# Shefayim > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Shefayim > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Shefayim.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shefayim > Source revision: 1357158729 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Kibbutz in central Israel Place in Central, Israel Shefayim שְׁפָיִים‎ (Hebrew) Shefayim Show map of Central Israel Shefayim Show map of Israel Coordinates: 32°13′2″N 34°49′28″E / 32.21722°N 34.82444°E / 32.21722; 34.82444 Country Israel District Central Council Hof HaSharon Affiliation Kibbutz Movement Founded 1935 Founded by Polish Jews Population (2024)[1] 1,514 Website www.shefayim.co.il/english.html (in English) **Shefayim** ([Hebrew](/source/Hebrew_language): שְׁפָיִים, *lit.* High Hills) is a [kibbutz](/source/Kibbutz) in central [Israel](/source/Israel) located 2.5 miles north of [Herzliya](/source/Herzliya) along the [Mediterranean](/source/Mediterranean_Sea) coast. Shefayim falls under the jurisdiction of [Hof HaSharon Regional Council](/source/Hof_HaSharon_Regional_Council). In 2024 it had a population of 1,514.[1] ## History Kibbutz Shefayim was established in 1935 by [Jewish immigrants](/source/Aliyah) from Poland.[2] The name is taken from the [Book of Isaiah](/source/Book_of_Isaiah): "I will open rivers in high hills.[3]" During the [British Mandate for Palestine](/source/Mandatory_Palestine), Shefayim was a base for [clandestine immigration](/source/Aliyah_Bet). Members of [Palmach](/source/Palmach) loading gravel in Shefayim, July 1947 In the [1948 Arab–Israeli War](/source/1948_Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_War), it absorbed refugees from the abandoned kibbutz [Beit HaArava](/source/Beit_HaArava) near the [Dead Sea](/source/Dead_Sea). Shefayim 1944 1:20,000 (bottom left) In the early 1970s, the kibbutz established Polycad, a plastics factory. In the early 1980s, it established the Shafit [biotechnology](/source/Biotechnology) plant. In the mid-1990s, it acquired the Zirei Israel plant, which has become a leader in the Israeli [cotton-ginning](/source/Cotton_gin) industry.[4] In 2012 [IBM](/source/IBM) acquired New York- and Shefayim-based [mobile application developer](/source/Mobile_application_development) Worklight Ltd., founded in 2006 by Shahar Kaminitz, formerly of [Amdocs](/source/Amdocs).[5] ## Economy Shefayim cultural center Kibbutz Shefayim is among the wealthiest kibbutzim and was one of the few that did not require debt assistance from the state and banks during the recession in the 1980s. On the contrary, Shefayim contributed NIS 4 million to help failing kibbutzim. The main income source of the kibbutz is Hutzot Shefayim, a shopping mall, on real-estate previously classified as agricultural land. Other sources of income are a hotel and conference center, and a water park.[6] ## Notable people - [Orit Noked](/source/Orit_Noked) (born 1952), former member of the Knesset - [Rachel Shapira](/source/Rachel_Shapira) (born 1945), songwriter and poet - [Uri Ben-Ari](/source/Uri_Ben-Ari) (1925-2009), armored corps commander, diplomat and author; buried at the kibbutz cemetery - [Hirsch Smolar](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hirsch_Smolar&action=edit&redlink=1) [[de](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirsch_Smolar)] (1905-1993), Yiddish writer and journalist and social activist in Poland, buried at the kibbutz cemetery ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Israelpopulations_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Israelpopulations_1-1) ["Regional Statistics"](https://boardsgenerator.cbs.gov.il/pages/WebParts/YishuvimPage.aspx?mode=Yeshuv&l=1). *Israel Central Bureau of Statistics*. Retrieved 21 March 2026. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Shefayim](http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0018_0_18267.html) at Jewish Virtual Library 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Isaiah 41:18](https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Isaiah%2041:18&version=nrsv) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Kibbutz Shefayim history"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924101201/http://www.shefayim.co.il/english.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.shefayim.co.il/english.html) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2008-03-27. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["IBM acquires mobile app co Worklight for $50-60m"](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-1000720723). *[Globes](/source/Globes_(newspaper))*. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Cohen, Amiram (April 13, 2009). ["The ideology is dead. Long live the deal"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190507124329/https://www.haaretz.com/1.5036611). *[Haaretz](/source/Haaretz)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.haaretz.com/1.5036611) on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019. ## External links - [Official website](http://www.shefayim.co.il/english.html) - [Shefayim water park](http://www.waterpark.co.il/) (in Hebrew) and [on the kibbutz homepage](http://www.shefayim.co.il/engpark.htm) in English - Kibbutz Shefayim Aerial View [Hotel Shefayim](https://web.archive.org/web/20060207071916/http://h-shefayim.co.il/) v t e Hof HaSharon Regional Council Kibbutzim Ga'ash Glil Yam Shefayim Tel Yitzhak Yakum Moshavim Batzra Beit Yehoshua Bnei Zion Kfar Netter Rishpon Udim Other villages Arsuf Harutzim Kiryat Shlomo Neve Hadassah Authority control databases International VIAF GND WorldCat National United States Czech Republic Israel Geographic MusicBrainz area Other Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Shefayim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shefayim) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shefayim?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.