Shoham

Shoham שֹׁהַם‎ شوهم‎
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	Šohm
Logo
Shoham
Coordinates: 31°59′48″N 34°56′34″E / 31.99667°N 34.94278°ECoordinates: 31°59′48″N 34°56′34″E / 31.99667°N 34.94278°E
District	Central
Government
• Type	Local council (from 1993)
• Head of Municipality	Gil Livneh
Area
• Total	5,889 dunams (5.889 km^2 or 2.274 sq mi)
Population (2014)
• Total	20,000[1]
Website	www.shoham.muni.il

Shoham (Hebrew: שֹׁהַם, lit. onyx) is a town (local council) in the Center District of Israel founded in 1993. Like Nofekh, Bareket and Ahlama (the former name of Beit Arif) nearby, the name relates to one of the 12 stones in the Hoshen, the sacred breastplate worn by a Jewish high priest (Exodus 28:20).^[2]

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Shoham's population in the end of 2009 was 18,200.^[3] Its jurisdiction is 5,889 dunams (~5.9 km²).^[4]

The mayor of Shoham is Gil Livneh and the chief rabbi is Rabbi David Stav.

In the 2009–2010 school year, Shoham ranked top in the country in percentage of high school students passing the Bagrut matriculation exams.^[5]

Notable residents

• Haim Katz
• Dan Naveh
• Zeev Schwartz
• Ziv Bar-Joseph

References

1. As it grows, Shoham is at risk of losing its small-town flavor
2. Bitan, Hanna: 1948-1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements in Israel, Jerusalem 1999, Carta, p. 66, ISBN 965-220-423-4 (Hebrew)
3. "Table 3 - Population of Localities Numbering Above 1,000 Residents and Other Rural Population" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2010-06-30. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
4. "Local Authorities in Israel 2005, Publication #1295 - Municipality Profiles - Shoham" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
5. דו"ח הזכאים לבגרויות: שוהם במקום הראשון, בני ברק בתחתית [Report matriculation graduates: Shoham in first place, Bnei Brak last]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). 24 June 2010.

External links

• Official website (Hebrew)