Two Rows of Houses
At first, Rishon was nothing more than two rows of houses divided by a street named in honor of the Baron de Rothschild, a well-known philanthropist.
Ever since, Rothschild Street has been the city's main street. Most of what is now the city center was once planted with vines. The big winery was built later, as was the community center, the Great Synagogue, the post office, the pharmacy and all the other early public buildings.
Rothshild Street was later joined by Zadal Street, named after Zalman David Levontin, the famous Zionist, and Mohliver Street, named after a famous Rabbi from Mogilev.
From the 1930's on, new neighborhoods were established: “Abramovitz” (1937), “Ramat Eliyahu” (1937) and “Geula” (1943). The eastern neighborhoods were established in the late 1940's. in 1950, the former village of Rishon turned into a city and began to expand westwards towards the Mediterranean.
From a Tiny Village to a Bustling Metropolis
The first century of Rishon's existence saw revolutionary changes in the community's life.
Starting out as a tiny Jewish colony in the 19th century settlement of Israel, Rishon LeZion has become one of Israel's largest, best-planned and most developed cities. But that's only the beginning!
The fourth in population size and with the largest land reserves for development in the country, Rishon holds the record for building start-ups. The city is growing and developing in the best interests of everyone: veteran residents, the young generation and newly arrived citizens.
A Growing City
The expansion and construction plans of Rishon LeZion include new housing, new sources of employment, public buildings, a new high school for sciences, law courts, a building for national security, a national arts gallery, the Agam Museum and the development of tourism and recreation.