between 30 and 44, 20.2% from 45 to 59, 3.5% from 60 to 64, and 11.3% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate was 2.0% for that year. The city is ranked high on the socio-economic scale (8 out of 10). Kfar Saba has a listed population surpassing 110,000 .

Economy

According to CBS, there were 31,528 salaried workers and 2,648 self-employed in Kfar Saba in 2000. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker was ILS 7,120, a real change of 10.1% over the course of 2000. Salaried males had a mean monthly wage of ILS 9,343 (a real change of 9.9%) versus ILS 5,033 for females (a real change of 9.7%). The mean income for the self-employed was 8,980. 1,015 people received unemployment benefits and 1,682 people received an income guarantee. In May 2004 the exploration company said that the Meged-4 oil well, located northeast of Kfar Saba, has exceeded original predictions and contains an extremely valuable deposit of oil.

Schools and religious institutions

Currently, in Kfar Saba there are 18 elementary schools (5 of them are religious elementary schools), 8 middle schools (2 of them are religious middle schools) and 11 high schools (4 of them are religious high schools). The high schools in Kfar Saba are divided to 3 groups: urban high schools (5), ORT high schools (2) and religious high schools (4). The city is served by 105 synagogues.

Healthcare

is located in Kfar Saba. Meir Hospital is a major medical center named for Josef Meir, the first head of the General Sick Fund. The hospital accepts all patients, Jews and Palestinians, including patients from cities within the jurisdiction of the

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...

, such as

Qalqilyah Qalqilya or Qalqiliya () is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, which serves as the administrative center of the Qalqilya Governorate. The city had a population of 51,683 in 2017. Qalqilya is surrounded by the Israeli West Bank wall, with a narr ...

.Meir Maternity Ward Staff Save 20 Year-Old Arab Mother
/ref>

Environmental issues

PikiWiki_Israel_4984_samson_in_kfar_saba_park

Kfar Saba has won multiple awards for environment protection efforts. Kfar Saba is also the site of Israel's first

biofilter Biofiltration is a pollution control technique using a bioreactor containing living material to capture and biologically degrade pollutants. Common uses include processing waste water, capturing harmful chemicals or silt from surface runoff, a ...

project.

Landmarks

Nabi Yamin

PikiWiki Israel 6737 Science and technology in Israel

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

complex, including the mausoleum of Nabi Yamin, is located by the Kfar Saba –

road. The site contains an inscription dated to the 14th century. The site has been associated with the tomb of

Benjamin Benjamin ( ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the younger of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel, and Jacob's twe ...

, son of Jacob. North of this complex is a smaller tomb whose cupola has been painted green and is being maintained by local Palestinian Muslims, who consider it the "real" tomb. Jews and Muslims venerate Benjamin. Kfar Saba is in the heart of Dan's tribal area, but there are traditions that explain why Benjamin's tomb is located in the land of the tribe of Dan. The traditional burial place of

Simeon Simeon () is a given name, from the Hebrew (Biblical Hebrew, Biblical ''Šimʿon'', Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ''Šimʿôn''), usually transliterated in English as Shimon. In Greek, it is written Συμεών, hence the Latinized spelling Sy ...

, son of Jacob, lies close to Kfar Saba. It is a small domed structure that sits in a field not far from kibbutz

Eyal Eyal (; ''lit.'' strength) is a kibbutz in the Central District of Israel. Located close to the Green line, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Drom HaSharon Regional Council. In it had a population of . Geography Eyal is located in centr ...

. According to

Meron Benvenisti Meron Benvenisti (; 21 April 193420 September 2020) was an Israeli political scientist who was deputy mayor of Jerusalem under Teddy Kollek from 1971 to 1978, during which he administered Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem and served as Jerusalem' ...

, the site was until 1948 only holy to Muslims, and Jews ascribed no holiness to it. Today the dedicated inscriptions from the

period remain engraved on the stone walls of the tomb but the cloths embroidered with verses from the Qur´an, with which the gravestones were draped, have been replaced by draperies bearing verses from the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Petah Tikva Petah Tikva (, ), also spelt Petah Tiqwa and known informally as Em HaMoshavot (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of the Old Y ...

to a local committee and founded the water company and the first bank of the village in the 1920s, is on the corner of Amrami and Rothschild Streets. The cowshed and Amrami's "office" are still standing.

Nordenstein house

Due to the lack of security during World War I, the settlement was abandoned. In 1922, the Nordenstein family returned and built the first defensible stone house. It took another two years for other families to return (mostly from Petah Tikva). The Nordenstein House is still standing on HaEmek Street, near the central bus station.

Kibbutz HaKovesh dining hall

A stone house on

Tel Hai Tel Hai ( , "Hill of Life") is a name of the former Jewish settlement in northern Galilee, the site of an early battle between Jews and Arabs heralding the growing civil conflict, and of a monument, tourist attraction, and a college. It is curren ...

Street designed for defense (outlooks and sharp-shooting parapets) served as the communal dining room of Kibbutz HaKovesh. The pioneers themselves lived in tents. In 1948, the kibbutz moved north to secure the Kalkiliya front. The building now houses the Kfar Saba Civil Guard.

City's Park

Kfar Saba's Park is one of the biggest parks in the Sharon area. It has an area of 250,000 m². The park includes kids playgrounds, water fountains, roller skate arena, fitness facilities, and shaded dining areas. The park is open daily between 6:30 am and 11:00 pm. There is free parking for city residents in different locations around the park.

Eva Fischer Fund

Located in the Kfar Saba's Municipality Center is the

Eva Fischer Eva Fischer (Daruvar, 19 November 1920 – Rome, 7 July 2015) was a Croatia-born Italy, Italian artist who worked in oils, watercolours, engraving and lithography. Life and work Eva Fischer was born in Daruvar (present-day Croatia) in 1920. ...

Fund, which displays artworks about the Shoah given to the city by the Italian painter.

Archaeology

Remnants of an ancient

Israelite Israelites were a Hebrew language, Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age. Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanites, Canaanite populations ...

village were discovered east of the city, and are believed to be the ruins of biblical Capharsaba. The Kfar Saba Archaeology Museum exhibits artifacts found in the region. BookShop5215

Architecture

Kfar Saba is characterized by residential buildings with red tiled roofs. The use of red tiled roofs is evident in all types of buildings: private homes, high-rise buildings, businesses and industry. There is a widespread use of porches with arches, especially in front of the stores at Weizmann and Rothschild streets. In 2014, the Kfar Saba Municipality decided to oblige every contractor who wants to build in the city area to install "green roofs." The meaning of green roofs is that

solar panel A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

s will be installed on the roof to generate electricity from solar energy or a

vegetable garden The traditional kitchen garden, vegetable garden, also known as a potager (from the French ) or in Scotland a kailyaird, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. It is used for grow ...

will be planted.

Industry

Kfar Saba has one large industrial zone in the east of the city. It contains hi-tech offices and industrial plants, including

Teva Pharmaceuticals Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (also known as Teva Pharmaceuticals) is an Israeli multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical company. Teva specializes primarily in generic drugs, but other business interests include branded-drug ...

' plant.

Transportation

Kfar Saba is served by

Kfar Saba–Nordau railway station Kfar Saba–Nordau railway station (also known as Kostyuk) is a passenger railway station located at the city boundary of Hod HaSharon, Israel and Kfar Saba, Israel. The station was opened on 13 April 2003 as the beginning of the new Sharon Railw ...

In popular culture

Kfar Saba was the primary filming location of FX's 2014-16 drama series ''

Tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...

'', which takes place in the fictional Arab country of Baladi.

Twin towns – sister cities

Kfar Saba is twinned with: *

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

, Netherlands *

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

, United States *

Jinan Jinan is the capital of the province of Shandong in East China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is one of the largest cities in Shandong in terms of population. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of ...

, China *

Mülheim an der Ruhr Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr (, ; ; ) and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home ...

, Germany * San José, Costa Rica *

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

, Germany

Notable people

Oz Almog Oz Almog () is an Israeli and Austrian artist, born on 15 April 1956, in Kfar Saba, Israel. Biography Oz Almog was born to a family of Russian/Ukrainian pioneers (Avrutzki) and Romanian/Russian immigrants (Abramovich). After studying classical pa ...

(born 1956), Israeli-Austrian artist *

Gabi Ashkenazi Gabriel "Gabi" Ashkenazi (; born 25 February 1954) is an Israeli politician and former military leader. He previously served as the minister of foreign affairs. He was the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces from 2007 to 2011. ...

(born 1954), former IDF Chief *

Linoy Ashram Linoy Ashram (; born ) is a retired Israeli individual Rhythmic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnast. She is the Gymnastics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's rhythmic individual all-around, 2020 Olympic All-around Champion, the 2018 Rhythmic Gymnas ...

(born 1999), rhythmic gymnastics *

Avi Ben-Chimol Avraham "Avi" Ben-Chimol (; born May 22, 1985) is an Israeli professional basketball player for Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli Premier League. He was the Israeli Premier League Assists Leader in 2018 and 2019. Early years Ben-Chimol was born in K ...

(born 1985), basketball player * Michael Grunebaum (born 1932), first paediatric radiologist in Israel *

Miki Berkovich Moshe "Miki" Berkovich (or Mickey Berkowitz; ; born 17 February 1954) is an Israeli former professional basketball player. A 193 cm shooting guard, he is considered to be one of the greatest Israeli basketball players of all time. Berkov ...

(born 1954), basketball player *

Matti Caspi Matti Caspi () is an Israeli composer, musician, singer, arranger, and lyricist. Born in 1949, he is regarded as one of Israel's top popular musicians. His music's style is informed by classical music, Brazilian and Latin music, jazz, rock and ...

(born 1949), musician *

Galit Chait Galit Chait (, ''Galit Hayat''; born on January 29, 1975) is an Israeli former competitive ice dancer. She and her partner Sergei Sakhnovski competed internationally for Israel from 1995 to 2006, becoming the 2002 World bronze medalists. Person ...

(born 1975), Olympic ice skater *

Nili Cohen Nili Cohen (; born 1947) is an Israel professor and legal expert. She is a recipient of the Israel Prize, and was the President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, succeeding Prof. Ruth Arnon, Cohen's role model. She is a member of t ...

(born 1947), professor and legal expert *

Yarden Gerbi Yarden Gerbi (or Jerbi, ; born 8 July 1989) is an Israeli former judoka world champion. She won an Olympic bronze medal competing for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics, in women's 63 kg judo. Gerbi won the gold medal at the 2013 World J ...

(born 1989), judoka and Olympic bronze medalist *

Eden Golan Eden Golan (; ; born 5 October 2003) is an Israeli singer. Born in Israel, Golan moved with her family to Russia at age six; she began her career there by taking part in the Russian selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015, and af ...

singer and

Eurovision 2024 The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Tattoo" by Loreen. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) ...

contestant for Israel *

Nina Pekerman Nina Pekerman (; born September 28, 1977) is an Israeli athlete who competes in triathlon and Ironman Triathlon competitions. She was rated 25th in the second level of world championship in racing bicycle in 2003, ניר שועליהסיפור � ...

(born 1977), athlete *

Sharren Haskel Sharren Miriam Haskel-Harpaz (; born 4 March 1984) is an Israeli politician serving as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. She was a member of the Knesset for the New Hope party, having previously served as a member of the National Unity Pa ...

(born 1984), Member of

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

Hanoch Kalai Hanoch Kalai (; March 13, 1910 – April 15, 1979) was a senior leader of Irgun and a co-founder of Lehi, and an expert on the Hebrew language. He was ''Deputy Commander in Chief'' of Irgun under David Raziel and spent three months as ''Comman ...

Irgun The Irgun (), officially the National Military Organization in the Land of Israel, often abbreviated as Etzel or IZL (), was a Zionist paramilitary organization that operated in Mandatory Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of th ...

cofounder and Commander in Chief, Lehi cofounder *

Moti Kirschenbaum Mordechai (Moti) Kirschenbaum (; September 24, 1939 – September 25, 2015) was an Israeli media personality and documentarian. Biography Kirschenbaum was born in Kfar Saba in 1939. He studied in Pardes Hanna Agricultural High School. He served ...

, media personality * David Klein, governor of the

Bank of Israel The Bank of Israel (, ) is the central bank of Israel. The bank's headquarters is located in Kiryat HaMemshala in Jerusalem with a branch office in Tel Aviv. The current governor is Amir Yaron. The primary objective of the Bank of Israel is to ...

Amos Lapidot Aluf Amos Lapidot (‎; 1934 – November 20, 2019) was an Israeli fighter pilot who served as the tenth Commander of the Israeli Air Force, a position he held from 1982 to 1987. From 1998 to 2001 he was the President of Technion – Israel Ins ...

(1934–2019), fighter pilot, 10th Commander of the

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...

, and President of

Technion – Israel Institute of Technology The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is a public university, public research university located in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912 by Jews under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, the Technion is the oldest university in the coun ...

Reshef Levi Reshef Levi (; born 13 March 1972) is an Israeli screenwriter, playwright, film director, producer, writer, comedian and television presenter. Winner of the Israeli Theatre Award and the Israeli Academy of Television Award. Levi is married with sev ...

, writer and director * Noam Mills (born 1986), female Olympic fencer *

Vicky Peretz Yitzhak "Vicky" Peretz (; 11 February 1953 – 29 June 2021) was an Israeli association football, football player and manager. He played for Maccabi Ramat Amidar F.C., Maccabi Ramat Amidar, Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C., Maccabi Tel Aviv, RC Stras ...

(1953–2021), international Olympic footballer *

Idan Raichel Idan Raichel (, ; b. 12 September 1977) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musician known for his "Idan Raichel Project" (Hebrew: ), distinctive for its fusion of electronics, traditional Hebrew texts, and diverse musical influences. Prior ...

(born 1977), musician *

Sergey Richter Sergey Richter (; ; born 23 April 1989) is an Olympic sport shooter. Born in Ukraine, he represents Israel internationally. He shares the junior world record in the 10 metre air rifle, and was the 2009 ISSF World Cup champion. He competed on ...

(born 1989), Olympic sport shooter * Nakdimon Rogel, journalist and author of the

Nakdi Report The Nakdi Report (, ' ) is a document outlining the ethical guidelines of Israel's broadcasting industry. History The Nakdi Report was published in 1995 as the Guidelines for Coverage of News and Current Affairs. It is named for its author, Nakd ...

Ravid Ronen Ravid Ronen (Hebrew: רביד רונן; born 3 December 2001) is an Israeli actress and model. Early life Ronen was born on 3 December 2001 in Kfar Saba. She studied acting at the Kfar Saba Youth Theatre and at Katznelson High School, where she ...

(born 2001), actress and model *

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 ...

, politician *

Yuval Segal Yuval Segal (; born 6 December 1971) is an Israeli actor. Regarded as one of the best performers of his generation in Israel, he is recognized for his versatile work across independent films, television and the stage. In 2003, he earned a Best Ac ...

(born 1971), actor and comedian *

Ron Scherf Ron Scherf (; born February 17, 1972) is an Israeli social and political activist, a former Lt. Colonel in the Sayeret Matkal unit of the IDF, and one of the founding members and leaders of the " Brothers in Arms" organization standing at the fo ...

(born 1972), Lt. Col. in

Sayeret Matkal Sayeret Matkal () (formerly Unit 269 or Unit 262) (English: General Staff Reconnaissance Unit), is the special reconnaissance unit (''sayeret'') of Israel's General Staff (''matkal''). It is considered one of the premier special forces units of ...

and co-founder of the Brothers in Arms protest movement * Keren Siebner (born 1990), Olympic swimmer *

Gil Simkovitch Gil Simkovitch (; born January 13, 1982) is an Israeli Olympic sport shooter. Biography Simkovitch is Jewish, and was born in Kfar Saba, Israel. He began shooting when he was 16 years of age, and is coached by Israeli Olympian Guy Starik. He tr ...

(born 1982), Olympic

sport shooter Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such ...

Harel Skaat Harel Skaat (; born 8 August 1981) sometimes known by the mononym Harel is an Israeli singer and songwriter. He represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Milim" ("", "Words"). Skaat has been singing and performing in publi ...

(born 1981), singer *

Manor Solomon Manor Solomon (; born ) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Israel national team. Early and personal life Solomon was born and raised in Kfar Saba, Israel, to an Israe ...

(born 1999), international association footballer (soccer player) * Yaara Tal (born 1955), pianist *

Maor Tiyouri Maor Tiyouri (; born 13 August 1990) is an Israeli Olympic long-distance runner, former national record holder of Israel in the 5000 metres, and a six-time Israeli national champion – in the 1500 m (three times), the 3000 m, the 5,000 m, an ...

(born 1990), Olympic long distance runner *

Shelly Yachimovich Shelly Rachel Yachimovich (; born 28 March 1960) is an Israeli politician, who served three terms as the official Leader of the Opposition, a member of the Knesset, and a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. She served as leade ...

, journalist and politician * Israel Yinon, conductor *

Tomer Yosef Tomer Yosef (; born in Kfar Saba, Israel on 8 September 1975) is an Israeli singer and lead vocalist for the Israeli electronica-world fusion band Balkan Beat Box. The band founded by Tamir Muskat, Ori Kaplan included Tomer Yosef as a core m ...

, musician * Yehoshua Zettler, Lehi commander File:Flickr - aktivioslo - Harel Skaat - Israel (2) cropped.jpg,

File:Linoy Ashram (cropped - 1).jpg,

File:Micky Berkowitz.jpg,

File:Keren Ziebner 2.jpg, Keren Siebner File:Manor_Solomon_-_Press_Conference_-_Israel_Football_Association_-_26_May_2022_(cropped).jpg,

File:Nina_pakerman.jpg,

File:Tiyouri_at_the_2017_IAAF_World_Championships.jpg,

File:Yarden Gerbi, June 2022.jpg,

File:Idan_Raichel2.jpg,

File:Sharren Haskel.JPG,

File:Major_general_amos_lapidot.jpg,

File:Gabi Ashkenazi5.jpg,

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

*
Kfar Saba Museum

Kfar Saba Portal

Block plan of Kefar Sava, (cadastral map) with list of names, 1934
- Eran Laor Cartographic Collection, The

National Library of Israel The National Library of Israel (NLI; ; ), formerly Jewish National and University Library (JNUL; ), is the library dedicated to collecting the cultural treasures of Israel and of Judaism, Jewish Cultural heritage, heritage. The library holds more ...

{{Authority control Cities in Central District (Israel) Cities in Israel Populated places established in 1903 Sharon plain Tegart forts Jewish villages in the Ottoman Empire 1903 establishments in the Ottoman Empire