[img]96|left|Shachar||no_popup[/img]Dateline Jerusalem — Rehovot, Israel, is known as the “City of Science and Culture,” home to the internationally acclaimed Weizmann Institute of Science, Hebrew University Faculty of Agriculture, and Hebrew University Medical School's teaching hospital, Kaplan Hospital.
Symbols of the city are the orange, the microscope and the book, representing citrus groves, scientific research, education and scholarship.
There is an area called the Science Park, which, in reality, is not a park, but the equivalent of California's Silicon Valley for high- tech companies and world renowned biotechnology firms.
No wonder the number of university graduates residing in Rehovot is higher than the national average in Israel. Yet, the average monthly salary for a person living in Rehovot is only about $1,700, making it very difficult for tenants to afford apartments with rents that have risen 67 percent in the last two years.
It Belongs to Our Era
Rehovot is one of the oldest communities in “modern” Israel, founded in 1890 by Polish Jews. By 1906, Yemenite Jews moved, en masse, to the area. By the 1990s, as a result of immigration from the former Soviet Union and the airlift of Ethiopian Jews during Operation Solomon, the city grew to over 100,000. The lure of higher education made Rehovot home to residents of many English- speaking countries such as the U.S., England, Australia, Canada and South Africa. Now the population of the city is approximately 150,000.
Rehovot was named for “broad places” or “wide expanses,” as it literally means “streets.” The main street is Herzl, where almost every other shop is a shoe store, appliance store or falafel stand. Of course there are also outdoor cafes with people sitting under colorful umbrellas, drinking lattes and eating cheese- or potato-filled pastries called “burekas.” Off of Herzl is the shuk, an open-air market where you can find fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, candy, fresh fish, and lots of colorful jewelry, tablecloths and interesting items. What cannot be found on the streets of Rehovot can be found in the indoor mall or outdoor outlet mall.
On the outskirts of the city are vineyards, almond orchards and citrus groves. Occasionally, sheep could be seen grazing in the fields, and believe it or not, camels often rove the area. Within the city are many parks with playground equipment for children, chess and backgammon tables for senior citizens. There is even a paved path along the perimeter of the city for walking from one end to the other, with exercise and gym equipment to work out on, and benches for resting along the way. There are also many museums, botanical gardens, music and art centers, and sports facilities.
But the best part of Rehovot is the fact that religious and secular get along with each other, and the various multi-national peoples who make up the Rehovot population do as well.
If only the United Nations could learn from Rehovot.
L'hitraot. Shachar.
Shachar is the Hebrew name of a California-based attorney and former Los Angeles County deputy sheriff who moved to Israel 2 ½ years ago.