Ra'annana
|
|
Ra'annana or Ra'anana (Hebrew רעננה Ra‘ănānāh) is a small city (about 67,000 citizens) in the southern Sharon in the Center District of Israel, Israel, northeast of Tel Aviv. The city is predominantly Jewish, with many immigrants from English-speaking countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.
Ra'anana's story began in 1912 with the founding of Achuza A - New York, a company that was involved in the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel, the purpose of which was to purchase land in Palestine, to immigrate to the country, and to establish an agricultural settlement. World War I put an end to the plan temporarily. Only in 1922, did they manage to finally build the settlement.
On April 2, 1922, two wagons left Tel Aviv with four members of the Achuza group, three workers, and two armed guards. At the end of the five-hour journey, they reached their destination, unloaded the wagon, and decided that they would erect the first tent on that spot.
In its early days, it was called Raanania, a name suggested by its founders in the U.S. The settlement's Arab neighbors called it Americaya because most of the existing residents spoke English and came from New York City. Finally, the first settlers selected a Hebrew version of the name, and it was called Ra'anana.
The sister cities of Ra'anana are Opsterland (Holland), Bramsche (Germany), Boulogne-Billancourt (France), Verona (Italy), Tainan (Taiwan), and Atlanta (Georgia, USA).