Bat Yam
Hebrew transcription(s)
• Hebrew	בַּת יָם
• ISO 259	Batt Yamm
Logo
Bat Yam
Coordinates: 32°01′N 34°45′E / 32.017°N 34.75°E / 32.017; 34.75Coordinates: 32°01′N 34°45′E / 32.017°N 34.75°E / 32.017; 34.75
District	Tel Aviv
Founded	1926
Government
• Type	City (from 1958)
• Mayor	Shlomo Lahyani
Area
• Total	8,167 dunams (8.167 km2 or 3.153 sq mi)
Population (2009)[1]
• Total	130,000
Name meaning	lit. 'Daughter of the sea', can also mean 'mermaid'

Bat Yam beach

Defenders Square

Bat Yam (Hebrew: בַּת יָם‎‎  (audio) (help·info)) is a city located on Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast, on the central coastal strip, just south of Tel Aviv. Part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area, in the Tel Aviv District, the city is home to 130,000 people.^[1]

History[link]

Bat Yam was established in 1926 as Bayit VaGan (Hebrew: בית וגן‎‎; House and Garden). During the 1929 Palestine riots, the town was attacked by Palestinian fighters from Jaffa and was evacuated by British Authorities. In 1930, it was re-settled. In 1936, it was granted local council status and renamed Bat Yam. By 1945, 2,000 Jews were living in Bat Yam.^[2] According to the Jewish National Fund, in 1947 it had a population of 4,000.^[3]

Following the United Nations vote in favour of a partition plan on November 29, 1947 and the subsequent civil war, inhabitants of both Bat Yam and Jaffa complained on violent incidents, including sniping.^[3][4] On May 13, 1948, Jaffa surrendered to Jewish forces.

In the years following Israel's creation, Bat Yam grew dramatically due to mass immigration and gained city status in 1958. A small Hasidic enclave of Bobover Hasidim, known as Kiryat Bobov, was established in 1959. The city gained a sizeable community of Jews from Turkey (est. 23% of the population). Bat Yam again experienced a period of rapid growth in the early 1980s to the late 1990s with the mass immigration of Jews from the former Soviet Union, and Ethiopia. There is also a fairly large Arab community in Bat Yam, both Muslim and Christian many of whom relocated from Jaffa. The vast majority of Vietnamese-Israelis or Vietnamese people of Israeli origin, live in Bat Yam.^[5]

Local government[link]

In the early 2000s, following financial scandals under the leadership of Yehoshua Saguy, the city was on the brink of bankruptcy. In 2003 a new mayor, Shlomo Lahiani, was elected and the city began to rejuvenate. Large investments were made in education, culture and the appearance of the city. Shlomo Lahiani was re-elected as the mayor of Bat Yam in the municipal elections of 2008. He won 86 percent of the vote.

Politics and government[link]

Bat Yam municipality building

Art and culture[link]

"Kenyon Bat Yam" Mall

In 2008 the Bat-Yam International Biennale of Landscape Urbanism, which is devoted to re-examining urban spaces through art and architecture, was held in Bat Yam. In 2010 the second Biennale, "Timing" took place,^[6] which featured site-specific installations from designers and architects from around the world.^[7] The city has two shopping malls, Kanyon Bat Yam, which opened in 1993, and Kanyon Bat Yamon.

The location of Bat Yam on the Mediterranean makes it popular with beach-goers. Bat Yam has a 3.2 kilometers long promenade along the ocean lined with pubs and restaurants. The city has six beaches, one of which is protected by a breakwater. The Museum of Bat Yam exhibits contemporary art.^[8] Other museums include the Ben Ari Museum and Ryback Museum that houses the work of Issachar Ber Ryback. There is also a museum in the memory of the Yiddish writer Sholem Asch, who lived his last years in Bat Yam, and a small Holocaust museum.

Transportation[link]

All bus lines in Bat Yam have at least one terminus in Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion or Holon. Dan is the biggest bus company in the area. It operates frequent service to various neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, and also connects Bat Yam to Holon, Rishon LeZion, Ramat Gan, Giv'atayim, Bnei Brak, Tel HaShomer and Bar Ilan University. Egged connects Bat Yam to various neighborhoods of Holon and Rishon LeZion, and also operates service to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramla, Ben Gurion International Airport (part-time service) and intermediate communities.

Trains[link]

The Bat Yam-Yoseftal Railway Station has opened in 2011 as part of the new Tel Aviv – Rishon LeZion West line. Bat Yam will also be the terminus for the red line of the Tel Aviv Light Rail.

Sports[link]

Bat Yam Municipal Stadium

Location of Bat Yam in the Tel Aviv District

The city's major football club, Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam, currently plays in Liga Leumit, the third level of Israeli football. The club was formed by a 2004 merger of Hapoel Bat Yam (which had spent several seasons in the second division in the 1990s) and Maccabi Bat Yam.

Bat Yam's Al Gal beach is regarded to be one of the best surfing spots in the region, having fairly consistent surf conditions, especially during the summer months.

Twin towns – Sister cities[link]

Bat Yam is twinned with:

Notable residents[link]

David D'Or

• Shay Abutbul (1983–), soccer player
• Yohai Aharoni (1986–), soccer player
• Sholem Asch (1880–1957), Polish-born, Yiddish writer, has a museum of his work in the city.
• Michael Barkai (1935–99), Commander of the Israeli Navy
• Vered "Vardush" Buskila (born 1983), Olympic sailor
• Miri Ben-Ari (1978–), hip hop violinist
• Moshe Biton, soccer player
• David D'Or (born David Nehaisi; 1965–), Israeli singer, composer, and songwriter; attended high school
• Meir Dagan, (born 1945) Director of the Mossad
• Elana Eden (1940–), actress best known as "Ruth" in The Story of Ruth (1960)
• Sharon Farber, composer
• Matt Haimovitz (1970–), US cellist, born here
• Rita Katz (1963–), terrorism analyst
• Shlomo Lahiani (1965–), mayor of Bat Yam
• Peter Roth (1974–), Israeli pop singer and composer
• Gal Shish (1989–), soccer player
• Itzik Zohar (1970–), soccer player

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bat Yam

• Official website (Hebrew)
• Surfing in Bat-Yam

v t e Tel Aviv District Cities Bat Yam · Bnei Brak · Giv'at Shmuel · Giv'atayim · Herzliya · Holon · Kiryat Ono · Or Yehuda · Ramat Gan · Ramat HaSharon · Tel Aviv-Jaffa Local councils Azor · Kfar Shmaryahu Other sub-divisions: Center District · Haifa District · Jerusalem District · Judea and Samaria Area · North District · South District

Minimal Compact
Minimal Compact's reunion gig, Tel Aviv
Background information
Origin	Amsterdam, Brussels, Tel Aviv, Israel
Genres	New Wave, alternative rock, post-punk, experimental rock
Years active	1981–1988, 2004, 2008, 2012
Labels	Crammed
Associated acts	Githead, Fortisakharof, Oracle, Foreign Affair, Gruesome Twosome
Members
Malka Spigel Samy Birnbach Berry Sakharof Max Franken Rami Fortis

Minimal Compact was an Israeli rock band associated with the post-punk and indie rock movement of the 1980s.

Biography[link]

Between its foundation in 1981 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played a small role in the European rock scene. Malka Spigel (bass, vocals), Samy Birnbach (vocals, texts) and Berry Sakharof (guitars, keyboards, vocals) left their native Tel-Aviv in 1981 for Amsterdam in search of an escape from the provincial attitudes of their own city. Of the trio, only Berry was a "real" musician. Malka was "learning to play the bass", while Samy was better known as a DJ and a music fan who dabbled in poetry. They recorded a 2-song demo at home, and became one of the first artists signed to the Belgian Crammed label.

During the recording for a speculative 7" in a little studio in the Belgian countryside, it became quickly evident that the trio had hit upon something worthy of development and their first, self-titled, mini album Minimal Compact was the fruit of this. Their burgeoning style was a heavily Middle-Eastern coloured brand of post-New Wave, based on driving rhythms, scratchy guitars and their own very un- "Anglo-American" style of vocalisation. In this way they both prefigured indie dance and later fascinations with so called world music. This mini-album (now re-released on CD along with its successor "One by One") features "Statik Dancin' " which remained a live staple throughout the band's career, and "Creation Is Perfect", based on a text by the beat poet Bob Kaufman.

One by One, the second album, was recorded in London in 1982, and like its predecessor co-produced by Dirk Polak (from Mecano (Dutch band)) and Crammed supremo Marc Hollander. It includes tracks such as "Babylonian Tower", "Disguise" (another live staple), "It Takes a Lifetime". With this release Minimal Compact had become a "real band" with the addition of the native Amsterdammer Max Franken on drums. Now Minimal could play live, this was to prove a strong element in their career. As Minimal began to tour more extensively they went from strength to strength as a live band.

Deadly Weapons, produced by Gilles Martin and Tuxedomoon's Peter Principle dates from 1984 and is considered by some their most experimental album. Nonetheless it threw up a "club classic" of the time in the shape of "Next One Is Real" (famously remixed by Dick O'Dell, one time boss of the Guerilla label). The sleeve was by Neville Brody. On this album the "classic" 5-person line up became complete with the addition of guitarist/vocalist Rami Fortis a long time Minimal cohort from Tel Aviv who was arguably Israel's most innovative post-punk musician with his solo debut Plonter (knots). Fortis had previously collaborated with Malka on their "7 codes" tape (a low-fi home tape effort which had been sold in the indie shops in Amsterdam).

Touring by this point took them further and further afield, everywhere from Palermo to Kyoto fell to their conquest, although British success was limited to an NME single of the week and a John Peel session.

Raging Souls was released in 1985. Produced by Colin Newman, with artwork by Eno/Sylvian collaborator Russell Mills, it has proved their most popular album, with tracks like "My Will", "When I Go" (which was included in Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire movie soundtrack), "The Traitor", "Autumn Leaves" all of which became live favorites. By this time Minimal had become established in Brussels and were at the hub of the local "International Indie Scene" which featured at various times, Tuxedomoon (both individually and collectively), Bel Canto, Colin Newman, Sonoko, Gilles Martin, Benjamin Lew...

As a follow up Minimal Compact recorded a 12" Immigrants Songs (featuring a Led Zeppelin cover) with Israeli Uri Barak. Like "Next One Is Real" before it the 12" received extensive US college/dance attention and figures amongst their most enduring work.

The Figure One Cuts was their last studio album, recorded in 1987 with producer John Fryer (Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, M/A/R/R/S). Tracks include "Nil-Nil"", "Inner Station", "New Clear Twist", "Piece of Green". The Lowlands Flight instrumental album was released at the same time in Crammed's "Made To Measure" series. The touring continued but their goal of following up their record success in the USA was never achieved as several planned tours were cancelled because the US immigration authorities refused to grant them visas.

Minimal Compact Live was recorded in 1987 in Rennes, France, this last album came out after the band split in '88.

In 2004, The band reformed briefly for a series of shows in Israel and a European tour. Crammed published a "best of" compilation and a box set containing unreleased material and remixes to coincide with the reunion. Berry & Fortis are currently collaborating under the name Fortisakharof, Malka & Max are in Githead & Samy continues to DJ and make music under the name DJ Morpheus.

In July 2008, the band reunited for series of live shows in Tel Aviv, Israel, starting on July 8, 2008, marking the 60th birthday of Samy Birnbach.

On November 12, 2011, it was announced that Minimal Compact will be reuniting for a short tour of 5 dates in Israel in January–February 2012. The band will perform in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, between January 25–February 2, 2012.^[1]

Band members[link]

• Malka Spigel - bass, vocals
• Samy Birnbach - vocals, lyrics
• Berry Sakharof - guitars, keyboards, vocals
• Max Franken - drums
• Rami Fortis - guitars, vocals

Discography (albums and EPs)[link]

Albums[link]

• 1981: "Minimal Compact" (Crammed Discs)
• 1982: "One By One" (Crammed Discs)
• 1984: "Pieces for Nothing" / "Made to Measure Vol. 1" (Crammed Discs) – Soundtrack for the 1983 eponymous ballet by Pierre Droulers
• 1984: "Next One Is Real" (Wax Trax!)
• 1984: "Deadly Weapons" (Crammed Discs)
• 1985: "Raging Souls" (Crammed Discs)
• 1986: "Lowlands Flight" / "Made to Measure Vol. 10" (Crammed Discs)
• 1987: "The Figure One Cuts" (Crammed Discs)
• 1988: "Minimal Compact Live" (Crammed Discs)
• 2003: "Returning Wheel (Classics)" (NMC Records)
• 2004: "There's Always Now (Remixes & Remakes)" (Crammed Discs)

References[link]

• Biography at swim ~ website

External links[link]

• Sutton, Michael "Minimal Compact Biography", allmusic.com, Macrovision Corporation
• Sheridan, David "Minimal Compact", TrouserPress