Editing Netivot

{{Short description|City in southern Israel}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Netivot
| native_name        = {{Lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|נתיבות}}|rtl=yes}}
| settlement_type    = [[List of cities in Israel|City]]
| image_skyline      = {{center|{{Photomontage
  |photo1a = PikiWiki Israel 44401 Aerial photo of Netivot.jpg
  |photo1b = PikiWiki Israel 44402 Aerial photo of Netivot .jpg
  |photo2a = PikiWiki Israel 44283 Aerial photo of Netivots water tower.jpg
  |photo2b = Netivot stadio1.jpg
  |photo3e = Netivot Banner.jpg
  |photo4e =
  |size    = 280
  |color   = transparent
  |border  = 0
}}}}
| image_blank_emblem = Coat of arms of Netivot.svg
| blank_emblem_type  = Coat of arms
| pushpin_map_alt    = 
| pushpin_map        = Israel north negev#Israel
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|31|25|N|34|35|E|region:IL|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{ISR}}
| subdivision_type1  = 
| subdivision_name1  = 
| subdivision_type2  = [[Districts of Israel|District]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Southern District (Israel)|Southern]]
| subdivision_type3  = Sub-district
| subdivision_name3  = [[Beersheba Subdistrict|Beersheba]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1956
| established_title1 = [[City council (Israel)|City Status]]
| established_date1  = 2000
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Yehiel Zohar
| unit_pref          = dunam
| area_total_dunam   = {{formatnum:5626|R}}
| population_footnotes = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| population_total   = 52,877
| population_as_of   = 2023
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
| demographics1_footnotes = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| demographics1_title1 = [[Israeli Jews|Jews and others]]
| demographics1_info1 = 99.9%
| demographics1_title2 = [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arabs]]
| demographics1_info2 = 0.1%
| blank_name_sec1    = Name meaning
| blank_info_sec1    = Paths
}}

'''Netivot''' ({{langx|he|נתיבות||Paths}}) is a city located in the [[Southern District (Israel)|Southern District]] of [[Israel]], located 8 miles (13 kilometers) southeast of [[Sderot]] and 19 miles (31 kilometers) northwest of [[Beersheba]]. In {{Israel populations|Year}}, it had a population of {{Israel populations|Netivot}}.{{Israel populations|reference}} Currently seeing rapid development, the city has grown to a population of 55,846 in 2024.

==History==
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 10866 Early days of Netivot.jpg|thumb|Netivot in 1960s]]
Netivot was founded in 1956 {{Israel populations|reference}} and named after the biblical verse: "All her paths are peace" ([[Proverbs 3]]:17).<ref>Bitan, Hanna: 1948–1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements in Israel, Jerusalem 1999, Carta, p.51, {{ISBN|965-220-423-4}} {{in lang|he}}</ref> Initially a [[Ma'abarot|ma'abara]], it was later transformed into a [[development town]]. The first residents were immigrants from [[Moroccan Jews|Morocco]] and [[History of the Jews in Tunisia|Tunisia]]. In the 1990s, they were joined by immigrants from Russia and Ethiopia.

In the mid-1990s the population was approximately 13,600, rising further to 21,800 in 2002. The increase was due to the arrival of many new immigrants; 43% of the residents were below the age of 14. At the end of 2009, Netivot had a population of 26,700.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ronen |first=Gil |date=April 4, 2013 |title=Bennett – We Don't Bow Our Heads before Turks |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/166696#.UWPheqLvGN7 |access-date=April 17, 2019 |work=[[Arutz Sheva]]}}</ref> By 2017, the population had risen to 33,779.<ref>Alex Weinreb, Taub Center | Data: Regev and Gordon, 2020</ref> In 2000, Netivot received city status.

During [[October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel|Hamas' attack on Israel on 7 October 2023]], several [[Hamas]] terrorist squads reached the outskirts of the city, which is located 8 miles (13 kilometers) from [[Gaza Strip]], but were eliminated by security forces before entering. Nonetheless, a rocket attack that day struck a home, taking the lives of three members of the same family.<ref>{{Cite web |last=October 7 |first=Kan 7 10 360: A. Digital Memorial Project for the Events of |title=Kan 7.10.360 {{!}} The story of Netivot on October 7th |url=https://www.710360.kan.org.il/en/netivot/netivot |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=www.710360.kan.org.il |language=en}}</ref>

==Demographics==
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 10703 Architecture of Israel.jpg|thumb|Ethiopian cultural center in Netivot]]
In 2001, the ethnic make-up of the city was 99.9% Jewish, and the population was evenly divided between males and females. The city ranked relatively low in the socio-economic index (3 out of 10).<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Councils and Municipalities, by Economic-Socio Index, Ranking and Cluster Membership |url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/www/publications/local_authorities2003/pdf/t02.pdf |publisher=Central Bureau of Statistics |access-date=13 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003225753/http://www.cbs.gov.il/www/publications/local_authorities2003/pdf/t02.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In the wake of [[Operation Solomon]], Netivot absorbed a large number of Ethiopian Jewish immigrants.<ref>[http://netivot.jewishagency.org/2011/12/26/netivot-commemorates-20-years-to-operation-solomon/ Netivot commemorates 20 years to Operation Solomon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003050026/http://netivot.jewishagency.org/2011/12/26/netivot-commemorates-20-years-to-operation-solomon/ |date=2013-10-03 }}</ref>

==Education==
According to the [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics|Central Bureau of Statistics]], there were 22 schools and 4,243 students in the city: 16 elementary schools with 3,053 students, and 11 high schools with 1,190 students. 43.1% of 12th grade students were entitled to a [[Bagrut]] matriculation certificate in 2001.

In 2009, a high school student from Netivot won first prize in the [[First Step to Nobel Prize in Physics]] competition.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israeli-teen-wins-int-l-physics-prize-1.5164624|title=Kiryat Gat Teen Wins First Prize in International Physics Competition|date=20 September 2012|newspaper=Haaretz}}</ref>

Netivot schools have been chosen for a special pilot project in which elementary school children build their own mini-robots.
In 2011, Netivot hosted a robotics festival sponsored by the international organization [[For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology|FIRST]] - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5108633|title=Robots Enliven Negev Desert Community|date=15 November 2018|newspaper=Haaretz}}</ref> First-, second,- and third-graders at the Noam Eliyahu religious school in Netivot spend eight hours a week studying science and robotics at Lehava, the municipal science center.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5108633|title=Robots Enliven Negev Desert Community|date=15 November 2018|newspaper=Haaretz}}</ref>

The Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev (MCLN) runs a two-year community-based leadership program in Netivot.<ref>[http://mandel.mli.org.il/MandelFoundation/News/Tomorrow%E2%80%99s+Leaders+of+Today%E2%80%99s+Negev.htm Tomorrow’s Leaders of Today’s Negev] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123110120/http://mandel.mli.org.il/MandelFoundation/News/Tomorrow%E2%80%99s%2BLeaders%2Bof%2BToday%E2%80%99s%2BNegev.htm |date=2013-01-23 }}</ref>

Netivot hosts the [[:He: ישיבת הנגב|''Yeshivat HaNegev'']], "the [[Yeshiva]] of the Negev", a [[Haredi]] institution [[Rosh yeshiva|headed]] {{As of|2024|10|lc=y}} by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Levi,<ref>{{cite web | title=Yeshivat Hanegev - Sehar Sahir| website=Olam Hatorah | url=http://www.torahindex.com/en/Inst/institutionsDetail.aspx?index=1&instID=2853 | access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref> with approximately 200 students. It was founded in 1966 by Rabbi [[:He: יששכר מאיר|Issachar Meir]], and was renamed ''Yeshivat Hanegev Shachar Shakir'' after him on his death.

The city is also home to the [[Religious Zionist]] ''[[Hesder]]'' Yeshiva of Netivot, ''[[:He: ישיבת ההסדר נתיבות|"Ahavat Yisrael"]]''.<ref>[https://www.yhn.co.il/ yhn.co.il]</ref> It was founded in 2000 by Rabbi [[Yisrael Friedman (Pashkaner Rebbe)|Yisrael Friedman]] and is today headed by Rabbi David Asulin with approximately 50 students.

== Transportation ==
[[File:Trainstnetivot2.jpg|thumb|[[Netivot railway station]]]]
Netivot is accessible by [[Highway 34 (Israel)|Highway 34]], [[Highway 25 (Israel)|Highway 25]] and Route 232.

The [[Ashkelon–Beersheba railway]], a new railway line which connected Netivot with [[Tel Aviv]] and [[Beersheba]], was inaugurated in February 2015. The [[Netivot railway station]] located on the western outskirts of the city, was opened on February 15, 2015.<ref name=Calcalist>{{cite news |date=2015-02-12 |title=מיום ראשון הקרוב - מסילת הרכבת מתחברת לעיר נתיבות|trans-title=From Sunday - A railway line will connect to Netivot|url=https://www.calcalist.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3652332,00.html|language=he |work=[[Calcalist]]|access-date=2019-03-11}}</ref> A bus terminal is located adjacent to the station.

==Culture==
Netivot is known for being the home of Jewish mystics and as a popular pilgrimage site. The growth of mysticism and sacred sites in Netivot led to it being dubbed the "[[Varanasi]] of Israel."

Important rabbinical figures tied to Netivot include [[Yaakov Israel Ifergan]], [[Yoram Abergel]],<ref>The Making of Saints: Contesting Sacred Ground. James F Hopgood (ed.) p.38</ref> and most prominently, [[Baba Sali|Israel Abuhatzeira]] (Hebrew: ר׳ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַבּוּחַצִירָא) – the "''Babi Sali''" (1889–1984), a renowned [[Moroccan Jews|Moroccan-born, Sephardic]]-[[Kabbalist]] rabbi, who had eventually settled there.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scarr |first=Cindy |date=2019-10-09 |title=The Baba Sali’s Best-Kept Secrets - Mishpacha Magazine |url=https://mishpacha.com/the-baba-salis-best-kept-secrets/ |access-date=2025-01-03 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Once a year, on the Hebrew date of his death, thousands of followers descend on the tomb in commemoration.<ref>{{cite web|title=Baba Sali|publisher=Go Israel|url=http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist%20Information/Jewish%20Themes/Jewish_Sites/Pages/Baba%20Sali%20jew.aspx|access-date=14 December 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225032338/http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist%20Information/Jewish%20Themes/Jewish_Sites/Pages/Baba%20Sali%20jew.aspx|archive-date=25 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=ToI Staff |title=Thousands turn out for heavily regulated anniversary memorial for Baba Sali |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/thousands-turn-out-for-heavily-regulated-anniversary-memorial-for-baba-sali/ |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=www.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Eleven local newspapers are published in the city.<ref>{{cite news |last=Yagna |first=Yanir |url=https://www.haaretz.com/in-israeli-desert-town-print-newspapers-are-all-the-rage-1.5166793| title=In Israeli Desert Town, Print Newspapers Are All the Rage |date=June 1, 2012 |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=April 17, 2019}}</ref>

Three successful nightclubs have opened in Netivot which also draw clientele from out of town,<ref name="haaretz">{{cite news |date=2008-10-17 |title=Negev town of Netivot transforms into South's nightlife hotspot |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1028967.html |access-date=2008-10-20 |work=Haaretz}}</ref> attracting young people from [[Ashkelon]], [[Beersheba]], [[Omer, Israel|Omer]], [[Lehavim]], [[Ofakim]], and [[Sderot]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Negev Town of Netivot Transforms Into South's Nightlife Hotspot |url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5046358 |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |date=October 16, 2008 |access-date=April 17, 2019}}</ref>

==Development plans ==
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 10888 Architecture of Israel.jpg|thumb|Architecture in Netivot]]
In 2019, two new neighborhoods with a total of 3,600 housing units planned for Netivot were expected to double the city's population.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tsion |first=Hila |date=September 8, 2012 |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4265277,00.html |title=South gets 4,100 new housing units |work=YNet News |access-date=April 17, 2019}}</ref> Two large supermarkets were also planned which would bring the total to 9.<ref>{{cite news |last=Yagna |first=Yanir |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/supersized-supermarkets-invade-tiny-israeli-desert-town-of-netivot.premium-1.458866 |title=Supersized supermarkets invade tiny Israeli desert town of Netivot Israel News |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |date=2012-08-17|access-date=2013-03-26}}</ref>

==Industry==
There are 24 plants and factories located in a nearby industrial park, mostly in food processing, metals, plastics, and construction sectors.<ref>{{cite web |title=תעשיות הפארק |url=http://www.park-noam.org.il/catalogexted.php?sub=0&cat=2 |publisher=פארק תעשיות בע"מ |access-date=13 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909011735/http://www.park-noam.org.il/catalogexted.php?sub=0&cat=2 |archive-date=9 September 2017 |language=Hebrew |url-status=dead}}</ref> There are an additional 15 factories located in the city in some of the same sectors as above, and also chemical and mineral sectors.<ref>{{cite web |title=תעשייה ופיתוח בנתיבות |url=http://www.netivot.muni.il/TextPage.aspx?ID=39 |publisher=עיריית נתיבות |access-date=13 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208071214/http://www.netivot.muni.il/TextPage.aspx?ID=39 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |language=Hebrew |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikivoyage}}
{{Portal|Israel}}
{{commons category-inline}}
*[https://www.nbn.org.il/gosouth/community_profile/netivot/ Netivot profile, Nefesh B'nefesh]
*{{official website|https://www.netivot.muni.il/ }} {{in lang|he}}

{{South District (Israel)}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Israel]]
[[Category:Development towns]]
[[Category:Gaza envelope]]
[[Category:Populated places in Southern District (Israel)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1956]]
[[Category:1956 establishments in Israel]]
[[Category:Cities in Southern District (Israel)]]
[[Category:Netivot| ]]