Holon
Encyclopedia
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, on the central coastal strip south of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
Holon is part of the metropolitan area known as Gush Dan
Gush Dan
The Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area , or Gush Dan , is a metropolitan area including areas from both the Tel Aviv and the Central Districts of Israel. The area is closely linked to the city of Tel Aviv through social, economic, and cultural ties. It is located along the Israeli Mediterranean coastline...
in the Tel Aviv District
Tel Aviv District
The Tel Aviv District is the smallest and most densely populated of six administrative districts of Israel with a population of 1.2 million residents...
. In 2009, it had a population of 184,700. Holon has the second-largest industrial zone in Israel, after Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
.
Etymology
The name of the city comes from the HebrewHebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
word holon, meaning "(little) sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
". The name Holon also appears in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
: "And Holon with its suburbs, and Debir with its suburbs" (Book of Joshua
Book of Joshua
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament. Its 24 chapters tell of the entry of the Israelites into Canaan, their conquest and division of the land under the leadership of Joshua, and of serving God in the land....
, 21:15).
History
Holon was founded on sand dunes six kilometers from Tel Aviv in 1935. The Łódzia textile factory was established there by Jewish immigrants from Łódź, Poland, along with many other industrial enterprises. In the early months of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Holon was on the front line, with constant shooting taking place on the border with the village of Tel A-Rish to its northwest—a suburb of Arab JaffaJaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
—and clashes also in the direction of the town of Yazur
Yazur
Yazur was an Arab town located east of Jaffa. Mentioned in 7th century BCE Assyrian texts, the village was a site of contestation between Muslims and Crusaders in the 12th century....
to the east. An attack by the Holon-based Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
militia units on Tel A-Rish was repulsed with considerable losses. However, the fall of Jaffa—center of the Palestinian Arab forces in this region—to an attack launched from Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
precipitated the fall of both Tel A-Rish.
After the establishment of the state, Holon expanded to include Tel A-Rish (renamed "Tel Giborim", "The Mound of the Heroes") and the orange groves of Yazur
Yazur
Yazur was an Arab town located east of Jaffa. Mentioned in 7th century BCE Assyrian texts, the village was a site of contestation between Muslims and Crusaders in the 12th century....
. In the 1950s, the city was populated by Jewish immigrants from Arab countries.
Urban development
Holon, an important part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, is experiencing a new burst of building on the remaining sand dunes to its south, creating a continuum with Rishon Lezion. EnvironmentalistEnvironmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
groups have been campaigning to preserve some of the sand dunes, with their unique flora and fauna, and prevent them from all being engulfed by the real estate boom.
Mayors
- Haim Kugel – 1940 to 1953
- Pinhas Eylon – 1953 to 1987
- Haim Sharon – 1987 to 1988
- Moshe Rom – 1988 to 1993
- Moti SassonMoti SassonMoti Sasson is the current, and 5th mayor of Holon, Israel. He was born in the city in 1947. He is a graduate of the History of the Middle East, Arabic language and literature department of Tel Aviv University...
– 1993 to present
Culture
Giv'atayim
Giv'atayim is a city in Israel east of Tel Aviv. It is part of the metropolitan area known as Gush Dan. Givatayim was established in 1922 by pioneers of the Second Aliyah. It has a population of 53,000....
. It also hosts the annual Yemay Zemer song festival and a spring festival devoted to women. Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
organizes an annual summer music camp in the city.
Since the election of Moti Sasson
Moti Sasson
Moti Sasson is the current, and 5th mayor of Holon, Israel. He was born in the city in 1947. He is a graduate of the History of the Middle East, Arabic language and literature department of Tel Aviv University...
as mayor of Holon in 1993, many cultural projects have been inaugurated. Billing itself as a "children's city," Holon is home to the Holon Children's Museum
Holon Children's Museum
Holon Children's Museum is a children's museum in Holon, Israel.Special exhibits include "Dialogue in The Dark" led by a sight-impaired guide, and "Invitation To Silence," an inter-active exhibition exploring communication led by deaf guides....
and the Mediatheque youth theater. Holon also plays host each year to a street carnival in celebration of the Jewish holiday of Purim
Purim
Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...
, the Adloyada. Thousands of children dress up in costumes and the streets close down for a parade featuring colorful floats.
The city has many parks and lush greenery. The park on the corner of HaHistadrut and Eilat streets is famed for the backgammon
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
or "shesh besh" tournaments which take place daily. The Holon cemetery contains memorials for Jewish communities wiped out in the Holocaust.
The Design Museum Holon
Design Museum Holon
Design Museum Holon is the first museum in Israel dedicated to Design.The building of the museum was planned and designed by israeli architect and Industrial designer "Ron Arad" in cooperation with Bruno Asa. The museum is in the east part of the new culture area of Holon that includes the...
, which opened in 2010 near the "Médiathèque" and the Faculty of Design of Holon Institute of Technology, is the first Israeli museum of design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
.
Transportation
Road 44
Highway 44 (Israel)
Highway 44 is a highway in central Israel. It connects Tel Aviv-Yafo to Ramla, Lod and the Shefela. It begins in Tel Aviv in the north and ends at Nachshon and Shimshon junction near Beit Shemesh in the south....
passes by on the northeastern side of the city, connecting it with Lod and Ramle.
Highway 4
Highway 4 (Israel)
Highway 4 is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip...
passes by on the eastern border.
Holon's public transport is based solely on bus service, operated by the Egged
Egged Bus Cooperative
Egged Israel Transport Cooperative Society Ltd , a cooperative owned by its members is the largest transit bus company in Israel. It provides about 55 % of public transport services throughout the country, employs 6,227 workers and has 2,861 buses for more than 928 service routes and 3,103...
and Dan
Dan Bus Company
Dan Bus Company is an Israeli bus company based in Tel Aviv. It operates local bus service in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area as well as some intercity bus services between the Gush Dan area and nearby regions such as Samaria, and a connection between Bne Brak and Jerusalem. Dan operates 1,200...
transport companies. The majority of the bus routes are regional, connecting the city to neighboring cities in the metropolitan area, but there are also a few local routes.
Train service to the city is planned to be established in 2011, with the opening of the "Tel Aviv—West Rishon Le Zion" suburban line. Four stations would serve the city: "Sha'ar Holon" at the northern main entrance to the city, and "Wolfson", "Yoseftal", and "Komemiyut" along the western side.
Samaritan community
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...
, helped to establish a Samaritan
Samaritan
The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...
quarter on the outskirts of Holon. The quarter was named Neve Pinchas after Pinhas Ben-Abraham, the high priest of the Samaritan community.
Holon is one of only two cities in the world to have a Samaritan community, the other being the village of Kiryat Luza
Kiryat Luza
Kiryat Luza is a Samaritan village on Mount Gerizim near Nablus, West Bank. It is the last wholly Samaritan village in existence and contains the museum of the Samaritans. Kiryat Luza is adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Har Bracha. Until the 1980s, most of the Samaritans resided in Nablus...
on Mount Gerizim
Mount Gerizim
Mount Gerizim is one of the two mountains in the immediate vicinity of the West Bank city of Nablus , and forms the southern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated,...
above Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
on the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
. That community fled Nablus for Kiryat Luza following the outbreak of the First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
(1987–93).
Sports
- Hapoel HolonHapoel Holon-External links:* * *...
(basketball) – premier league, national champion in 2008 and state cup holder in 2009 - Hapoel Tzafririm Holon F.C.Hapoel Tzafririm Holon F.C.Hapoel Tzafririm Holon F.C. is an Israeli football club based in the city of Holon. The club was founded in 1985 by a merger of Hapoel Holon and Tzafririm Holon.-Hapoel Holon:...
(football) – Liga AlefLiga Alef-History:League football began in Israel in 1949–50, a year after independence. However, the financial and security crises gripping the young nation caused the 1950–51 season to be abandoned before it had started. When football resumed in 1951–52, the new top division went by the name of Liga Alef...
[3rd tier] - Maccabi Kiryat-Sharett Holon (handball) – Liga Leumit [1st tier]
- Hapoel Holon chess (chess) – Liga Leumit [1st tier]
Notable residents
- Moshik AfiaMoshik AfiaMoshik Afia is a popular Israeli singer who sings in the Mizrahi style. He was born in Holon, Israel.-Selected discography:*A rain dripped- 1997 - גשם טפטף*A Story of love- 1998- סיפור אהבה*In my dreams- 1999- מתוך חלומותיי...
(1974–), singer - Chen AharoniChen AharoniChen Aharoni is an Israeli singer.-Career:Kokhav NoladHe came into fame after taking part in 2007 in season 5 of Kokhav Nolad structured on the international Idol series. He was eliminated after a showdown with Shlomi Bar'el before the finals...
(1990–), singer - Oz AlmogOz AlmogOz Almog, an Israeli–Austrian artist was born on April 15, 1956, in Kfar Saba, Israel. He comes from a family of Russian/Ukrainian pioneers and Romanian/Russian immigrants...
(1956–), Israeli-Austrian artist & author - Rafi AmitRafi AmitRafi Amit , is an Israeli professional poker player, from Holon.Amit has won two bracelets at the World Series of Poker, the first in the 2005 Pot limit Omaha and the second in 2007 in the $1,000 Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball with rebuys event....
, poker player - David Ben DayanDavid Ben DayanDavid "Dedi" Ben Dayan is an Israeli football defender, who last played for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel. He is known for his good tackling, and also speed and his ability to join the attack.- Playing career :...
(1978–), soccer player - Omri CasspiOmri CasspiOmri Casspi is an Israeli professional basketball player. He is under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but is playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. during the 2011 NBA lockout...
(1988–), NBA basketball player (Cleveland CavaliersCleveland CavaliersThe Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
) - David D'OrDavid D'OrDavid D'Or is an Israeli singer, composer, and songwriter. A countertenor with a vocal range of more than four octaves, he is a three-time winner of the Israeli "Singer of the Year" and "Best Vocal Performer" awards. He was also chosen to represent Israel in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest, at...
(1966–), countertenorCountertenorA countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
& composer; Israel's 2001 Singer of the Year - Dana InternationalDana InternationalSharon Cohen , professionally known as Dana International is an Israeli pop singer of Yemenite Jewish ancestry. She has released eight albums and three additional compilation albums, positioning herself as one of Israel's most successful musical acts ever...
(1972–), pop singer - Eran KolirinEran KolirinEran Kolirin is an Israeli screenwriter and film director.His directorial debut and as of 2008 his only feature-length film is The Band's Visit . The film was a critical success, winning eight Awards of the Israeli Film Academy and prizes at several international film festivals...
(1973–), cinema director & script writer - Avihu MedinaAvihu MedinaAvihu Medina is an Israeli composer, arranger, songwriter, and singer of Mediterranean Israeli music.-Biography:Medina is the third son of Aaron and Leah Medina. His mother's family immigrated in 1906 and she was born in Jerusalem, and his father immigrated to Israel from Yemen in 1939 when it was...
(1948–), composer, arranger, songwriter, and singer - Lior NarkisLior NarkisLior Narkis is a male Israeli singer. He was born to a mixed Iraqi and Serbian Jewish family.-Music career:...
(1976–), singer - Chen ReissChen ReissChen Reiss is a soprano opera singer, particularly known for her portrayal of Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto. She is a frequent performer with the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and has worked under the Argentine conductor Daniel Barenboim.Her solo CD with songs and arias by...
, opera singer - Rahel VigdozchikRahel Vigdozchik-Biography:Vigdozchik is Jewish, and was born in Holon, Israel.She and her teammates placed 6th in the finals on behalf of Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as a part of the Israeli National Rhythmic Gymnastic Team....
(born 1989), Olympic rhythmic gymnast - Peter Roth (1974–), rock singer & composer
- Ben SaharBen SaharBen Sahar is an Israeli football striker who currently plays for Ligue 1 side Auxerre on loan from Espanyol.At just 16, Sahar was already the equivalent of a second-year apprentice at Chelsea. He first caught Chelsea's eye in an Under-16 fixture against Ireland in 2004 and has since played for the...
(1989–), soccer player - Arie VardiArie VardiArie Vardi is an Israeli classical pianist and piano pedagogue.He is currently teaching at the Buhmann-Mehta Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover and at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, Maine...
, pianist & teacher
Twin cities
- Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, USA - Suresnes
SuresnesSuresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The nearest communes are Neuilly-sur-Seine, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Cloud and Boulogne-Billancourt...
, France - Berlin-Mitte, Germany
- Hann-Münden, Germany
- Anshan, China
Partnership of kindness with:
- Andong
AndongAndong is a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, South Korea. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 in October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city...
, South Korea