Rosh Pinna

Infobox Municipality
official_name=Rosh Pinna

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imagesize=250px
native_name= _he. ראש פינה
established_date=1882
settlement_type=Local council
established_date2=
other_name=Rosh Pina
altUnoSp=Roch Pina, Rosh Pinah
subdivision_type= Country |subdivision_name = Israel |subdivision_type1=District |established_title=Founded |unit_pref=Dunam |timezone=IST |utc_offset =+2 |timezone_DST=IDT |utc_offset_DST=+3
subdivision_name1=North
population_total=2300
population_as_of=2004
area_total_dunam=18000
area_total_km2=18
pushpin_
pushpin_label_position = left |pushpin_map_caption =Location within Israel |pushpin_mapsize =125 |latd=32 |latm=56 |lats= |latNS=N |longd=35 |longm=31 |longs= |longEW=E

Rosh Pinna is a town (local council) of approximately 2,300 people located in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'anin, the Northern District of Israel. The town was founded in 1882 by thirty immigrant families from Romania, making it one of the oldest Zionist settlements in Israel. Rosh Pinna was officially recognized in 1953.

History

Rosh Pinna ( _he. ראש פנה, lit. "Cornerstone", alternate spelling: Rosh Pina) was one of the first modern Jewish agricultural settlements in history of the Land of Israel (Palestine), then part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

Rosh Pinna was known as Um-Juni, in Ottoman times. [http://ecom.gov.il/IFS/ProductPage_en.aspx?product=04295&language=en-us 'ROSH PINA, AN EXAMPLE… HISTORY AND REALITY (From the series IMMIGRANT GENERATION']

In the ancient Jewish Kabbalah tradition, Rosh Pinna is the site where the Messiah will appear at the end of the world. For this reason, Madonna sought to buy a home in Rosh Pinna.

The cemetery of Rosh Pinna, is the site where right-wing activists assembled to perform a 'Pulsa Dinura', a kabbalistic ceremony in which God is asked to curse someone who is believed to be a sinner. They gathered near Shlomo Ben Yosef’s grave, in 2005, called for the death of Ariel Ben-Dvora Sheinerman (Prime Minister Ariel Sharon). [http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/1543_sharon_s_kabbalistic.htm 'Sharon's kabbalistic curse']

In 1883, it became the first Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel to come under the patronage of the Baron Edmond James de Rothschild.

The first modern Jewish settlement in the Galilee, Gai Oni, was founded in 1878 by Jews who had lived in Safed since the Inquisition of 1492; however, it was abandoned after three years of drought. A year later, in 1882, a group of Romanian Jews built the first lasting settlement in the Galilee and named it Rosh Pinna, or cornerstone, after Psalm 118:22: "The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner." Then in 1884 Baron Edmond de Rothschild sponsored the settlement and made it the administrative center for his holdings.

Laurence Oliphant wrote about his visit to Rosh Pinna in 1886, "Jauna, which was the name of the village to which I was bound, was situated about three miles (5 km) from Safed, in a gorge, from which, as we descended it, a magnificent view was ob­tained over the Jordan valley, with the Lake of Tiberias lying three thousand feet below us on the right, and the waters of Merom, or the Lake of Huleh, on the left. The intervening plain was 3. rich expanse of country, only wait­ing development. The new colony hall been established about eight months, the land having been purchased from the Moslem villagers, of whom twenty families remained, who lived on terms of perfect amity with the Jews. These consisted of twenty - three Roumanian and four Russian families, numbering in all one hundred and forty souls. The greater number were hard at w ork on their potato-patches when I arrived, and I was pleased to find evidences of thrift and industry. A row of sixteen neat little houses had been built, and more were in process or erection. Altogether this is the most hopeful attempt at a colony which I have seen in Palestine. The colonists own about a thousand acres of excellent land, which they were able to purchase at from three to four dollars an acre. The Russians are establishing themselves about half a mile from the Roumanians, as Jews of different nationalities easily get on well together. They call the colony Rosch Pina, or "Head of the Corner," the word occurring in the verse," The stone which the build­ers rejected, the same is become the head of the comer." [http://www.bucshester.org Extract from page 71 of “HAIFA or Life in Modern Palestine”, written by Laurence Oliphant, published By William Blackwood and Sons, London, 1887]

On July 14 2006, two Katyusha rockets landed in an open area of Rosh Pinna. Nobody was injured in this attack. The Rosh Pinna airport was closed the previous day, July 13, as a precautionary measure.

Demographics

As of 2005, Rosh Pinna had a predominantly Jewish population of approximately 2,400. In 1948, the year Israel declared independence and the out break of the first Arab-Israeli war, Rosh Pinna had a population of 346.

Geography

Rosh Pinna is located north of the Sea of Galilee, on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'an, approximately 2 km east of the city of Safed, 420 meters above sea level, latitude north 32° 58', longitude east 35° 31'. North of Rosh Pinna is Lake Hula, which was a swamp area drained in the 1950s.

Government

Mayors

*Avihud Rasky [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=464560&contrassID=1&subContrassID=4&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y 'The grass is always greener', article published on HaAretz.com]

Education

Rosh Pinna had the first Hebrew School in 1899. [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/il-lcrsp.html Rosh Pinna]

Transport

Mahanaim / I. Ben Ya'akov Airport is located 2.1 km away from Rosh Pinna.

Medical facilities

The Mifne Center [http://www.mifne-autism.com The Mifne Center] , which means Turning Point. was developed by Hanna Alonim. a program for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder is situated in Rosh Pinna [http://www.ujcna.org/page.html?ArticleID=27031 The Mifne Center] .

Attractions

Mitzpe HaYamim, a world-class spa, is located on a mountainside in Rosh Pinna. Amenities include a range of health and cosmetic treatments, an art gallery where guests can view artists at work, art workshops and an organic garden. The House of Dignitaries is a structure built in 1882 and used as a center of administration and finance for Rosh Pinna and the other towns in the Galilee region. From this building, a loudspeaker was used to broadcast the local news. Attractions built by Baron de Rothschild on Rosh Pinna that remain today include a garden of plants and flowers imported from France in 1886. An ancient synagogue, which was commissioned by the Baron, also has been preserved. Also to see in Rosh Pinna is the home of Prof. Gideon Mer, an expert on malaria and epidemiologist, there is a room dedicated to his memory and an exhibit of ancient items from various periods, such as old plows, laboratory equipment, and textbooks.

PICA House provides an audio-visual presentation that tells the story of Rosh Pinna. PICA House served as an administrative center and residence for Baron Rothschild’s clerks, advisors, and agricultural counselors.

Baron Rothschild' Gardens, full of beauganvillia and pine trees, were designed by French landscape architect.

Mer house was the home of Professor Gideon Mer, one of the important contributors to the eradication of malaria in the 1930’s. [http://www.stateofisrael.com/tourism/roshpina Rosh Pina]

The town of Hazor is a few kilometers from Rosh Pinna. On its outskirts is the grave of Honi, the Circle maker, at famous Gallilean miracle makers.

Commemoratives

In 1962, the 80th Anniversary of the settlement of Rosh Pinna the State of Israel issued a stamp depicting the settlement and its surroundings.

References

External links

* [http://www.stateofisrael.com/tourism/roshpina StateofIsrael.com]
* [http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en-US/Airports/RoshPina Ben Ya'akov Airport website]
* [http://www.pbase.com/rdavid/galilee Photos of Rosh Pinna]
* [http://blog.israelinphotos.com/2007/11/israel-in-photos-rosh-pinna-rosz-pina.html]