Israel NOWlej
Subscribe

Rishon LeZion

Tour station ยท The Southern Plain (Shfela)

Part of The Southern Plain (Shfela)

Rishon LeZion
Text of this page

Rishon LeZion

City of pioneers

Rishon LeZion, "First to Zion," was founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from Russia and became a model for later farming settlements, with the backing of Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Its vineyards and wine cellars made it a center of Israel's early wine industry, and a school that opened there in 1886 was among the first to teach in Hebrew. Today Rishon is one of Israel's largest cities, and its museum and old wine cellars recall the pioneers. It lies on the coastal plain just south of Tel Aviv.

Glossary: Rishon LeZion