Ness Ziona

Ness Ziona(Hebrew:נֵס צִיּוֹנָה,Nes Tziyona) is a city inCentral District,Israel. In 2022 it had a population of 50,341,and its jurisdiction was 15,579dunams(15.579 km[6.015 sq mi]).
Lying within Ness Ziona's city bounds is the ruin of the Arab village ofSarafand al-Kharab, which was depopulated in 1948. Some scholars believe that this is the site that the medieval Jewish travellerIshtori Haparchiidentified as theTalmudicTzrifin, but other scholars believe Haparchi was referring toSarafand 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.
In 1878, theGermanTemplerGustav Reisler purchased lands inWadi 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 toOdessain 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.
Reuben Lehrer madealiyah(emigrated to Palestine) with his eldest son Moshe in 1883, bringing over his wife and another four of his children the following year.
Lehrer placed advertisements nearJaffaport asking others to join him offering plots in his land for a small amount of money. The pioneers that arrived established a settlement namedTel Aviv(the city ofTel Avivdid not yet exist), although the area was still known as Wadi Chanin, from its Arabic name, Wadi Hunayn.
The settlement (colony,moshava) was known for a while as Wadi Chanin after the local Arab village,and asNahalat Reuben(lit. "Reuben's Estate") after Reuben Lehrer.
In 1888, Avraham Yalovsky, ablacksmith, was killed there defending his workshop from Arab gangs.
In 1891, Michael Halperin bought more land in the wadi. He gathered a group of people on the "Hill of Love", where he arrived with the"Mahane Yehuda"mounted guards company he had founded,and unfurled a blue and white flag emblazoned with theStar of Davidand the words "Ness Ziona" ('Banner toward Zion' or 'Miracle of Zion') written in gold. The name is based on a verse from theBook of Jeremiah,Jeremiah 4:6: "Raise a standard toward Zion...". This flag was taken by Halperin to theFirst Zionist Congressseven years later, where it became the model for theofficial flagadopted by the nascent movement.
In 1905, the "Geula" organisation bought the piece of land separating the older Wadi Chanin/Nahalat Reuben and the newer Ness Ziona, allowing the two Jewish settlements to unite into one larger village.
In 1926, a new Arab village, Wadi Hunayn, developed across the Jaffa–Jerusalem road from a watermelon farm established there by the Abu Jaber clan from Sarafand el-Kharab, and became part of the same administrative unit as Ness Ziona.
Until the1948 Arab–Israeli War, it was the only mixed Arab–Jewish village in Mandatory Palestine. The coexistence was, on the whole, a peaceful one.
According to acensus conducted in 1922by theBritish Mandate authorities, Ness Ziona had a population of 319 Jews.By the 1931census, 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 Companyfor 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).
The Great Synagogue of Ness Ziona was built in the 1920s, during the period of theThird Aliyah.
In 1935, a temporary workers' camp namedGivat Michaelafter 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 thekibbutzimofGal OnandMesilot.
Ness Ziona was attacked by Arab forces during the1936–39 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 villagesal-QubaybaandZarnuqa(now westernRehovot).Most of Ness Ziona's youth joined theHaganahto fight off these threats. On May 15, 1948,Sarafand al-Kharabwas evacuated of Arab inhabitants, and on May 19, al-Qubayba and Zarnuqa were conquered by theGivati Brigade. Much of the territory abandoned by the fleeing Arab residents of nearby villages was added to Ness Ziona, increasing its size from 8 to 15.3 square kilometres (3.1 to 5.9 sq mi) immediately after the war.
During the war, Ness Ziona's population almost tripled to become 4,446 (according to an October 23, 1949 survey), and until 1950 the local council absorbed 9,000olim, most of whom were housed inma'abarot(provisional housing camps). In 1952, a new industrial zone was approved for the town on an area of 70dunams. In 1955, a second industrial zone was approved.
Ness Ziona is located on theIsraeli coastal plainapproximately 10 km (6 mi) inland of theMediterranean Sea, to the south ofTel Aviv. The city is bordered to the north byRishon LeZion, to the east byBe'er Ya'akov, and to the south byRehovot.Beit Hanan,Beit Oved,Ayanotyouth villageandKibbutzNetzer Serenialso border the city. The city has been designed to have a rural character due to urban planning that bans the construction of buildings higher than eight stories. Property values have risen by 30 percent in recent years.Ness Ziona is located in theGush Danmetropolitan area.
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.
According to theIsraeli Central Bureau of Statistics(CBS), in 2005 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.6%Jewishand other non-Arabs.At the end of 2004 there were 612 immigrants (2.2%),although this rose sharply to 7.8% in 2005.The city also receives significant internal migration, and is popular amongTel Avivresidents seeking to leave the city.
In 2005 there were 14,400 males and 14,900 females. 31.8% of the population was 19 years of age or younger, 15.2% between 20 and 29, 21% between 30 and 44, 19.1% from 45 to 59, 3.1% from 60 to 64, and 9.7% 65 years of age or older.The population growth rate in 2006 was 5.8%.
In 2005, there were 11,830 salaried workers and 984 self-employed. The mean monthly wage 
for a salaried worker wasNIS7,597, 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).
Ness Ziona is home to theIsrael Institute for Biological Research(IIBR), a secret government defence research institute working in chemical and biological researchwith 350 employees, andZenith Solar, asolar energycompany.The Kiryat Weizmann Science Park is a magnet for many Israeli start-ups, among themIndigo Digital Press, which was acquired byHewlett-Packardin 2002 and manufactures high-end digital printing presses.
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
The following youth organizations have chapters in Ness Ziona:
The city has been represented in the top division ofIsraeli footballby two different clubs;Maccabi Ness Zionacompeted in the top flight in the first post-independenceseason. However, they lost all 24 games, and were relegated.A new club,Sektzia Ness Zionawas 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 reachedLiga Leumit, the second tier. The club plays at theNess Ziona Stadium.
The town is also home to a basketball team,Ironi Nes Ziona B.C., playing in the nationalpremier league.
Ness Ziona has two main roads –Highway 42to the west, andRoad 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 byEgged (company).
Ness Ziona istwinnedwith: