Rosh HaAyin

**Rosh HaAyin**
	Rosh HaAyin
	;
	; Coat of arms of Rosh haAyin
	; Coat of arms of Rosh haAyin
Hebrew	רֹאשׁ הָעָיִן
(Translit.)	Roš HaʻÁyin
Name meaning	Fountainhead
Founded in	1949
Government	City
District	Center
Population	37,900 (2007)
Jurisdiction	24,390 dunams (24.39 km2; 9.42 sq mi)
Mayor	Moshe Sinai

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Rosh HaAyin (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הָעָיִן‎, lit. head of the fountain) is a city in the Center District of Israel. To the west of Rosh HaAyin is the fortress of Antipatris and the source of the Yarkon River. To the southeast is the fortress of Migdal Afek (Migdal Tzedek).^[1] At the end of 2007, the population of Rosh HaAyin was 37,900.^[2]

[edit] History

Rosh HaAyin was founded in the 1950s near the site of ancient Afek, on the grounds of a British military camp. Many of the residents were Yemenite Jews airlifted to Israel in 1949 and 1950 in Operation Magic Carpet. The town still has a large Yemenite population. Rosh HaAyin is named after its location at the mouth of the the Yarkon Spring (rosh = head, ayin = spring).^[1]

[edit] Demographics

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.8% Jewish, with a predominant number of young people below the age of 19. The population growth rate was 2.5%.

[edit] Economy

According to the CBS, there were 10,972 salaried workers and 1,033 self-employed in 2000. The mean monthly wage for a salaried worker was NIS 6,595, a real change of 11.2% over the course of 2000. Salaried males had a mean monthly wage of NIS 8,408 (a real change of 7.8%) versus NIS 4,857 for females (a real change of 13.1%). The mean income for the self-employed was 6,853. 628 people received unemployment benefits and 1,057 received an income supplement.

[edit] Education

According to the CBS, there were 21 schools in Rosh Ha'ayin, with an enrollment of 7,137. Fifteen were elementary schools with an enrollment of 4,749 and 11 were high schools with an enrollment of 2,388. In 2001, 58.8% of Rosh Ha'ayin's 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate.

[edit] Twin cities

On November 9, 2005, Rosh HaAyin signed a twin city agreement with Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Rosh HaAyin Mayor Moshe Sinai visited Birmingham for the signing, formalising a relationship that had already existed for over twenty years. At the same ceremony, the city of Karak, Jordan signed a twin city agreement with Birmingham. Although Rosh HaAyin and Karak did not sign such an agreement, the mayors promised to work together and improve the relationship between their two cities.^{[citation needed]}