[img]96|left|||no_popup[/img]Dateline Jerusalem – One of the largest cities in Israel, about 126,000 people, and the place I call “home”, is the City of Rehovot. One hundred and twenty two years ago, in 1890, the “moshava” named Rehovot was founded. Rehovot was not declared a “city,”,however, until 1950. A moshava is a rural settlement or colony in which all the land and property are privately owned, as opposed to settlements like a kibbutz or moshav. A “kibbutz” originally was established as a communal settlement where equality was the main principle, where everything was collective and not individually owned. Even tools and clothing were shared. Gifts and income from outside sources went into a common treasury. A “moshav” originally was a cross between a moshava and a kibbutz, where most aspects of life were private like a moshava but marketing and major farm purchases were collective like a kibbutz.

Rehovot's emblem of an orange, microscope and book are symbols for the city known as the “City of Citrus, Science, and Culture.” When Rehovot was established, it was mostly an area of vineyards until 1904 when the first citrus grove was planted. Since then it has become the largest citrus packing center in Israel. Orange trees with their fragrant scent still line the streets of Rehovot, especially down the main boulevard that runs through the center of town. Also, almond trees were planted, and their blossoms are beautiful.

As for science, Rehovot is the home of the world renowned Weizmann Institute of Science, the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Hebrew U. was just listed in the top 100 universities in the world), Kaplan Hospital Nursing School and medical school teaching hospital, and several other colleges and universities known for their excellence and achievement in science and research. The academic atmosphere of the city was one of the things that attracted me to Rehovot. The Science Park is an area at the northern end of the city that often is referred to as the “Silicon Valley of Israel” because of its high density of biotechnology and high tech companies.

As for culture, Rehovot has been the home to some of Israel's greatest writers and poets. The city boasts cultural centers, art galleries, community centers, music conservatories, concert halls, theaters, museums, international festivals and cultural events such as the International Women's Film Festival and Rehovot International Living Statues Festival in which people are dressed and “painted” to look like statues. The Ayalon Institute now is a museum but once was a secret underground bullet factory important in the War of Independence for the establishment of the modern State of Israel.

Although Tel Aviv is considered the most expensive city in which to live in Israel, with Jerusalem not far behind, I was surprised to find out that Rehovot households spend more on consumer goods than households in Tel Aviv, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. Rehovot comes in first in the country among expenditures for household consumption at 13,830 shekels a month, more than I grossed when working for American companies outsourcing my legal skills here in Israel. The Rehovot expenditures lead the country with respect to education, culture, entertainment, transportation and communication. Yet the expenditures for food per household in Rehovot is lower than the national average. When it comes to cellular phones, however, Rehovot households have the highest percentage of ownership in the country. Rehovot leads the country with two or more home computers per household, vacuum cleaners per household, and two or more automobiles per household. Ownership of televisions is in third place. I was quite surprised at auto ownership since one of the reasons I moved to Israel was the great bus and train transportation. Also, I am able to walk from one end of the city to another.

Rehovot has the lowest average household occupancy density in the country. I recently discovered owning an apartment is more than I can afford and still keep a savings, especially when a down payment for a mortgage is 40 to 50 percent. Since 71 percent of the residents in Rehovot own their own apartment or home and only 23 percent rent, I have no idea what the other 6 percent do. As I walk the streets of the city, I see nothing but “for sale” signs. It is making me nervous since my lease is up at the end of January. I have yet to find long term lease apartments to rent in my neighborhood that are affordable and decent. The bank seems to think I can afford to buy, as they have approved me for a loan. However, I want to be able to fly to the U.S. at least a couple of times a year to see family. That can get expensive when non-stop flights on El Al from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles run from $1500 to $2000 round trip, depending on the time of year for travel.

In spite of the cost of living in Rehovot, I love living here. Centrally located, it has the appeal of a small quaint town even though is one of Israel's top 14 cities with a population of over 100,000. Come visit.

L'hitraot. Shachar