Rosh HaAyin

Rosh HaAyin רֹאשׁ הָעַיִן‎‎ روش هاعين‎
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	Roˀš ha ʕayn
Logo
Rosh HaAyin
Coordinates: 32°05′44″N 34°57′24″E / 32.09556°N 34.95667°E / 32.09556; 34.95667Coordinates: 32°05′44″N 34°57′24″E / 32.09556°N 34.95667°E / 32.09556; 34.95667
District	Central
Founded	1500 BCE (Biblical Aphek) 70 BCE (Herodian city) 1949 (Israeli city)
Government
• Type	City
• Mayor	Shalom Ben Moshe
Area
• Total	24,390 dunams (24.39 km2 or 9.42 sq mi)
Population (2015)[1]
• Total	42,939
Name meaning	Fountainhead
Website	Rosh-HaAyin.muni.il

Rosh HaAyin (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הָעַיִן‎ Hebrew pronunciation: [ˌroʃ häˈʔä.in], lit. Fountainhead; Arabic: روش هاعين‎‎) is a city in the Central District of Israel. To the west of Rosh HaAyin is the fortress of Antipatris and the source of the Yarkon River. To the southeast is the fortress of Migdal Afek (Migdal Tzedek).^[2] In 2015 it had a population of 42,939.^[1]

History[edit]

Rosh HaAyin was founded in the 1949 near the site of ancient Antipatris and the depopulated Arab village of Majdal Yaba (in the 19th century also known as Majdal Sadek). Many of the early residents were religious Yemenite Jews airlifted to Israel in 1949 and 1950 in Operation Magic Carpet. They added Biblical words from Exodus 19:4 to the city's logo: "I (God) carried You on eagles' wings." In the 1990s new neighborhoods were built although the town still has a large Yemenite population.

Rosh HaAyin is named after its location at the source of the Yarkon River (rosh = head, ayin = fountain, spring).

Demographics[edit]

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.8% Jewish, with a predominant number of young people below the age of 19. The population growth rate was 2.5%.

Economy[edit]

Afeq industrial park

Ma'abarat (Absorption Camp) Rosh Ha-Ayin in 1949

According to the CBS, there were 10,972 salaried workers and 1,033 self-employed in 2000. The mean monthly wage for a salaried worker was NIS 6,595, an increase of 11.2% over the course of 2000. Salaried males had a mean monthly wage of NIS 8,408 (a real change of 7.8%) versus NIS 4,857 for females (a real change of 13.1%). The mean income for the self-employed was 6,853. 628 people received unemployment benefits and 1,057 received an income supplement.

In 2004, the Givot Olam oil company discovered oil at the Meged 5 oil field near Rosh HaAyin.^[3][4] It is one of the largest on-shore oil fields in Israel. It began production in 2010 and produces oil as well as some natural gas. Its proven oil reserves are about 1,525 million barrels (242.5×10^⁶ m³).^[5] TTI Telecom is located in Rosh HaAyin.^[6]

Education[edit]

According to the CBS, there were 21 schools in Rosh Ha'ayin, with an enrollment of 7,137. Fifteen were elementary schools with an enrollment of 4,749 and 11 were high schools with an enrollment of 2,388. In 2001, 58.8% of Rosh Ha'ayin's 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate.

Sports[edit]

S.C Rosh Ha'ayin ("Moadon Sport Rosh Ha'ayin"), a football team who plays at "Liga Gimel Sharon".

Notable residents[edit]

• Benny Gantz, Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces
• Gal Gadot, Actress
• Yishai Levi, singer

Twin cities[edit]

Domestic[edit]

Country	City	District
Israel	Kiryat Bialik	Haifa
Israel	Hurfeish	Northern District

International[edit]

Country	City	County / District / Region / State
United States	New Orleans	Louisiana
United States	Birmingham	Alabama
Czech Republic	Prague	Prague District
Ukraine	Odessa	Odessa Oblast
Germany	Dachau	Bavaria
France	Vanves	Île-de-France
China	Cixi	Zhejiang

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rosh Ha'Ayin.

• Official website