Zikhron Ya'aqov
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| Hebrew | זִכְרוֹן יַעֲקֹב |
| Name meaning | Jacob's Memorial |
| Founded in | 1882 |
| Government | Local council |
| Unofficially also spelled | Zichron Yaakov |
| District | Haifa |
| Population | 17,000 |
| Jurisdiction | 32,000 dunams (32 km²) |
Zikhron Ya'aqov (Hebrew: זִכְרוֹן יַעֲקֹב, Ziḫron Yaʻaqov; unofficially also spelled Zichron Yaakov) (meaning "Jacob's Memorial") is a town in Israel, 35 km south of Haifa, part of the Haifa District. It is located at the end of the Carmel mountain range overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, near the coastal highway (Route 2), and is a 10-minute drive from the train station in Binyamina.
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[edit] History
Zikhron Ya'aqov was founded in December 1882 by Jewish pioneers from Romania, members of the Hovevei Zion movement. They called their settlement Zammarin. Even before the end of their first year in the region, however, difficult economic conditions and disease forced some of the settlers to leave.
In 1883, Baron Edmond James de Rothschild became the patron of the settlement and undertook to plan both its residential design and agricultural economy. He renamed the settlement in memory of his father, James (Ya'aqov) Mayer de Rothschild.
To accomplish his first objective, Baron de Rothschild designed and allotted housing lots along the main road for the use of settlement farmers. Each lot included a house facing the street, a long interior courtyard and a rear building for storing agricultural implements. The French-inspired architecture included tiled roofs and painted wooden windows. Each farmer was given a salary and placed under the direction of Elijah Shaid, the Baron's clerk.
The Baron also commissioned the construction of a magnificent synagogue to serve the town, sparing no expense to build the edifice, named Ohel Ya'aqov ("Tent of Jacob," an allusion to his father's namesake, the biblical Jacob, who "dwelled in tents" according to Genesis 25:27) in memory of his father. The synagogue, which has a large main section for men and a second-floor, wraparound women's section, features a majestic ark made of white marble and marble interior walls. The synagogue opened in 1886 and has conducted daily prayer services continuously to this day.
In 1885 Rothschild helped to establish the first winery in Israel, Carmel-Mizrahi Winery, together with a bottling factory, in Zikhron Ya'aqov.
[edit] Spy ring
Zikhron Ya'aqov gained notoreity during World War I for the establishment of the Nili spy ring by Sarah Aaronsohn, together with her brothers, Aaron (a noted botanist) and Alex, and their friend Avshalom Feinberg. The group volunteered to spy on Ottoman positions and report them to British agents offshore. In September 1917, the Ottomons caught one of Sarah's carrier pigeons and cracked the Nili code. In October, they surrounded Zikhron Ya'aqov and arrested Sarah and several others. After four days of torture, Sarah managed to shoot herself with a pistol concealed on the premises. The Aaronsohn House–Nili Museum recreates the history of this period.
[edit] Modern-day town
As of late 2005, Zikhron Ya'aqov's population was 16,100. Many of its residents are still farmers, although upscale villas are being built for families attracted to its picturesque mountain setting. There is also a sizable religious Jewish community here, including Haredi members of Ohr Yaakov Yeshiva founded by Yeshivas Ohr Somayach of Jerusalem and members of a Chabad-Lubavitch community.
Today there are two wineries in Zikhron Ya'aqov: the Carmel-Mizrahi Winery founded by Baron de Rothschild and the Tishbi Winery founded by Jonathan Tishbi. The picturesque setting and historic city center—whose restored main street of landmark buildings, called Derech HaYayin ("Path of the Wine"), houses coffeehouses and boutique shops selling locally-made crafts, jewellery, and antiques—draws many tourists.
[edit] External links
- History of Zikhron Ya'aqov
- Photos of Restoration of Historic Zikhron Ya'aqov Project
- Photo gallery by Benny Rochwerger
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| Cities | Baqa-Jat · Carmel City · Hadera · Haifa · Nesher · Or Aqiva · Qiryat Atta · Qiryat Bialik · Qiryat Motzkin · Qiryat Yam · Tirat Karmel · Umm al-Fahm |  |
| Local councils | Ar'ara · Binyamina-Giv'at Ada · Jisr az-Zarqa · Kfar Qara · Ma'ale Iron · Pardes Hanna-Karkur · Fureidis · Qiryat Tiv'on · Rekhasim · Zikhron Ya'aqov | |
| Regional councils | Alona · Hof Karmel · Menashe · Zevulun | |
