Beth-shemesh is the name of several ancient Biblical towns.

Bet Shemesh (בית שמש; unofficially also spelled Beit Shemesh) is a city in the Jerusalem District in Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2005 the city had a total population of 65,500. Bet Shemesh is a large Jewish neighborhood near Jerusalem in the modern State of Israel. ... The Jerusalem District, highlighted. ... Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (הלשכה המרכזית לסטטיסטיקה) is a state organization for the creation and maintenance of numeric data related to populations vis-à-vis the ethnic makeup of Israel and its cities. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The ancient city of Beit Shemesh("home of the sun" in hebrew) got it's name by the Canaanite who settled there and worshiped the canaanite sun-goddess Shemesh. The ruins of the ancient biblical city can still be seen in Tel Beit-Shemesh, located near the modern city of Beit Shemesh. Canaanite can describe anything pertaining to Canaan: in particular, its languages and inhabitants. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Shammash. ...

Demographics

According to CBS, in 2003 the ethnic makeup of the city was 100.0% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population. There are thousands of immigrant settlers. See Population groups in Israel. Jews (Hebrew: יהודים, Yehudim) are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people (also known as the Jewish nation, or the Children of Israel), an ethno-religious group descended from the ancient Israelites and converts who joined their religion. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Population groups in Israel are the major ethnic groups of Jews and Arabs. ...

According to CBS, in 2001 there were 24,500 males and 24,600 females. The population of the city was spread out with 47.6% 19 years of age or younger, 17.1% between 20 and 29, 18.8% between 30 and 44, 9.4% from 45 to 59, 2.1% from 60 to 64, and 5.0% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 11.2%.

Bet Shemesh has a considerable Orthodox Jewish population that continues to expand and grow as religious families look beyond the more central areas of Jerusalem for available housing suited to large families. Many synagogues and yeshivas have been built in the community. Orthodox Judaism is the stream of Judaism which adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmud (The Oral Law) and later codified in the Shulkhan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law). It is governed by these works and the Rabbinical commentary... Jews (Hebrew: יהודים, Yehudim) are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people (also known as the Jewish nation, or the Children of Israel), an ethno-religious group descended from the ancient Israelites and converts who joined their religion. ... Lesko synagogue, Poland A synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת ; beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: שול, shul) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ... Yeshiva or yeshivah (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ...

Income

According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 12,518 salaried workers and 849 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is ILS 4,858, a real change of 7.3% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 6,631 (a real change of 8.9%) versus ILS 3,162 for females (a real change of 1.3%). The mean income for the self-employed is 5,840. There are 744 people who receive unemployment benefits and 2,701 people who receive an income guarantee. 1 sheqel coin (1994–5). ...

Education

According to CBS, there are 40 schools and 9,322 students in the city. They are spread out as 29 elementary schools and 6,619 elementary school students, and 15 high schools and 2,703 high school students. 50.1% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001.

Industries

Among other crops, grapes are grown here. A local wine, "Singer Cellars", is produced, and grapes are also processed by winemakers in neighbouring areas, e.g. Cremisan cellars in Beit Jala. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Wine is an alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation of grapes and grape juice. ... In 1883, the convent of Cremisan was founded in Palestine by Salesians on ruins of a Byzantine monastery from the 7th century. ... Beit Jala (Arabic:, (help· info), Hebrew; Gilo, possibly from Aramaic grass carpet) is a small town in Palestine. ...

During the hi-tech boom was host to several hi-tech startups, among them, Alchemedia, 2am and Shoutmail. Today hi-tech is still going strong. Companies like Degel Software, NMS and Net2phone have offices in the Bet Shemesh area.

Also located in Bet Shemesh is Bet Shemesh Engines Ltd. (BSEL) which manufactures and repairs jet engines and jet engine components. A Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel behind the engine muffles noise and allows exhaust to escape. ...