Rosh HaAyin

Rosh HaAyin רֹאשׁ הָעָיִן‎‎ روش هاعين‎
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	Roˀš ha ʕayn
250px
Official logo of Rosh HaAyin Logo
District	Central
Founded	1949
Government
• Type	City
• Mayor	Shalom Ben Moshe
Area
• Total	24,390 dunams (24.39 km2 or 9.42 sq mi)
Population (2009)
• Total	38,500
Name meaning	Fountainhead
Website	Rosh-HaAyin.muni.il

Rosh HaAyin (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הָעָיִן‎ Hebrew pronunciation: [ˌroʃ häˈʔä.in], lit. Fountainhead; Arabic: روش هاعين‎‎) is a city in the Center 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). As of 2009, the population of Rosh HaAyin was 38,500.

History

Rosh HaAyin was founded in the 1950s near the site of ancient Antipatris and the Arab village of Majdal Sadek (also known as Majdal Yaba). Many of the early residents were Yemenite Jews airlifted to Israel in 1949 and 1950 in Operation Magic Carpet. 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

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

File:Certa059.jpg

Afeq industrial park

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. 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).

TTI Telecom is located in Rosh HaAyin.

Education

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

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

Notable Residents

• Benny Gantz, Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces
• Gal Gadot, actress, model and Miss Israel 2004
• Yishai Levi, singer

Twin cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel

Domestic

Country	City	District
Israel	Kiryat Bialik	Haifa
Israel	25px Hurfeish	Northern District

International

Country	City	County / District / Region / State
USA	New Orleans	Louisiana
USA	25px Birmingham	Alabama
Czech Republic	Prague	Prague District
Ukraine	Odessa	Odessa Oblast
Germany	25px Dachau	Bavaria
France	Vanves	Île-de-France
China	Cixi	Zhejiang

External links

• Official website