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45-445: Yokneam Illit was founded in 1950 and became a local authority in 1967, and a city in 2007. The city is located alongside the country's major highways – Highway 70 and Highway 6 . In 2022 it had a population of 24,617. Starting in 1989 when a new mayor, Simon Alfassi, was elected, the economic structure of Yokneam Illit changed from a centralized dependence on two large factories to a dispersed base of many small high-tech companies. As

90-617: A "National Priority Area A", and its small town surroundings and lower cost of housing all worked together to attract Israel's highest concentration of R&D companies outside of Tel-Aviv and give it the nickname of Startup Village . Under the Israeli Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investment, approved enterprises in Yokneam Illit enjoy the highest level of tax benefits and investment grants (currently up to 20% of

135-538: A Tennis Association, a new Country Club including an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, an additional community swimming pool, and a Soccer field, which is run by the Hapoel sports association and is very active with the school age children. Local teams compete in league for Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Water Polo on YouTube , and Bicycle Racing . The Indoor basketball court at Hapoel seats 500. The outdoor soccer field seats 200. Highway 70 (Israel) Highway 70

180-691: A branch of the Open University for bachelor's and master's degrees. The municipality is currently trying to expand on this by working with major universities to open branches in Yokneam. Residents of Yokneam Illit are avid theater goers and there are three local theaters, Yokneam City Theater (seats 475), Tarbuta Archived 2019-01-01 at the Wayback Machine (seats 200) and an amateur theater MixArt. Israel's best-known theater groups come to perform at The Yokneam City Theater operates 6 days

225-405: A center for companies involved in medical, cleantech and product development. In 2011, some 16,000 workers entered the industrial parks every day. Of these, only 4,000 were local residents. On Dec. 31, 2014, Yokneam had a population of 21,100 residents, with a population density of 2,576.5. The rate of unemployment is 5 percent, lower than the national average. The median age in the Yokneam region

270-531: A challenging situation for residents. In the 1990s, Yokneam absorbed a large wave of immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. During that time, Yokneam's industrial parks became a magnet for high-tech firms. Yokneam Illit was formally declared a city in 2006. In 2009, Yokneam was linked to Highway 6 and also received recognition as Israel's first "Green City" in the Cleantech competition. These two events significantly boosted Yokneam's attraction as

315-414: A number of Yokneam's kindergartens and elementary schools the “green label” because of the way they integrated study of the environment into the local curriculum. In grades three through six, elementary school students spend a full week during school at the city's Science Museum. The IDF Head of Manpower Planning recently awarded the city a special excellence prize for achieving an 87% level of enlistment in

360-528: A number of production facilities, including Osem , which established a plant in Yokneam in 1974; and a boutique winery, Morad Winery, known for its special wines made from Pomegranates, Passion Fruit, Red Grapefruits, Coffee, Coconuts, Carub and many other fruits. Initially, the plant produced mainly pasta products, but the scope of activities broadened over the years. In 1997, the facility doubled in size and three production lines were installed for baked goods such as crackers, biscuits, cookies and pretzels. Bamba ,

405-505: A popular Israeli snack food, is also produced in Yokneam. Many Yokneam residents are employed at the plant, which won awards from the Council for a Beautiful Israel for its attractive premises. Over a hundred high technology companies are headquartered in Yokneam or have R&D facilities there. These include: Major startup exits include BTG 's recent $ 110 million acquisition of Galil Medical, Amazon 's acquisition of Annapurna Labs for

450-461: A reported $ 350–375 million and Mellanox Technologies acquisition of EZchip Semiconductor for a reported $ 811 million, Covidien's 2014 acquisition of Given Imaging for a reported $ 860 million, Intel 's acquisition of Oplus Technologies Inc in 2005 for nearly $ 50 million, and Marvell 's acquisition of Galileo Technology Ltd. for $ 2.7 billion in stock in 2000. In addition to these exits, Lumenis recently merged with an affiliate of China's XIO group for

495-549: A reported $ 510 million. As the number of hi-tech companies in Yokneam grow, technology incubators have begun opening in or moving to Yokneam, each specializing in different types of technology. Yokneam is a very green city. Not just in terms of ecological activism, but also in terms of its physical surroundings. Roughly two-thirds of the land within Yokneam's city limits are green space (parks, archeological digs, gardens, playgrounds). It has five major public parks, and outdoor amphitheater and over 80 playgrounds distributed throughout

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540-478: A restaurant or coffee shop go to nearby Ramat Ishai . Yokneam is known for its religious tolerance, with many extended families consisting of a mixture of secular and religious Jews. Despite its small size, Yokneam Illit is an ethnically diverse city, with immigrants from all parts of the world and their descendants and many active synagogues, each with its own special character. Yokneam has two indoor Basketball Courts (Dahari Sports Center and Hapoel Sports Center),

585-694: A small startup in Yokneam Illit, leveraged its special relationship with the Southeast chapter of the US-Israel Chamber of Commerce when it opened its Marketing headquarters in Atlanta, GA. Yokneam's proximity to two major universities ( Technion and University of Haifa , both in Haifa), location at the crossroads between northern Israel and the major urban areas of Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem, tax benefits and investment grants associated with its status as

630-558: A week. The subscription series with 8 different performances a year from Israel's best-known theater companies has grown from one day of the week to five in order to accommodate a total audience of over 2,000, or 10% of its population. The theater also runs two subscription series for children with a total of 600 subscribers, one for ages 3–6 and the other for ages 6–10. A separate "Fringe" series has 200 subscribers for one-man or small theater companies and nontraditional theater performances. Low cost and subsidized performances that are outside of

675-453: Is 32. 76% of Yokneam Illit's residents are 40 years old or under. Eighty percent of high-school students in Yokneam graduate with a bagrut matriculation certificate, one of the highest rates in Israel. 40% of Yokneam's population are college graduates. Since the 1950s when Yokneam Moshava and Yokneam Illit shared a single school, social integration and coexistence has been an integral part of

720-634: Is a highway, 44 km in length, running through the Western Galilee region in the Northern District of Israel . It connects the Lower Galilee to Kiryat Ata and Shlomi near Israel's border with Lebanon . The highway runs concurrently with Highway 75 for 4 km between Ha'Amakim Interchange and Yagur Junction, then with Highway 6 for 5 km between Givot Alonim Interchange and Somekh Interchange. Highway 70 begins at

765-466: Is already underway that will be a joint venture of Yokneam Illit, Megiddo Regional Council and the Druze villages of Daliyat al-Karmel and Isfiya . The growth of the high-tech companies in Yokneam has attracted speakers and members of specialized professions, such as technical writers, to come from other parts of Israel to meet and exchange ideas. In addition to technology-based industry, Yokneam has

810-544: Is located near Megiddo (Armageddon). The Crusaders called Yokneam "Cain Mons", or "Mountain of Cain" in keeping with the tradition that Cain , son of Adam ( Genesis 4: 23–24 ), was murdered at this site. Yokneam was populated throughout the Persian, Hellenistic , Roman / Byzantine , Arab, Crusaders, Mameluk , and Ottoman periods. Yokneam was built on the lands of a Palestinian Arab village named Qira , depopulated in

855-479: Is scheduled for April 17, 2014. Yokneam sits at the intersections of Highway 70 and Highway 6 , which connect all of Israel with both Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem . One of the main stations of the new railway line, being in operation from 2016, from the Jordanian border to the port of Haifa is located only 5 minutes from the Yokneam's high-tech parks. Yokneam is 20–25 minutes from Haifa Airport and 12 minutes from

900-675: The Ayatollah 's regime but also from lack of familiarity with Israel. Some fled after Habib Elghanian was murdered after being accused of " Zionism ." Israel continues to encourage the remaining Jews in Iran (less than 9,000) to immigrate, since Israel sees them as hostages of the Iranian regime. In 2007, Israel offered monetary incentives to Jews in Iran to encourage Iranian Jewish immigration to Israel. Jews of Iranian descent in Israel are considered Mizrahim . A Mizrahi Jew, broadly construed,

945-574: The Megiddo Regional Council , which is currently in the process of becoming recognized by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve . Each year thousands of Israelis participate in Yokneam's annual walking event which began in 1991. In 2013 there were 35,000 participants. The event takes place in the Spring, with a short route of 6 km and a longer route of 11 km through the hills and valleys that surround Yokneam. The 2014 walking event

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990-682: The Middle Eastern and North African region. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, over 200,000 Iranians have settled in Israel. Many Iranian Jews immigrated to Israel after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Following the revolution, an additional 10,000 to 15,000 Iranian Jews immigrated directly to Israel. Many others migrated first to the United States or Europe and then to Israel, mainly out of fear of

1035-645: The Ramat David airbase , which is reported to be the most likely location for a new International airport to complement Ben Gurion Airport . The bus service in Yokneam is provided by 3 bus companies. Superbus provides the local service in Yokneam and intercity service to Haifa and Afula . Superbus also runs night lines (including Friday nights) to Haifa, Kiryat Tivon and Ramat Ishai . All bus stops are handicapped-accessible. Egged and Nateev Express provide express intercity services to Tel Aviv , Bnei Brak and Jerusalem , as well as service with stops along

1080-756: The Yagur interchange with Highway 75 , then goes north toward Kiryat Ata and Shefaram and afterward continues through the Western Galilee until Shlomi . At the end of the 1990s, the two junctions near the southern end of the road, at Bat Shlomo and Elyakim , were reconstructed into interchanges to enable uninterrupted travel from Shefaya junction to Yokneam junction. 32°45′34″N 35°05′03″E  /  32.75944°N 35.08417°E  / 32.75944; 35.08417 Iranian Jews in Israel Iranian Jews in Israel refers to

1125-671: The IDF and the eighth highest level of recruitment to elite units and officers courses in all of Israel. Construction of a "breakthrough" educational campus is nearly complete, with an educational infrastructure for study from kindergarten to high school that will eliminate the transitions that affect students’ lives. The campus will have sports halls, day care centers, kindergartens, elementary and high schools, and academic courses prior to IDF enlistment. In addition to Yokneam's proximity to Technion (23.8 km), University of Haifa (22 km), and Oranim Academic College (7.5 km), Yokneam has

1170-491: The Jewish communities of Atlanta and St. Louis. This cross-pollination has led to an integrated economic ecosystem that help support the high-tech companies in Yokneam Illit. Examples of this cooperation can be seen in the activities of the Southeast chapter of the US-Israel Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta, and the success of companies like Given Imaging Archived 2016-07-18 at the Wayback Machine . Given Imaging, which began as

1215-638: The Megiddo Regional Council. The Partnership2Gether program, which partnered Yokneam Illit and the Megiddo Regional Council on the Israeli side, with the Jewish communities of Atlanta, GA and St. Louis, MO on the US side, helped institutionalize cooperation between the Yokneam Illit municipality and the Megiddo Regional Council. The impact on joint community leadership not only affected Yokneam-Megiddo, but also created an ongoing relationship between

1260-506: The Megiddo school system, while families who moved from the Megiddo communities to Yokneam Illit were educating their children in the Yokneam Illit school system. The family ties and school friendships led to mixed Yokneam-Megiddo parents groups in both communities and nearly all sports activities and many other after-school activities being fully integrated. Today, it is extremely rare to find a local team representing only Yokneam Illit or only

1305-460: The Soviet Union in the 1970s. In the 1990s, Yokneam Illit absorbed large numbers of immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union . Starting in the 1990s, the growth of high-tech companies in Yokneam Illit also brought an influx of Israeli-born residents along with an increasing number of immigrants from Western Europe, South Africa, North America and South America. During this period,

1350-614: The Tel Aviv area, its high rate of growth in recent years has pushed prices up faster than in similar-sized cities. Yokneam appears in the list of 119 conquered cities by Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III after the victory in the battle of Megiddo (1468 BC). Yokneam or Jokneam is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as a city of Levites within the territory of the Israelite tribe of Zebulun ( Joshua 12:1, 12:22, 19:10-11, 21:34 ). It

1395-554: The Yokneam Moshava. In 1952, Yokneam was considered unusual in that it had a single school for all regardless of whether they were religious or secular, or from the moshava or the tent camp. In 1964, Yokneam of 4,300 residents, with 160 of the families living in the moshava. In 1967, Yokneam was split into two local councils (Yokneam and Yokneam Illit). In the 1980s there were two factories in Yokneam, employing 90% of its residents. One collapsed and unemployment soared creating

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1440-483: The area, Kibbutz children's houses and Kindergartens began accepting children from nearby Yokneam Illit, and in some cases the number of children from Yokneam Illit outnumbered the Kibbutz children. This phenomenon later extended to the elementary and secondary schools until the building of new schools in Yokneam Illit was able to catch up with demand. Many of the children from Yokneam Illit and their families remained in

1485-660: The city. Tel Yokneam, which includes the ruins of a crusader church and its intricate water system, is used as an educational site where Yokneam's school children perform restoration work under the direction of the Antiquities Authority and the National Parks Authority. Nearly 13 kilometers of bicycle paths connect all of the parks and public spaces. The city is also surrounded by the Ramot Menashe Biosphere Reserve of

1530-625: The community of Iranian Jews who immigrated to Ottoman Palestine , Mandatory Palestine , and later the State of Israel . Iranian Jews in Israel number more than 200,000 and most of them are Israeli born . The first Iranian Jews to settle in Ottoman Palestine were from Shiraz . They left in 1815 in a caravan, making their way to the port of Bushehr and from there boarded a ship to Basra in southern Iraq. From there, they traveled by land to Baghdad and Damascus . Those who survived

1575-552: The difficult journey settled in Tzfat and Jerusalem , establishing the nucleus of the Iranian Jewish community in these cities. After the establishment of the State of Israel , immigration increased significantly. In 1952, approximately 30,000 Iranian Jews immigrated to Israel under the Israeli mission Operation Cyrus. In the 1950s, the Israeli treatment of Iranian Jews was similar to the Israeli treatment of other Jews from

1620-493: The economic problems of the Kibbutz and Moshav movements led many of the young families in the Megiddo Regional Council to move to nearby Yokneam Illit. Yokneam Illit's accelerated demand for day care and Kindergartens led to a shortage of space in local day care and Kindergartens at the same time that there was a shortage of children at some of the Kibbutzim. In order to avoid sending their children to other small communities in

1665-454: The entire series. The local Artists' Guild makes use of the theater to display artwork from local and outside artists. A second theater house, Tarbuta Archived 2019-01-01 at the Wayback Machine , seats 200. The Family Empowerment Center also runs a Drama-Therapy group for Ethiopian women that performs in Hebrew and Amharic. During the summer months, musicians from all over Israel perform in

1710-821: The investment or 10 year tax exemption). In addition, companies relocating to the region can apply for concessions in local taxes over a three-year period from the Yokneam Illit Local Authority. Yokneam's industrial parks are home to more than 100 high-tech companies with exports of approximately 5 billion US dollars annually. Companies specialize in a wide range of technologies, including semicondcutors, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. These include Intel , Panasonic Avionics Corporation , Medtronic , Given Imaging , Naiot Venture Accelerator , Mellanox Technologies , Marvell Technology Group , Biosense Webster and Lumenis . An additional high-tech park, Mevo Carmel Jewish-Arab Industrial Park,

1755-407: The lead up to the 1948 Arab–Israeli war . The Yokneam Moshava was established in 1935. In July 1950, a tent camp (Maabara) was set up to absorb 250 new immigrant families and remained part of Yokneam Moshava until 1967. By the start of 1952, another 400 families were housed in the tent camp. Toward the end of 1951, the first 285 families moved from the tent camp to permanent housing on the hill above

1800-597: The local culture. The first wave of immigrants to settle in the Maabara (tent camp) had major contingents from at least 6 different Jewish communities ( Iran , Iraq , Kurdistan , Romania , Yemen and India ), all of whom were absorbed by the Moshava which had been settled in 1935 by Jews from Germany and the Netherlands. The next wave of new immigrants came in the 1960s from North Africa, followed by immigrants from

1845-481: The number and size of the companies grew, Yokneam and the small communities around it began to attract young entrepreneurs and developers who were looking for a less urban alternative to the Tel Aviv area. It now has over 100 high-tech companies, and exports of approximately 5 billion US dollars annually. The policy of the municipality is to build low-density, spacious homes to preserve the landscape and views from every home. Although real estate prices are low relative to

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1890-608: The open air Amphitheater. MixArt is an amateur studio established in 2017 under the patronage of Yokneam's Department of Absorption and performing plays in Russian and Hebrew. To date, this group does not have its own scene. There are also many dance performances held at Kibbutz Ein HaShofet, just outside Yokneam. One of Israel's largest movie houses, Yes Planet , is only 15 minutes away. Yokneam Illit does not have any bars or pubs. Young people looking for more than wine or beer at

1935-533: The subscription series include performances in Yiddish by the "Yiddish Shpiel" company Archived 2019-02-28 at the Wayback Machine , events for the Ethiopian community, children's concerts, and animation theater. The Jewish Federation subsidizes children's theater subscriptions for members of the Ethiopian community to bring their cost of a child accompanied by one parent down to 100 ILS (approximately US$ 30) for

1980-433: The way. There is a taxi stand at the shopping mall at the eastern entrance to Yokneam Illit. The Yokneam Illit Municipality encourages the use of bicycles in the city. It currently has 13 km of bicycle paths that connect all of it public parks and buildings. Yokneam allocates 42% of its budget to education. With 75% of its students passing the national matriculation exams and a dropout rate of only 0.8%, Yokneam Illit

2025-687: Was awarded the National Education Prize and the Regional Education Prize several times in recent years. Preschool from age 3 has been free in Yokneam Illit for 20 years. The municipality of Yokneam has developed a special relationship with the Jewish communities of Atlanta, GA and Saint Louis, MO, whereby all three communities work together to create programs for bridging the gaps between communities and cultures, and to provide all students with equal opportunities. The Environmental Protection Ministry (Israel) awarded

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