Rishon LeZion

Rishon LeZion, city, west-central Israel. It lies on the Judaean Plain southeast of Tel Aviv–Yafo. The name (Hebrew: “first to Zion”) is derived from a biblical allusion in Isaiah 41:27.

The second oldest Jewish village of Palestine (after Petah Tiqva), Rishon LeZion was founded in 1882 by Russian-Jewish immigrants of the First Aliyah. At first unsuccessful, owing to lack of agricultural experience, the colonists were assisted (after 1898) by Baron Edmond de Rothschild, the financier and philanthropist. His experts found the area suitable for viticulture, and extensive vineyards were planted. There, and at Zikhron Yaʿaqov (in the north, near Haifa), Rothschild built some of the world’s largest wine cellars, whose ownership and production are now in the hands of a growers’ cooperative society. The city’s growth was accelerated by a favorable groundwater table and by its proximity to the Tel Aviv–Yafo conurbation. City status was granted in 1950. There are many citrus groves in and around the city. Industries include brewing and the production of building materials, stainless-steel articles, and electronic equipment. Pop. (2022) 252,413.