Ness Ziona (, Nes Tziyona) is a city in Central District, Israel. In it had a population of , and its jurisdiction was 15,579 dunams ().

Identification

Lying within Ness Ziona's city bounds is the ruin of the Arab village of Sarafand al-Kharab, which was depopulated in 1948. Some scholars believe that this is the site that the medieval Jewish traveller Ishtori Haparchi identified as the Talmudic Tzrifin, but other scholars believe Haparchi was referring to Sarafand al-Amar, 5 km distant. However, neither site has revealed archaeological remains from Talmudic times. On the basis of excavations at Sarafand al-Kharab, it is believed to have been founded no earlier than the late Byzantine period.

History

Wadi Chanin/Nahalat Reuben

German farm (1878–1883)

In 1878, the German Templer Gustav Reisler purchased lands in Wadi Hunayn, planted an orchard, and lived there with his family. The name "Wadi-Chanin", with its German orthography, became the standard Western name for the place for several decades to come. After losing his wife and children to malaria, Reisler returned to Europe. He travelled to Odessa in 1882 and met Reuben Lehrer, born Patchornik (1832–1917), a religiously observant Russian Jew with Zionist ideals, who had his own farmland there. Reisler traded his parcel of land in Palestine for Lehrer's land in Russia.

Jewish settlement (1883)

Reuben Lehrer made aliyah (emigrated to Palestine) with his eldest son Moshe in 1883, bringing over his wife and another four of his children the following year. and unfurled a blue and white flag emblazoned with the Star of David and the words "Ness Ziona" ('Banner toward Zion' or 'Miracle of Zion') written in gold. The name is based on a verse from the Book of Jeremiah, : "Raise a standard toward Zion...". This flag was taken by Halperin to the First Zionist Congress seven years later, where it became the model for the official flag adopted by the nascent movement.

British Mandate

thumb|right|Ness Ziona, 1934

According to a census conducted in 1922 by the British Mandate authorities, Ness Ziona had a population of 319 Jews. By the 1931 census, it had increased to 1,013 inhabitants in 221 houses. In 1921 a pump and a system of water pipes were installed. In 1924 the British Army contracted the Israel Electric Company for wired electric power. The contract allowed the Electric Company to extend the grid beyond the original geographical limits that had been projected by the concession it was given. The high-tension line that exceeded the limits of the original concession ran along some major towns and agricultural settlements, offering extended connections to the Jewish settlements of Rishon Le-Zion, Nes-Ziona and Rehovot (in spite of their proximity to the high-tension line, the Arab towns of Ramleh and Lydda remained unconnected).

thumb|Ness Ziona Great Synagogue

The Great Synagogue of Ness Ziona was built in the 1920s, during the period of the Third Aliyah.

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File:מחנה בדואים ע"י נס ציונה-JNF044352.jpeg|Bedouin encampment at Ness Ziona, 1934

File:El Ramle 1945.jpg|Ness Ziona (Nes Tisyona) on 1945 1:250,000 map

File:Sarafand el Kharab 1948.jpg|Ness Ziona (Nes Tsiyona) on 1948 1:20,000 map

</gallery>

Givat Michael

thumb|Givat Michael. [[Zoltan Kluger, Oct. 1939.]]

In 1935, a temporary workers' camp named Givat Michael after Michael Halperin, was established near Ness Ziona. It was meant as a training camp for new settlement groups ("gar'in"), two of which went on to establish the kibbutzim of Gal On and Mesilot.

Arab attacks

Ness Ziona was attacked by Arab forces during the 1936–1939 Arab Revolt, and the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The outlying villages of Kfar Aharon and Tirat Shalom (now part of Ness Ziona) frequently exchanged fire with the Arab villages al-Qubayba and Zarnuqa (now western Rehovot). Most of Ness Ziona's youth joined the Haganah to fight off these threats. On May 15, 1948, Sarafand al-Kharab was evacuated of Arab inhabitants, and on May 19, al-Qubayba and Zarnuqa were conquered by the Givati Brigade. Much of the territory abandoned by the fleeing Arab residents of nearby villages was added to Ness Ziona, increasing its size from immediately after the war. Ness Ziona is located in the Shfela region to the south of Tel Aviv.

Neighborhoods

Ness Ziona is composed of a central core and villages that came under its municipal jurisdiction over time. The city also has two industrial zones and a high-tech park, Kiryat Weizmann.

Demographics

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), in 2005 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.6% Jewish and other non-Arabs. although this rose sharply to 7.8% in 2005.

In 2005, there were 11,830 salaried workers and 984 self-employed. The mean monthly wage

for a salaried worker was NIS 7,597, a 9.2% increase over 2000. Salaried males had a mean monthly wage of NIS 9,802 (an 8.4% increase) versus NIS 5,595 for females (a 14% increase). The mean income for the self-employed was 7,064. There were 290 people receiving unemployment benefits and 986 receiving an income guarantee (welfare). with 350 employees, and Zenith Solar, a solar energy company. The Kiryat Weizmann Science Park is a magnet for many Israeli start-ups, among them Indigo Digital Press, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2002 and manufactures high-end digital printing presses.

Education

Schools

Until 1961 there was only elementary school in Ness Ziona. In 1961 (שנת הלימודים תשכ"ב), Ben Gurion High school was opened.

There are 20 schools in Ness Ziona:

  • Elementary: "Rishonim", "Eshkol", "Savionim", "Ben Zvi", "Hadar", "Shaked", "Nizanim", "Argaman", "Lev HaMoshava", "Irus", "Sadot" and "Shibolim".
  • Religious: "Reut", "Habad".
  • High Schools: "Golda", "Ben Gurion", "Eliezer Ben Yehuda", "Park HaMada".
  • Special Education: "HaTomer", "Dklaim".

Youth Organizations

The following youth organizations have chapters in Ness Ziona:

  • Bnei Akiva
  • HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed
  • Maccabi youth movement
  • Hebrew Scouts Movement in Israel
  • Krembo Wings
  • Moadonchik
  • Israel Gay Youth

Sports

thumb|right|Ness Ziona Stadium

The city has been represented in the top division of Israeli football by two different clubs; Maccabi Ness Ziona competed in the top flight in the first post-independence season. However, they lost all 24 games, and were relegated. A new club, Sektzia Ness Ziona was formed in 1956 and reached the top flight in 1966. However, they were relegated after only one season. After folding, they reformed as Ironi Ness Ziona in 2001, and since then have reverted to their former name and reached Liga Leumit, the second tier. The club plays at the Ness Ziona Stadium.

The town is also home to a basketball team, Ironi Nes Ziona B.C., playing in the national premier league.

Transportation

Ness Ziona has two main roads – Highway 42 to the west, and Road 412 (Weizmann Street), which goes through the city center and connects to Rishon LeZion and Rehovot.

Ness Ziona is also served by 5 bus lines operated by Egged (company).

Notable people

  • Avigdor Kahalani (born 1944), soldier and politician
  • Avraham Katz (1931–1986), politician
  • Tamir Nabaty (born 1991), chess Grandmaster
  • Ya'akov Shahar (born 1941), owner of Maccabi Haifa
  • Shimi Tavori (born 1953), singer
  • Pini Zahavi (born 1955), football agent
  • Dror Zeigerman (born 1948), politician and diplomat
  • Misha Zilberman (born 1989), Olympic badminton player

Twin towns – sister cities

thumb|Founders' house museum, Ness Ziona

Ness Ziona is twinned with:

  • Freiberg, Germany
  • Le Grand-Quevilly, France
  • Solingen, Germany
  • Qingdao, China
  • Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland

See also

  • Population groups in Israel
  • Nahala (disambiguation), Hebrew word for heritage or estate widely used for toponyms in Israel

References

  • Official website