Zikhron Yaʿakov

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ZIKHRON YAʿAKOV

Village located 19 miles (31 km) south of Haifa.

In 1882, Romanian Jews founded Zikhron Yaʿakov, one of the early settlements of the Hovevei Zion (Hibbat Zion) movement. Financially supported in part by the Baron Edmond de Rothschild, the settlement, shortly after its founding, was given its present name in memory of the baron's father, Jacob (Zikhron Yaʿakov means "The Memory of Jacob"). Baron de Rothschild promoted the planting of grapes, and vineyards were established in the settlement as well as one of the largest wine cellars in Israel. In 1954, Baron de Rothschild and his wife were buried in Zikhron Yaʿakov. Located in the foothills of Mount Carmel, the village (pop. 12,000 in 2002) is a tourist site that draws visitors to the Rothschild mausoleum, botanical garden, and winery.

see also hibbat zion.


Bibliography


Schama, Simon. The Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel. New York: Knopf, 1978.

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