Gan Yavne is a (local council

Local council (Israel)

Local councils are one of the three types of local government found in Israel, with the other two being cities and regional councils. As of 2003, there were 144 local councils in Israel, these being settlements which pass a minimum threshold enough to justify their operations as independent...

) in the Center District

Center District (Israel)

The Central District of Israel is one of six administrative districts, including most of the Sharon region. The district capital is Ramla. It is further divided into 4 sub-districts: Petah Tikva, Ramla, Sharon and Rehovot. The district's largest city is Rishon LeZion. Its population as of 2008 was...

 of Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, located adjacent to the city of Ashdod. It was founded in 1931 and declared a local council in 1950.

Gan Yavne lies east of the Tel-Aviv–Ashkelon highway

Highway 4 (Israel)

Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...

 (Highway No. 4). It is bordered to the west by Ashdod, to the north by Gederot Regional Council

Gederot Regional Council

Gederot Regional Council is a regional council in the Center District of Israel. It is located between Ashdod, Yavne and Gedera and covers an area of 13,000 dunams...

, and to the east and south by Be'er Tuvia Regional Council

Be'er Tuvia Regional Council

Be'er Tuvia Regional Council , is a regional council in the southern Coastal Plain region in Israel.It borders Yoav and Nahal Sorek regional councils in the east; Hof Ashkelon regional council, the Mediterranean Sea, the city of Ashdod and Gan Yavne local council in the west; Gederot, Hevel Yavne...

.

Emblem

Gan Yavne’s emblem represents "Torah and work", depicting the tablets of the Ten Commandments

Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...

 enveloping an orange and a lemon. These symbolize the founders of Gan Yavne, who were working people with a creative spirit, planters of vineyards and orchards, and house builders, uplifted by the Zionist dream and love of Israel.

History

Gan Yavne was established in 1931 by the “Achuza Aleph” Company founded by several Jewish families from Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 and Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, who had settled temporarily in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The inspiration for its name “Gan Yavne”, comes from its proximity to the historical Yavne. In the late 70's it was known as "Tachshit Hashfela", or the "Low-Land Jewel".

In the 1950’s, Gan-Yavne absorbed Yemen

Yemen

The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

ite immigrants from the “Magic Carpet

Operation Magic Carpet (Yemen)

Operation Magic Carpet is a widely-known nickname for Operation On Wings of Eagles , an operation between June 1949 and September 1950 that brought 49,000 Yemenite Jews to the new state of Israel. British and American transport planes made some 380 flights from Aden, in a secret operation that was...

” operation, and in the 1960’s – immigrants from North Africa and Kurdistan. Over the years they were joined by thousands of residents from all over the country, among them new immigrants from Tunisia

Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

 and the former Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

.

Gan Yavne today

Today, Gan Yavne is experiencing a building and development boom. Hundreds of housing units and pretty suburbs are being constructed. Alongside its rapid development, Gan Yavne preserves its unique village character. Today Gan-Yavne is the only township along Israel’s coastline that is based on private houses. Gan-Yavne’s uniqueness, good location, municipal services to young and old alike, as well as making education, culture and environmental cultivation its top priority, are what make Gan-Yavne so attractive to hundreds of young families, choosing to build their homes here.

In the 1990s and 2000s Gan Yavne more than doubled its population, and became a popular "sleeping town" for commuters. The development of highway 4

Highway 4 (Israel)

Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...

 ("the coastal road"), which is a freeway between Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

 and Gan Yavne junction, and also the introduction of frequent rail service to the nearby Ashdod station

Ashdod Ad Halom Railway Station

Ashdod Ad Halom Railway Station is a railway station in Ashdod, Israel. It is on the suburban line Binyamina/Netanya - Tel Aviv - Rehovot/Ashkelon. Ashdod Ad Halom Station was opened in June 1995 and was fully rebuilt in 2003...

, allows commuters to travel to Tel Aviv in 30–45 minutes.

Educational facilities

• 23 kindergartens
• 4 state elementary schools – “Ben Gurion”, “Maccabim”, "Ilan Ramon" and "Ehud Manor"
• State religious elementary school – “Sinai”
• 2 junior highs/high schools – “Ort Itzhak Rabin” and "Naomi Shemer"
• Technological Secondary Yeshiva – “Achuzat Yaakov”(Closed)
• “Beit Apel” Children’s Village

Community and youth facilities

• Community Culture Center and Library
• 3 Pais Community Center extensions
• Pais Community Center for the elderly
• "Beney Akiva" & "Ha'Noar Ha'Oved Ve Ha'Lomed" Youth movements