| Ra'anana | |||
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| Hebrew transcription(s) | |||
| • Hebrew | רַעֲנָנָה | ||
| • ISO 259 | Raˁnana | ||
| Arabic transcription(s) | |||
| • Arabic | رعنانا | ||
| Panorama of Ra'anana | |||
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Ra'anana
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| Coordinates: | |||
| District | Center | ||
| Founded | April 2, 1922 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | City | ||
| • Mayor | Nahum Hofree | ||
| Population (2009)[1] | |||
| • Total | 68,300 | ||
Ra'anana (Hebrew: רַעֲנָנָה, lit. "Fresh") is a city in the heart of the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel with a population of 68,300, as of 2009[update].[1] Ra'anana is bordered by Kfar Sava on the east and Herzliya on the southwest. While the majority of its residents are native Israelis, a large part of the population are immigrants from English, French and Spanish speaking countries.
Ra'anana's high tech industrial park is home to many leading global companies and local start up companies. It has been named the city with the highest quality of life in Israel and the safest city in the Middle East.[2]
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In 1912, the Company for Jewish Settlement in Israel formed the "Ahuza A – New York" group to purchase land in Israel for agricultural settlement. The First World War delayed their plans but on April 2, 1922, two wagons left the corner of Lilienblum and Herzl Streets in Tel Aviv carrying 4 "Ahuza" members, 3 laborers and 2 armed watchmen. After a 5 hour journey, they unloaded their baggage at the place destined to become Ra'anana.
In its early days, the settlement was called "Ahuza A – New York." The Arabs of the region called it "Little America" as most of its residents were English speakers and came from New York. Later it was renamed "Ra'anania" and finally the founding settlers chose "Ra'anana" as its official name. By the War of Independence, it was a village of 3,000 residents.
By the late 1960s, it had a population of 85,000 spanning an area of 15 square kilometres.[3] In the 1980s Ra'anana was declared a city.
Ra'anana has both a large English-speaking population and a Spanish-speaking population, mainly from Argentina. The number of French immigrants is also on the rise.[4]
Though the majority of Ra'anana residents are secular, there is a sizable religious community, mainly consisting of Modern Orthodox Jews, many of whom are Western immigrants, in particular from the U.S., U.K., South Africa and France. The integration of religious people into the general social, cultural and commercial life of the city has a distinctive affect on the character of the city. There are nearly 100 synagogues in Ra'anana, ranging from small minyanim to large edifices, and including a wide range of traditions, including Sefaradi, Ashkenazi, Yemenite and even Afghani, Libyan synagogues. Due to the large number of immigrants in the city, many of these synagogues often cater to specific immigrant groups. There is also a small Hasidic community of Clevelander Hasidim, led by the Clevelander Rebbe of Ra'anana, Rabbi Yitzchok Rosenbaum. The chief rabbi of the city is Rabbi Yitzhak Peretz.
Ra'anana has an industrial zone in the north of the city, which is home to Rananim shopping mall and many high-tech companies, including Emblaze, Hewlett-Packard, NICE Systems, OnTarget Communications, SAP and Texas Instruments. In addition, Microsoft's head office in Israel and Amdocs are located in an office complex at the eastern edge of the city, close to Ra'anana Junction, where Highway 4 meets Ahuza Street, Ra'anana's main boulevard. Ahuza Street runs through the city from east to west and is lined with shops, restaurants and a cultural center.
Due to Raanana's high concentration and proximity to high-tech companies in Israel, it frequently hosts international high tech conferences.[5]
Ra'anana has 12 elementary schools, 10 middle schools and 8 high-schools. It also has special educational frameworks for gifted students and students with disabilities. Ra'anana invests more than a third of the municipal budget for the construction of schools and classrooms and the expansion of social, community and cultural activities in the school framework. According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, Ra'anana is ranked in first place in the Sharon region and second nationally in this regard. At the schools, a zero-dropout policy has been adopted that enables every student in Ra'anana to complete 12 years of education. Ra'anana has developed various educational models which provide assistance and extra tutoring to students with difficulties, so that all students may maximize their personal potential and find a suitable place in the municipal educational frameworks.
Educational programs for gifted students start in the third grade. A program for the encouragement of girls to study technological subjects has been developed as well as a technology-focused leadership development and information management program, the first of its kind in Israel. The program, created in conjunction with "Ness Technologies", uses advanced technology as a catalyst for developing skills.
Ra'anana has developed supplementary education programs for the afternoon and evening hours, which meet the needs of thousands of children, aged 5–18. These programs foster creativity, promote social involvement and cultivate leadership skills. The supplementary education projects include over 20 "Batei Talmid" citywide extracurricular programs, an afternoon daycare program, and music, dance, art and science centers. Other programs include summer camps and summer activities, university for youth, dance troupes, the Children’s Parliament, an acting school, a school for the performing arts, and gifted children programs, that serve as a model for many other cities.
Ra'anana is home to the Open University and the Ra'anana College.
The park of Ra'anana is the largest urban park in the Sharon region. It offers walking and bike paths, sports fields, a zoo and children's petting corner and a lake in a clover shape reminiscent of Ra'anana's coat of arms. There are two fountains in the lake and pedestrians can cross over it on the bridge. The lake is surrounded by special gardens, including the Seven Species garden, and shaded walking paths. There is also a restaurant and small art gallery. The Founders Museum presents the story of Ra'anana's original settlers, from the arrival of the Ahuza Alef-New York Association until Ra'anana achieved local council status in 1936.[6]
Ra'anana is home to the Loewenstein Hospital Rehabilitation Center. Loewenstein was established in 1958 and is the only rehabilitation hospital operated by Clalit Health Services, Israel's largest health care provider. Its current multi-floor building is situated in a large gardened area and accommodates 240 rehabilitative beds for short and long term hospital care. As a national rehabilitative center, patients are admitted from all parts of the country, all health funds, from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Health, and from general hospitals and clinics, both from Israel and overseas.[7]
The main soccer club of the city is Hapoel Ra'anana. In basketball, the city is represented by Bnei Hasharon who play at the MetroWest high school. With a large population of American expatriates, the Ra'anana Express are an inaugural team in the Israel Baseball League.
The Ra'anana Roosters are the local rugby team, and the area is a centre of rugby union in Israel, with the Israel Rugby Union being based there.
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