 The club was formed in memory of Shimshon Rouzi, a former Maccabi Tel Aviv player who died in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.It was commonly referred to as the club of Kerem HaTeimanim, a neighbourhood of Tel Aviv.The club spent its first few years in the lower leagues, before winning promotion to the top flight (then called Liga Leumit) in 1960 as Liga Alef champions.