Rishpon
Rishpon
| |
|---|---|
Rishpon | |
| Coordinates: 32°12′7″N 34°49′24″E / 32.20194°N 34.82333°E | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Central |
| Council | Hof HaSharon |
| Affiliation | Moshavim Movement |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Founded by | Jewish pioneers, mainly from central Europe |
| Population (2024)[1] | 1,319 |
| Website | www |
Rishpon (Hebrew: רִשְׁפּוֹן) is a moshav in the Central District of Israel. Located in the Sharon plain near Herzliya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof HaSharon Regional Council. In 2024 it had a population of 1,319.[1]
History
The lands of Rishpon are situated in the southern Sharon plain, historically part of the Forest of Sharon. Prior to the 20th century they were associated with the Palestinian village of Al-Haram, whose residents cultivated citrus, olives, and grains, and maintained the shrine of Sidna Ali nearby.[2] The oak woodland was gradually cleared in the 19th century as settlement and agriculture intensified in the Sharon, leading to deforestation and environmental changes.[3]
The moshav was established in 1936 by Jewish pioneers, many of them immigrants from central Europe, during a period of intensified Zionist settlement in response to the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. It was part of the broader effort to strengthen the Jewish agricultural presence in the Sharon plain.[4]
The original proposed name, **Rishpona** (Hebrew: רשפונה), was suggested by the Naming Committee as a supposed reconstruction of the ancient Semitic name for Arsuf, based on a misreading of an Assyrian inscription. This reading was later corrected, and the local settlers adopted the shortened name **Rishpon**, which retained similar phonetic elements.[5]
Economy
In its early decades, Rishpon was based on mixed farming, particularly citrus orchards, poultry, and dairy production. Over time, its proximity to Herzliya and Tel Aviv transformed it into one of the wealthiest rural communities in the Sharon region, with many residents employed in urban professions while maintaining small-scale agriculture and equestrian facilities. From the late 20th century, some agricultural lands were repurposed for suburban housing and real estate ventures.[6]
Healing Space is a trauma treatment compound established in Rishpon after the October 7 massacre to treat survivors of the attack on the Nova Music Festival. [7]
Notable people
- Meir Har-Zion (1934–2014), Israeli military commando and early member of Unit 101.
References
- ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ^ Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. pp. 219–220. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
- ^ Marom, Roy (2022-12-01). "The Oak Forest of the Sharon (al-Ghaba) in the Ottoman Period: New Insights from Historical-Geographical Studies". Muse. 5: 90–107.
- ^ Near, Henry (1997). The Kibbutz Movement: A History, Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. pp. 141–142. ISBN 9780198279952.
- ^ Maciej M. Münnich, The God Resheph in the Ancient Near East (2013), p. 244, citing Shlomo Izre’el, "Arsuf: The Semitic Name of Apollonia" in: Apollonia-Arsuf: Final Report of the Excavations Volume I, The Emery and Claire Yass Publications in Archaeology, Monograph Series of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University No. 16, Tel Aviv (1999), 72f.
- ^ Rosner, Menachem (2012). Privatization of the Kibbutz. Transaction Publishers. pp. 96–97. ISBN 9781412846165.
- ^ For mass trauma, mass healing
External links
- Official website (in Hebrew)