History
Rishon was founded in 1882 by a group of Hovevey Zion (Zion lovers) from Russia. It is considered (along with Petah Tikva) as the first Zionist settlement in Israel.
The new settlers faced a lot of difficulties: sandy soil, lack of water, poverty and mainly the lack of agricultural experience. After the digging of the Great Well and a wave of new settlers arriving (The Biluim) the new settlement started to establish itself. It was later given into the custody of Baron Edmond James de Rothschild who supported the settlement and helped develop their agriculture, citrus fruit ("Pri Adar") and wine industry.
Rishon-LeZion, which literally means "The first for Zion (Israel)", was a pioneer not only in erecting houses but also in cultural life. In Rishon, the first Hebrew school was founded in 1886, and the first Hebrew kindergarten was founded in 1899. In 1886, construction began on the Rishon Le-Zion winery. In Rishon, the national anthem of Israel, Hatikvah (The Hope), was written and the Israeli flag was created.
Important people in Rishon's history:
- Zeev Abrahamovich - one of Rishon's funders.
- Fani Belkind - member of Bilu group who settled in Rishon.
- Israel Belkind- member of Bilu group who settled in Rishon.
- Samason Belkind - member of Bilu group who settled in Rishon.
- David Ben Gurion - a workers' leader in the Yekev and the Israel first prime minister.
- Eliezer Ben Yehuda - the father of the modern Hebrew language and a teacher in Rishon LeZion.
- Yoel Drubin - member of Bilu group who settled in Rishon.
- Israel Fineberg - defended Rishon from Arab and Beduin bandits.
- Yossef Fineberg - chemist and one of Rishon's funders.
- Hananya Gibstein - Rishon's mayor before Nitzan.
- Yehuda Hankin - one of Rishon's funders.
- Dov Lubman Haviv - A teacher in the first Hebrew school.
- Mordechai Lubman Haviv - educational inspector.
- Zrubabel Haviv - son of Dov Lubman.
- Dr Haim Hissin - member of Bilu group who settled in Rishon.
- Zalman David Levontin - buyer of Rishon's territory from the Ottoman empire.
- Zvi Ha-Cohen Levontin - one of Rishon's funders.
- Meir Nitzan - Rishon's mayor since 1980, consindered as one of the best mayors in Israel.
- Baron Edmond James de Rothschild - the French Jewish philanthropist who supported Rishon.
- Reuven Yudalevich - one of Rishon's funders.
- David Yudilovich - member of Bilu group who settled in Rishon.
Rishon Le-Zion Today
Rishon-LeZion's main quarters are:
- The Old City - the whole area around Herzl street and Jabotinsky street. The center of the Old City is Rotschild street, near the Midrehov ([padestrian mall]) and the old Gan-HaMoshava (The City Park).
- Shikun(ey) Ha-Mizrah (The Eastern Resident) - located in the eastern part of Rishon.
- Old Mabat - "The Old Industrial Zone" which officially named "Mis'har, Biluy, Taasia" (commerce, entertainment and industry) was full of light industry and glass factories. Today it is the center of motor garages, large food stores and has a vivid night life in a pedestrian mall filled with bars and cafes. The Old Mabat is located in the northern part of Rishon, near HaMaccabim road (the road called "Kvish Beit-Dagan" by the locals).
- Maarav Rishon (The New West) - built in the 1980s and mostly populated in the 1990s, the New West is a block of new neighborhoods, connected with modern, wide roads between each other. The New West is the modern part of Rishon and has many parks and community-centers. It considered to be very aesthetic and prestigious and in less than a decade it was filled with more than 100,000 residents, doubling Rishon's population.
- New Mabat - two new industrial zones in the New West.
Today, Rishon-LeZion is the 4th most populated city in Israel and is known for its high quality of life. Its main industries are wine, construction, services and commerce.
The city, usually referred to as "Rashlatz" (In Hebrew, short for Rishon Le-Zion) or just "Rishon", homes the annual Rishon Le-Zion Wine Festival, a one of a kind cultural event in Israel. Rishon is also known for the high number of shopping centers, the Amfi-Park (Which once held shows of international artists like Sting, Metallica, Alanis Morissette and more), a zoo, an entertainment center (The Superland), and the promenade on the beach.
Places to see in the Old City of Rishon:
- The Midrehov.
- Gan-HaMoshava (also called "Gan Ha-Nadiv").
- The Great Synagogue.
- The Great Well ("Mazanu Mayim").
- The Old Water Tower.
- The Rishon LeZion History Museum.
- The first Hebrew school - Beit Sefer Haviv.
- Yekev Carmel Mizrahi - the old wine factory.
- Beit Yad LeBanim - originally was the baron's offices but now it serves as a Memorial center to Rishon's sons who fell in Israel's wars.
- Heichal Ha-Tarbut (Hall of Culture) - a modern center for concerts, theatre and cultural events. It has one main hall for shows and two small halls for artistic workshops.
- The Superland - Rishon's amusement park (allocated in the New West).
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