Today in 1882, the Rishon Lezion Colony was established on the coastal plain south of Jaffa.
The founder of the colony was Haim Amzalg, a British delegate in Jaffa (with a fascinating life story – a native of Gibraltar from a Moroccan family, who became one of the dignitaries of Jaffa and the leader of the Jewish community there), who bought an area of 3.5 square kilometers, 12 kilometers south of the city. The property was carried out in cooperation with the “Pioneers of the Yesod Hama’ala Committee”, which included European families who were interested in immigrating to the Land of Israel (even before the establishment of the Zionist movement). In July 1882, 17 families immigrated to the land that was bought and established a colony, named Rishon Lezion (after the verse in the book of Isaiah – and because it was the first colony established by immigrants). The colony was independent for a little over a year, during which they were unable to establish agricultural and economic bases; as a result, the colony entered the patronage of Baron Rothschild, who invested heavily in it, opened a vineyard and supervised its conduct. The colony grew slowly, and by the end of the century there were about 400 settlers; by that time colonies had sprung up all over Israel in its image and likeness. After the establishment of the state, the colony had already numbered nearly 20 thousand people and became a city; and since the 70s, there was a huge growth momentum, bringing it to a population of a quarter of a million – the fourth largest city in Israel.
Photo Source: Wikipedia
