Holon

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Holon
Image:HolonLogo.gif
Hebrew חוֹלוֹן
Arabic حولون
Name meaning (Little) sand
Founded in 1936
Government City (from 1950)
District Tel Aviv
Population 180,000 (2005)
Jurisdiction 19,200 dunams (19.2 km²)
Mayor Motti Sasson
The Yanshul, half-cat half-owl, the symbol of Holon's Children's Museum. Many such sculptures are placed throughout the city.
The Yanshul, half-cat half-owl, the symbol of Holon's Children's Museum. Many such sculptures are placed throughout the city.
A Samaritan synagogue
A Samaritan synagogue
Mediatech cultural center
Mediatech cultural center
This article is about the city Holon. For the philosophical concept, see Holon (philosophy).

Holon (Hebrew: חוֹלוֹן‎; Tiberian Hebrew: חֹלֹן, Ḥōlōn) is a city in Israel, on the central coastal strip, just south of Tel Aviv, and part of the metropolitan area known as Gush Dan in the Tel Aviv District. It has about 180,000 residents. Holon has arguably the second biggest industrial zone in Israel after Haifa (competing with Petah Tikva). The city also hosts about half of the world's Samaritan population which is in total ca. 700 persons (2007).[citation needed]

The name of the city comes from the word Hol in Hebrew, which means "Sand". The name also appears in the Bible in the Book of Joshua, chapter 21, verse 15: "And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her suburbs".

Contents

[edit] Sports

[edit] Culture

Holon used to host the annual Storytellers Festival, now held in Giv'atayim. It also hosts the Yeme Zemer (days of singing) festival annually and a spring Festival consecrated to the Woman . Daniel Barenboim organizes an annual music summer camp in the city.

During the term of Motti Sasson as mayor, many civic projects have developed in Holon, including the Holon Children's Museumand the Mediatheque, which is the largest public library in Israel, also containing two lecture halls and two theaters.

Holon also plays host each year to a famous and colourful street carnival in celebration of the Jewish Festival of Purim. The traditional name of the carnival is Adlayada (עדלאידע), meaning "when you don't know", referring to the level of alcohol consumption on the date. Thousands of children take to the streets dressed in imaginative costumes, whilst the city also closes the streets for a parade complete with vibrant floats.

Holon is a city with a friendly atmosphere and a culturally diverse Jewish population and also few hundreds of Samaritans concentrated in the East-South part of the city.

The city is filled with parks and areas for outdoor recreation, and is notable for the large amount of lush greenery. The park on the corner of Rehovot HaHistadrut and Eilat is famed for the backgammon or "shesh besh" tournaments which take place daily. One can spot there quaint scenes of elderly men avidly focused upon their shesh besh boards sheltered from the sweltering Israeli sun by the canopy of sweet scented sycamore trees.

[edit] Famous Holonites

Mayors of Holon since its proclamation as a city in 1950 are:

[edit] Twin cities

Sister city shields at the city entrance
Sister city shields at the city entrance
See also: Town twinning.

Partnership of kindness with:

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 32°01′N, 34°46′E

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