Founding of Rishon LeZion moshava
- When
- 1882–1883
- Where
- Ottoman Palestine; Rishon LeZion
- Episodes
- 3
Rishon LeZion was founded on 31 July 1882 in Ottoman Palestine by ten Lovers of Zion pioneers from Kharkiv, headed by Zalman David Levontin. It was the second Jewish farm settlement established in the 19th century, after Petah Tikva. The settlement's name derives from Isaiah 41:27, meaning 'First to Zion'.
Episodes
- Founding of Rishon LeZion
Ten Lovers of Zion pioneers from Kharkiv, headed by Zalman David Levontin, founded the settlement on 31 July 1882.
- Discovery of Water
Settlers found water in the wells on 23 February 1883, marking the occasion with a Torah verse on the village emblem.
- First Planting
In November 1883, ten Russian farmers trained at Mikveh Israel planted the first rows in the settlement.
Background and detail
Background. The founding occurred during the First Aliyah, a wave of Jewish immigration to Ottoman Palestine between 1881 and 1903. This migration was influenced by Zionist activity in Eastern Europe and the establishment of the 'Lovers of Zion' organization following the 1881 Kiev pogrom. Rishon LeZion was established as an agricultural moshava, part of this broader movement.
Settlement Details. Rishon LeZion was the first settlement founded in Israel by the New Yishuv and the second Jewish farm settlement in Ottoman Syria in the 19th century. The name is derived from Isaiah 41:27, translating to 'First to Zion'. At its founding in 1882, the population was 150.
Early Developments. In November 1883, the first rows were planted by ten Russian farmers trained at Mikveh Israel. In 1886, the Haviv elementary school was established, becoming the first modern school to teach exclusively in Hebrew. The village emblem was inscribed with 'We have found water' after water was found in wells in 1883.
People involved
- Zalman David Levontin · Leader of the founding group
- Joseph Feinberg · Founder
- Fani Belkind · Biluim settler
- Israel Belkind · Biluim settler
- Shimshon Belkind · Biluim settler
- Yoel Drubin · Biluim settler
- Haim Hissin · Biluim settler
- David Yudilovich · Biluim settler
Sources
- Rishon LeZion Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-07
- First Aliyah Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-23
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.