The ancient historic town of Ascalon was re-peopled today as the first families moved into 120 new homes erected there by Afridar, a housing company representing South African Jewry and the Israeli housing construction company Amidar. Over 1,000 persons, including members of the Jewish Agency Cabinet and Knesset and virtually every South African Jew in Israel, attended the ceremony.
The town, which will eventually hold 40,000 people, has been designed by two South African Jewish architects. An additional 460 homes are nearing completion while a synagogue, a school and an industrial and trade area are also under construction.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.