Rosh HaAyin
Rosh HaAyin (Template:Lang-he-n, lit. head of the eye/head of the well) is a city in the Center District of Israel in Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2006 the city had a total population of 37,600.
Demographics
According to the CBS, in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.8% Jewish and other non-Arabs, without significant Arab population. See Population groups in Israel.
According to the CBS, in 2001 there were 17,400 males and 17,400 females. The population of the city was spread out with 40.7% 19 years of age or younger, 12.7% between 20 and 29, 25.8% between 30 and 44, 13.0% from 45 to 59, 2.6% from 60 to 64, and 5.3% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 2.5%.
Income
According to the CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 10,972 salaried workers and 1,033 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is ILS 6,595, a real change of 11.2% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 8,408 (a real change of 7.8%) versus ILS 4,857 for females (a real change of 13.1%). The mean income for the self-employed is 6,853. There are 628 people who receive unemployment benefits and 1,057 people who receive an income guarantee.
Education
According to the CBS, there are 21 schools and 7,137 students in the city. They are spread out as 15 elementary schools and 4,749 elementary school students, and 11 high schools and 2,388 high school students. 58.8% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001.
History
Rosh HaAyin was founded in the 1950s on the site of ancient Aphek, and quickly became home to many Yemenite Jews; airlifted to Israel in 1949 and 1950 in "Operation Magic Carpet." The character of the town is still influenced by the large Yemenite population.
Sister cities
On November 9, 2005, Rosh HaAyin became a sister city of Birmingham, Alabama, USA. The sister city agreement was signed in Birmingham by Rosh HaAyin Mayor Moshe Sinai and Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid. This agreement formalized a casual relationship which had existed between Birmingham and Rosh Ha'ayin for over twenty years.
At the same ceremony, the city of Karak, Jordan became a sister city to Birmingham as well. Although Rosh HaAyin and Karak did not sign their own sister city agreement, the mayors promised to work together and improve the relationship between their two cities.
This is believed to be the first time that an Israeli city and a Jordanian city simultaneously signed sister city agreements with a third city.
In addition, Rosh-HaAyin is a sister city of Prague, and the cities maintain a close relationship.
