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Petah Tikvah
Petah Tikvah, a city seven miles east of Tel Aviv, was founded in the
1870s by a group of religious Jewish pioneers from Jerusalem, who decided
to become farmers and establish a village.
They called it Petah Tikvah ("Gateway of Hope") after the divine promise
uttered by the prophet Hosea (2:17):
"And I will give her... the valley of Achor for a gateway
of hope."
It was the first Jewish village in the country, and later became known as
"the mother of the moshavot," or cooperative smallholders' villages. The
original settlers of Petah Tikvah soon had to abandon their newly acquired
land because of malaria, a disappointing first harvest, and disagreements
among themselves.
In 1883 a second attempt to settle the site of Petah Tikvah was made
by Bilu immigrants. They too faced many problems: they lacked farming
experience and money; they were often raided by Arab neighbors; they were
harassed by the Turkish authorities. Most of these difficulties were overcome
when Baron Edmund de Rothschild, a wealthy French philanthropist, provided
them with funds for draining the swamps, and when he temporarily took
over the administration of the moshavah. To solve the problem of Arab
raiders, the settlers organized a watchmen's group which drove off marauders.
In the Arab attack of May 1921, four young settlers were killed.
Once the swamps were drained and citrus groves planted, more settlers,
including immigrants, were attracted to Petah Tikvah. Because of its central
location within the Jewish settlement zone, it expanded and became a city
in 1939, with a population of over 20,000. At that time it 
was a marketing center for the region's farm products and industries.
By 1990, its population was 144,000. and it supported many large industries,
including metals, rubber tires, textiles and food. Farming, especially
citrus-growing, still plays a role in Petah Tikvah's economy, but now
takes second place to industry.
The bearded pioneers of 100 years ago had founded the first Jewish 
village in the country, and in so doing had opened up a wide and welcoming
"Gateway of Hope" for generations of refugees, immigrants and settlers.
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by C.D.I. Systems 1992 (LTD) and Keter.
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