About Rishon Lezion

Rishon LeZion, is the fourth-largest city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain 8 km south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. The city had a population of 135,113 at the end of 2011. Founded in 1881 by Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, it was the second Jewish farm settlement established in Palestine in the 19th century, after Petah Tikva. The city's population growth rate is about 5% per year. The predominant majority of the city's residents are Jews. Landmarks in Rishon LeZion include the history museum; the Carmel Winery; the administrative center of Edmond James de Rothschild, now a soldiers' memorial; the Great Synagogue; the Well; the old water tower; and Beit Sefer Haviv, the first Hebrew School. "Open Doors" is a holocaust memorial which is a 7 meter high sculpture designed by Filipino artist Luis Lee Jr. was erected in honor and thanks to President Manuel Quezon and the Filipinos who saved over 1,100 Jews from Nazi Germany. Rishon LeZion can be divided into four main quarters: the old city, the eastern housing projects, the northern (old) industrial zone, and Western Rishon LeZion. There is also an industrial zone on the southern tip of the city, next to Gan Sorek.