THE MAYOR OF RAANANA, FIRST AMERICAN COLONY IN PALESTINE, IS ON HIS WAY TO NEW YORK TO TELL AMERICAN ZIONISTS WHAT THEIR REPRESENTATIVES HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IN THE HOLY LAND SINCE 1922, WHEN THEY TOOK OVER A DESERT WASTE NORTH OF TEL AVIV AND CONVERTED IN INTO A FLOURISHING MODERN COMMUNITY OF 3,000 PEOPLE.
CO-OPERATION OF ORGANIZED LABOR AND EMPLOYERS WAS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THE STORY WHICH MAYOR B. OSTROVSKY OF RAANANA TOLD WHILE HE WAS HERE, OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH PIONEERS’ ACHIEVEMENTS IN MAKING THE DESERT BLOOM.
MAYOR OSTROVSKY, A FORMER NEW YORKER AND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS, DESCRIBED FIFTEEN YEARS’ EFFORTS TO BRING THE TRACT OF 10,000 DUNAMS (2,200 ACRES) TO ITS PRESENT STATE.
ABOUT HALF THIS AREA IS DEVOTED TO GROWING CITRUS FRUIT, MR. OSTROVSKY SAID, AND ABOUT 1,000 DUNAMS (220 ACRES) ARE USED FOR TRUCK GARDENING. THE 3,000 SETTLERS OWN 500 HEAD OF CATTLE, HE SAID, 150 HORSES, 300 GOATS AND OTHER LIVESTOCK. THE COMMUNITY MAINTAINS A SCHOOL, TWO KINDERGARTENS ENROLLING 130 YOUNGSTERS, COMMUNITY HOUSE, BANK, SYNAGOGUE, PUBLIC BATHS, GYMNASIUM, DISPENSARY, AND A WORKERS’ HOUSE, WELLS AND RESERVOIRS, ALL BUILT BY THE COMMUNITY ITSELF.
RAANANA IS ONE OF THE FEW COLONIES IN PALESTINE EMPLOYING ONLY ORGANIZED JEWISH LABOR AND IT IS, ACCORDING TO THE MAYOR, THE ONLY COLONY WHICH HAS FUNCTIONING A JOINT WORKERS’ AND EMPLOYERS’ BOARD.
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.
