Editing Rehovot

{{Short description|City in Israel}}
{{Redirect|Rechovot|other uses|Rehoboth (disambiguation){{!}}Rehoboth}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Rehovot
| native_name              = {{Lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|רחובות}}|rtl=yes}}
| settlement_type          = [[List of cities in Israel|City]]
| translit_lang1           = Hebrew
| translit_lang1_type1     = [[ISO 259]]
| translit_lang1_info1     = Reḥovot
| image_skyline            = 
{{center|{{Photomontage
  |photo1a = Rehovot Aerial View.jpg 
  |photo1b = Rehovot during the Iron Swords War - Israel, January 2024 03.jpg
  |photo2a = PikiWiki Israel 62022 a tour of rehovot.jpg
  |photo2b = PikiWiki Israel 62018 a tour of rehovot.jpg
  |photo3e = PikiWiki Israel 62024 a tour of rehovot.jpg
  |size    = 280
  |color   = transparent
  |border  = 0
  }}}}
| image_blank_emblem       = Rehovot COA.svg
| image_flag =
| flag_alt = 
| image_shield =
| shield_alt = 
| blank_emblem_type        = Coat of arms
| nickname = {{unbulleted list |'The city of science and culture'}}
| pushpin_map_alt          = 
| pushpin_map              = Israel center ta#Israel
| pushpin_mapsize          = 
| pushpin_label_position   = left
| pushpin_map_caption      = 
| coordinates              = {{coord|31|53|49|N|34|49|00|E|region:IL-M_type:city(144,000)|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = {{flag|Israel}}
| subdivision_type1        = 
| subdivision_name1        = 
| subdivision_type2        = [[Districts of Israel|District]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Central District (Israel)|Central]]
| subdivision_type3        = Subdistrict
| subdivision_name3        = [[Rehovot Subdistrict|Rehovot]]
| established_title        = Founded
| established_date         = {{Start date and age|1890}}
| government_type          = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
| governing_body           = Municipality of Rehovot
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = Matan Dil
| unit_pref                = dunam
| area_total_dunam         = {{formatnum:23041|R}}
| population_footnotes     = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| population_total         = {{Israel populations|Rehovot}}
| population_as_of         = {{Israel populations|Year}}
| population_density_km2   = auto
| demographics_type1     = Ethnicity
| demographics1_footnotes = {{Israel populations|reference}}
|  demographics1_title1    = [[Israeli Jews|Jews and others]]
|  demographics1_info1     = 99.7%
|  demographics1_title2    = [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arabs]]
|  demographics1_info2     = 0.3%
| timezone1                = [[Israel Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1              = +2
| timezone1_DST            = [[Israel Summer Time|IDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST          = +3
| blank_name_sec1          = Name meaning
| blank_info_sec1          = Broad Places<ref>From [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 26:22. Word stems from ''raḥav'' (רחב), meaning "broad" in Hebrew.</ref>
| website                  = [http://www.rehovot.muni.il www.rehovot.muni.il]
}}

'''Rehovot''' ({{langx|he|רחובות|Reḥōvōt}}, {{IPA|he|ʁeχoˈvot|pron}} / {{IPA|he|ʁeˈχovot|}}) is a city in the [[Central District (Israel)|Central District]] of [[Israel]], about {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} south of [[Tel Aviv]]. In {{Israel populations|Year}} it had a population of {{Israel populations|Rehovot}}.{{Israel populations|reference}}

==Etymology==
[[Israel Belkind]], founder of the [[Bilu (movement)|Bilu]] movement, proposed the name "Rehovot" ({{lit|wide expanses}}) based on [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 26:22: "And he called the name of it ''Rehoboth''; and he said: 'For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land'."<ref name=Paraszczuk>{{cite news |author=Joanna Paraszczuk |date=12 March 2010 |url=http://www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/Tel-Aviv-And-Center/Rehovot-keeps-an-eye-on-the-past-as-it-looks-to-the-future |title=Rehovot keeps an eye on the past as it looks to the future |newspaper=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |access-date=29 March 2014 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222175619/http://www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/Tel-Aviv-And-Center/Rehovot-keeps-an-eye-on-the-past-as-it-looks-to-the-future |url-status=live }}</ref> This [[Bible]] verse is also inscribed in the city's logo. The biblical town of ''[[Rehoboth (Bible)|Rehoboth]]'' was located in the [[Negev|Negev Desert]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jafi.org/JewishAgency/English/jewish+education/Compelling+Content/Eye+on+Israel/Places+in+Israel/Rehovot.htm|title=The Jewish Agency|website=The Jewish Agency|date=5 May 2005 |access-date=25 March 2018|archive-date=25 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825064618/http://jafi.org/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Compelling+Content/Eye+on+Israel/Places+in+Israel/Rehovot.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Jacob Street.jpg|thumb|Yaakov Street, Rehovot in 1893]]Rehovot was established in 1890 by pioneers of the [[First Aliyah]] on the coastal plain near a site called ''Khirbat Deiran'', an "abandoned or sparsely populated" estate,<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Marom |first=Roy |date=2022-11-01 |title=Jindās: A History of Lydda's Rural Hinterland in the 15th to the 20th Centuries CE |url=https://www.academia.edu/90931976 |journal=Lod, Lydda, Diospolis |volume=1 |pages=26}}</ref> which now lies in the center of the built-up area of the city.<ref name="Fischer">{{cite journal |author=M. Fischer |author2=I. Taxel |author3=D. Amit |year=2008 |title=Rural settlement in the vicinity of Yavneh in the Byzantine period: A religio-archaeological perspective |journal=Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research |volume=350 |pages=7–35 |doi=10.1086/BASOR25609264 |s2cid=163487105 |number=350}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Marom|first=Roy|date=2021-06-09|title=The Abu Hameds of Mulabbis: an oral history of a Palestinian village depopulated in the Late Ottoman period|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2021.1934817|journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies|volume=50 |pages=87–106|doi=10.1080/13530194.2021.1934817|s2cid=236222143|issn=1353-0194|url-access=subscription}}</ref> According to Marom, Deiran offered "a convenient launching pad for early land purchase initiatives which shaped the pattern of Jewish settlement until the beginning of the British Mandate".<ref name=":0" />

Rehovot was founded as a [[moshava]] in 1890 by [[History of the Jews in Poland|Polish Jewish]] immigrants who had come with the [[First Aliyah]], seeking to establish a township which would not be under the influence of the Baron [[Edmond James de Rothschild]], on land which was purchased from a [[Christian Arab]] by the Menuha Venahala society, an organization in Warsaw that raised funds for Jewish settlement in [[Eretz Israel]].<ref name=Paraszczuk/><ref name=EJ>{{cite EJ | author = O. Efraim |author2=S. Gilboa | title = Reḥovot|volume = 17}}</ref>

In March 1892, a dispute over pasture rights erupted between the residents of Rehovot and the neighboring village of [[Zarnuqa]], which took two years to resolve. Another dispute broke out with the Suteriya [[Bedouin]] tribe, which had been cultivating some of the land as tenant farmers. According to [[Moshe Smilansky]], one of the early settlers of Rehovot, the Bedouins had received compensation for the land, but refused to vacate it. In 1893, they attacked the [[moshava]]. Through the intervention of a respected Arab sheikh, a compromise was reached, with the Bedouins receiving an additional sum of money, which they used to dig a well.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Teb4dKHQcoC&q=establishment+of+rehovot&pg=PA92 |title=The Claim of Dispossession: Jewish Land-Settlement and the Arabs, 1878-1948 |author=Aryeh L. Avneri |publisher=Transaction Publishers |date=1982 |isbn=978-1-4128-3621-0 |access-date=29 March 2014 |archive-date=29 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529125859/https://books.google.com/books?id=8Teb4dKHQcoC&q=establishment+of+rehovot&pg=PA92 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1890, the region was an uncultivated wasteland with no trees, houses or water.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Teb4dKHQcoC&q=zarnuqa+1948&pg=PA58 |title=The Claim of Dispossession: Jewish Land-Settlement and the Arabs, 1878-1948 |author=Aryeh L. Avneri |publisher=Transaction Publishers |date=1982 |isbn=978-1-4128-3621-0 |access-date=29 March 2014 |archive-date=29 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529125900/https://books.google.com/books?id=8Teb4dKHQcoC&q=zarnuqa+1948&pg=PA58 |url-status=live }}</ref> The moshava's houses were initially built along two parallel streets: Yaakov Street and Benjamin Street, before later expanding, and [[vineyard]]s, [[almond]] [[orchard]]s and [[citrus]] [[Grove (nature)|grove]]s were planted, but the inhabitants grappled with agricultural failures, plant diseases, and marketing problems.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 1956 Settlements in Israel האבות המייסדים.jpg|thumb|Menucha and Nahala, the [[Warsaw]] committee that founded the city, Eliezer Kaplan on left in 1892]]
The first citrus grove was planted by Zalman Minkov in 1904. Minkov's grove, surrounded by a wall, included a guard house, stables, a packing plant, and an irrigation system in which groundwater was pumped from a large well in the inner courtyard. The well was 23 meters deep, the height of an eight-story building, and over six meters in diameter. The water was channeled via an aqueduct to an irrigation pool, and from there to a network of ditches dug around the bases of the trees.<ref name=Vered/>

The Great [[Synagogue]] of Rehovot was established in 1903, during the [[First Aliyah]] period.<ref>Religious Renewal, [[Haaretz]], 22 November 2019</ref>

In 1908, the Workman's Union (''[[Hapoel Hatzair|Hapoel Hazair]]'') organized a group of 300 [[Yemenite Jews|Yemenite]] immigrants then living in the region of Jerusalem and Jaffa, bringing them to work as farmers in the colonies of Rishon-le-Zion and Rehovot.<ref>Joshua Feldman, ''The Yemenite Jews'', London 1913, p. 23</ref> Only a few dozen [[Yemenite Jews|Yemenite]] families had settled in Rehovot by 1908.<ref name=Shlinony>{{cite book | author = Zvi Shilony | title = Ideology and Settlement; the Jewish National Fund, 1897–1914 | publisher = Magnes Press | place = Jerusalem | year = 1998 | pages = 303–307}}</ref> They built houses for themselves in a plot given to them at the south end of the town, which became known as Sha'araim.<ref name=Shlinony/> In 1910, Shmuel Warshawsky, with the secret support of the [[Jewish National Fund|JNF]], was sent to Yemen to recruit more agricultural laborers.<ref name=Shlinony/> Hundreds arrived starting in 1911 and were housed first in a compound one kilometre south of Rehovot and then in a large extension of the Sha'araim quarter.<ref name=Shlinony/>

The second Zarnuqa incident, that took place in July 1913<ref>{{Cite web |title=תקרית זרונגה (השנייה) והמשפט |url=https://www.rehovotarchive.org.il/cgi-webaxy/item?595 |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=עיריית רחובות-ארכיון |language=he}}</ref> between the colonists and guards of Rehovot, and the Arab rural population, is considered by historians as a milestone in Zionist–Arab relations in late Ottoman Palestine. The incident, which started over simple accusation of theft of grapes from a Jewish-owned vineyard, became much more than a local incident, left one Arab and two Jews dead and resulted in tremendous hostility between the two sides. There are various narratives available to researchers today, including Jewish, Arabic sources and external sources. It is difficult to determine whose narrative is closer to historical reality, or to find out who started the fight and who is to be blamed. This incident illustrates the difficult task facing historians in analyzing the late Ottoman Palestine, the period of the early Zionist–Arab encounter and conflict.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ben-Bassat |first1=Yuval |last2=Alroey |first2=Gur |date=2016-09-02 |title=The Zionist–Arab incident of Zarnuqa 1913: a chronicle and several methodological remarks |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00263206.2016.1177790 |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |language=en |volume=52 |issue=5 |pages=787–803 |doi=10.1080/00263206.2016.1177790 |issn=0026-3206|url-access=subscription }}</ref> It is alleged that this was the moment when a previously peaceful co-existence among Jews and Arabs, united under the Ottoman Empire, instantly became an "us vs. them" divisiveness that has prevailed ever since.<ref name="1913seedsofconflict">{{cite AV media|date=2014|last=Loeterman|first=Ben|editor-last=Clark|editor-first=Rachel|title=1913: Seeds of Conflict|location=[[Arlington, Virginia]] |publisher=[[PBS]]|url=http://1913seedsofconflict.com}}</ref>
[[File:MAIN STREET IN REHOVOT. הרחוב הראשי ברחובות.D842-117.jpg|thumb|Main street of Rehovot in 1933]]

In February 1914, [[Edmond Rothschild|Rothschild]] visited Rehovot during the fourth of his five visits to the Land of Israel.<ref>{{cite news |author=Ofer Aderet |date=9 February 2014 |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.573053 |title=Rothschild urged Zionists: Work hard, get along with Arab neighbors |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=29 March 2014 |archive-date=1 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401085255/http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.573053 |url-status=live }}</ref> That year, Rehovot had a population of around 955.

===British Mandate===
In 1920, the [[Rehovot Railway Station]] was opened, which greatly boosted the local citrus fruit industry. A few packing houses were built near the station to enable the fruit to be sent by railway to the rest of the country and to the port of [[Jaffa]] for export to Europe. According to a [[1922 census of Palestine|census]] conducted in 1922 by the [[Mandate for Palestine|British Mandate authorities]], Rehovot had a population of 1,242 inhabitants, consisting of 1,241 Jews and 1 Muslim,<ref name="Census1922">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/PalestineCensus1922|title=Palestine Census ( 1922)|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> increasing in 1931 [[census]] to 3,193 inhabitants, in 833 houses.<ref name="Census1931">Mills, 1932, p. [https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas 23]</ref>
In 1924, the [[British Army]] contracted the [[Israel Electric Corporation|Palestine Electric Company]] for wired electric power. The contract allowed the Electric Company to extend the grid beyond the original geographical limits that had been projected by the concession it was given. The high-voltage line that exceeded the limits of the original concession ran along some major towns and agricultural settlements, offering extended connections to the Jewish towns of [[Rishon Le-Zion]], [[Ness Ziona]] and Rehovot (in spite of their proximity to the high-voltage line, the Arab towns of [[Ramla]] and [[Lod]] remained unconnected).<ref>{{cite book |last=Shamir |first=Ronen |date=2013 |title=Current Flow: The Electrification of Palestine |publisher=Stanford University Press}}</ref>

In 1931, the first workers [[moshav]], ''Kfar Marmorek'', was built on lands which were acquired from the village of [[Zarnuqa]] by the [[Jewish National Fund]] in 1926, and ten [[Yemenite Jews|Yemenite Jewish]] families which were evicted from [[Kinneret, Israel|Kinneret]] were resettled there. Later, they were joined by thirty-five other families from Sha'araim. Today, they are both suburbs of Rehovot.<ref>''Yalqut Teiman'', Yosef Tobi and Shalom Seri (editors), Tel-Aviv 2000, p. 130, s.v. כפר מרמורק (Hebrew) {{ISBN|978-965-7121-03-0}}</ref>

The agricultural research station that opened in Rehovot in 1932 later became the Department of Agriculture of the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]]. In 1933, a juice factory was built. In 1934, [[Chaim Weizmann]] established the Sieff Institute, which later became the [[Weizmann Institute of Science]]. In 1937, Weizmann built his home on the land purchased adjacent to the Sieff Institute. The house later served as the presidential residence after Weizmann became president in 1948. Weizmann and his wife are buried on the grounds of the institute.

In 1945, Rehovot had a population of 10,020, and in 1948, it had grown to 12,500. The suburb of Rehovot, ''Kefar Marmorek'', had a population of 500 Jews in 1948.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Gazetteer of the Place Names which appear in the small-scale Maps of Palestine and Trans-Jordan|first1=R.F. |last1=Jardine|first2=B.A. |last2=McArthur Davies |publisher=Government of Palestine|place=Jerusalem|year=1948|page=49 |oclc=610327173}}</ref>

===State of Israel===
[[File:RehovotCamps_Ariovitch.jpg|thumb|250px|The Department of Agriculture of the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]] in Rehovot in 2008]]

On 29 February 1948, the [[Lehi (group)|Lehi]] [[Cairo–Haifa train bombings 1948|blew up the Cairo to Haifa train]] shortly after it left Rehovot, killing 29 British soldiers and injuring 35. Lehi said the bombing was in retaliation for the [[Ben Yehuda Street Bombing#1948 bombing|Ben Yehuda Street bombing]] a week earlier. ''[[The Scotsman]]'' reported that both Weizmann's home and the Agricultural Institute were damaged in the explosion, although the sites were {{convert|1|–|2|mi|km|disp=sqbr}} away. On 28 March 1948, Arabs attacked a Jewish convoy near Rehovot.<ref>Martin (2005). Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Routledge. {{ISBN|978-0-415-35901-6}}.</ref> In 1950, Rehovot, which had a population of about 18,000, was declared a city.
[[File:Rehovot Police Station4.jpg|thumb|Rehovot Police Station]]
In the immediate years following the establishment of [[Israel]], the ''Zarnuqa'' [[Ma'abarot|ma'abara]] (now named ''Kiryat Moshe'') was established on the Southern side of Rehovot to house Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe and [[Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries|Arab lands]].<ref>Belcove-Shalin, 1995, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=enXvYWgkW-kC&pg=PA75 75]</ref> On the Southwest, the neighborhood of ''Kfar Gevirol'' (now named ''Ibn Gevirol'', named after [[Solomon ibn Gabirol]], 11th Century Sephardi Jewish Philosopher) was founded on lands of the depopulated Palestinian village of [[Al-Qubayba, Ramle|Al-Qubayba]].<ref>Zochrot, Al-Qubayba, Ramle [http://www.zochrot.org/en/village/49456 Link]</ref> Over the years, ''Kiryat Moshe'' expanded over the lands of the depopulated Palestinian village of [[Zarnuqa]]. The mosque of the village, while abandoned, still stands.<ref>Zochrot, Zarnuqa [http://zochrot.org/en/village/49155 Link]</ref> On the Southeast the neighborhood of Ramat Aharon were established. The city has since then expanded in all directions, geographically surrounding but not including the Kibbutz of [[Kvutzat Shiller]] and the Moshav of [[Gibton]].

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|title = Rehovot
|type =
|align = right
|width =
|state =
|shading =
|percentages =
|footnote = <small>Source: [http://www.cbs.gov.il/shnaton67/st02_24.pdf Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]</small><br />
<sup>1</sup> end of year estimate
|1914|955
|1922|1242<ref name="Census1922"/>
|1931|3193<ref>[http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/PalestineCensus1931.pdf 1931 census of Palestine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009120149/http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/PalestineCensus1931.pdf |date=9 October 2016 }}, p. 23</ref>
|1948|12500
|1955|26000
|1961|29000
|1972|39300
|1983|67900
|1995|85200
|2008|111100
|2015<sup>1</sup>|132700
|2019|143904
|2022|152084
}}

Between 1914 and 1991, the town's population rose from 955 to 81,000, and its area more than doubled. Parts of Rehovot's suburbs are built on land that belonged to the village of [[Zarnuqa]] before 1948, population 2,620, including 240 Jews in [[Gibton]].<ref>Walid Khalidi (editor). ''All that Remains: Palestinian villages occupied and depopulated by Israel in 1948''. IPS, Washington. 1992. p. 425. {{ISBN|978-0-88728-224-9}}.</ref> In 1995, there were 337,800 people living in the greater Rehovot area. {{As of|2007}}, the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.8% [[Jew]]ish. There were 49,600 males and 52,300 females, of whom 31.6% were 19 years of age or younger, 16.1% between the ages of 20 and 29, 18.2% between 30 and 44, 18.2% from 45 to 59, 3.5% from 60 to 64, and 12.3% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate was 1.8%.<ref name="CBS">According to [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] data [http://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/local_authorities2004/excel/p_libud.xls] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930031312/http://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/local_authorities2004/excel/p_libud.xls|date=30 September 2007}} {{in lang|he}}</ref>

In Rehovot, there are mainly [[History of the Jews in Russia|Russian Jews]], [[Yemenite Jews]], and [[Beta Israel|Ethiopian Jews]], who are concentrated largely in the Kiryat Moshe and Oshiot areas. There is a growing community of religious [[Anglo]]-speaking people who primarily live in Northern Rehovot around the [[Weizmann Institute of Science]].

According to the 2019 census, the population of Rehovot was counted to be 143,904, of which 143,536 people, comprising 99.7% of the city's population were classified as "[[Israeli Jews|Jews and Others]]", and 368 people, comprising 0.3% as "[[Arab citizens of Israel|Arab]]".{{Israel populations|reference}}

== Education and culture ==
The city is home to the [[Weizmann Institute of Science]], {{ill|The Robert H Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment|he|הפקולטה לחקלאות, מזון וסביבה ע"ש רוברט ה. סמית}} of the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]], and the [[Peres Academic Center]] College. There are also several smaller colleges in Rehovot that provide specialized and technical training. [[Kaplan Medical Center]] acts as an ancillary teaching hospital for the Medical School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
[[File:An independent township.jpg|thumb|Central synagogue, Rehovot]]
The Minkov Orchard Museum was established in Rehovot with the assistance of the Swiss descendants of Zalma Minkov, whose husband planted the city's first citrus grove.<ref name=Vered>{{cite news |author=Ronit Vered |date=6 March 2008 |url=http://www.haaretz.com/pure-gold-1.240735 |title=Pure Gold |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=29 March 2014 |archive-date=27 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227080144/http://www.haaretz.com/pure-gold-1.240735 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Rehovot is also home to the annual [https://www.rehovot.muni.il/articles/item/5929/ Rehovot International Live Statues Festival] which includes many international participants.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Constantinoiu |first=Marina |date=2019-07-09 |title=They're alive! Live statues festival awes in Rehovot |url=https://www.israel21c.org/theyre-alive-live-statues-festival-awes-in-rehovot/ |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=ISRAEL21c |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{As of|2004}}, there were 41,323 salaried workers and 2,683 self-employed. The mean monthly wage for a salaried worker was [[New Israeli Shekel|ILS]]&nbsp;6,732, a real change of −5.2% over the course of the previous year. Salaried males had a mean monthly wage of ILS 8,786 (a real change of −4.8%) versus ILS 4,791 for females (a real change of −5.3%). The mean income for the self-employed was 6,806. There were 1,082 people receiving unemployment benefits and 6,627 people receiving an income guarantee.<ref name=CBS/> In 2013, Rehovot had the highest average net monthly income among households in Israel, at NIS 16,800.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article--1000893437|title=Rehovot is richest Israeli city, Bnei Brak poorest - Globes|date=12 November 2013|website=en.globes.co.il|access-date=30 November 2020|archive-date=29 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529125858/https://en.globes.co.il/en/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Rehovot is home to numerous industrial plants, and has an industrial park in the western part of the city. Among them are the [[Tnuva]] dairy plant, the Yafora-Tavori beverage factory, and the Feldman ice cream factory.
[[File:Kaplan_Medical_Center_Aerial_View.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of [[Kaplan Medical Center]] in Rehovot]]
The Tamar Science Park, established in 2000, is a high-tech park of {{convert|1000|dunam|km2|1}} at the northern entrance of the city.<ref>{{cite news|author=Lior Dattel |author2=Erez Sherwinter | date=18 August 2008 |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/the-science-city-is-not-sparkling-1.252019, |title=The 'science city' is not sparkling |access-date=29 March 2014}}</ref> The Tamar Science Park adjoins the older Kiryat Weizmann industrial park. Although the entire extended science park is largely conceived as an area of Rehovot, the Kiryat Weizmann part is actually under the municipal boundaries of neighboring Ness Ziona. Tamar Science Park is home to branches of leading hi-tech like [[Stratasys]], [[Imperva]], [[Applied Materials]], [[El-Op]] and bio-tech companies like [[Aleph Farms]].

==Sports==
During the 1980s, some local swimmers excelled, thanks to the local Weissgal Center Water Park.

===Football===
Rehovot has had three clubs representing it the top division of Israeli football: [[Maccabi Rehovot F.C.|Maccabi Rehovot]] between 1949 and 1956, [[Maccabi Sha'arayim F.C.|Maccabi Sha'arayim]] between 1963 and 1969 and again in 1985, and [[Hapoel Marmorek F.C.|Hapoel Marmorek]] in the [[Liga Leumit 1972-73|1972–73 season]]. It also has club [[Bnei Yeechalal Rehovot F.C.|Bnei Yeechalal]] which plays at [[Liga Bet]] South B.

Today Maccabi Sha'arayim and Marmorek play in [[Liga Alef]] South, the third level; Maccabi Rehovot and [[Bnei Yeechalal Rehovot F.C.|Bnei Yeechalal]] play in [[Liga Gimel]], the fifth and lowest division.

List of Rehovot men's football clubs playing at state level and above for the 2023–24 season:
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
! class="unsortable"|Club
! Founded
! class="unsortable"|League
! Level
! class="unsortable"|Home Ground
! Capacity
|- 
|align=left|[[Maccabi Rehovot F.C.|Maccabi Rehovot]] || 1912 || align=left|[[Liga Gimel]] Central || 5 || align=left|Kiryat Moshe || 500
|-
|align=left|[[Hapoel Marmorek F.C.|Hapoel Marmorek]] || 1949 || align=left|[[Liga Alef]] South || 3 || align=left|Itztoni Stadium || 800
|-
|align=left|[[Maccabi Sha'arayim F.C.|Maccabi Sha'arayim]] || 1950 || align=left|[[Liga Alef]] South || 3 || align=left|Maccabi Sha'araim Stadium || 500
|-
|align=left|[[Bnei Yeechalal Rehovot F.C.|Bnei Yeechalal]] || 2007 || align=left|[[Liga Gimel]] Central || 5 || align=left|Kiryat Moshe || 500
|-
|}

===Basketball===
Rehovot has  one basketball club  [[Maccabi Rehovot B.C.]] The team plays in the [[Liga Leumit (basketball)|Liga Leumit]].

===Handball===
Rehovot has one handball club  [[Maccabi Rehovot (handball)|Maccabi Rehovot]]. The team plays in the [[Ligat Ha'Al (handball)|Ligat Ha'Al]].

==Transportation==
===Public transportation===
[[File:Rehovot_train_station_01.jpg|thumb|[[Rehovot railway station]]]]
[[Rehovot railway station]] is a suburban commuter railway station serving the city. It is a historic station that was abandoned in 1948 and reopened in 1990 with a suburban service to [[Tel Aviv]], which is important because many Rehovot residents work in Tel Aviv. More reconstruction work began in 2000, which included the two new passenger terminals, a pedestrian tunnel under the railway, a bus terminal and two large parking lots. The station is situated on the Tel Aviv suburban line ([[Binyamina]]/Netanya – Tel Aviv – Rehovot/[[Ashkelon]] Suburban Service). All trains in this service stop at Rehovot, and some trains terminate at the station. This line connects the city to [[Tel Aviv]] via [[Lod railway station|Lod]].

The city will be served by 5 Metro Stations along one of the Southern Branches of Line M1 as part of the  [[Tel Aviv Metro]] Project. This line will connect the city to [[Tel Aviv]] via [[Holon]].

The city is served internally and connected to other cities by bus routes operated by [[List of Egged bus routes in Israel#Rehovot, Ness Ziona and Gedera Areal bus routes|Egged Bus Company]].

===Roads===
[[File:Rehovot winter puddle panorama from the air.jpg|thumb|350px|Rehovot's winter pond]]
Rehovot is located between [[Highway 40 (Israel)|Highway 40]] and [[Highway 42 (Israel)|Highway 42]]. Highway 40 connects the city to [[Kiryat Gat]] and [[Beersheva]] in the South, while Highway 42 connects it to [[Ashdod]]. Highway 40 connects the city to [[Lod]]-[[Ramla]] to the North, also providing connection to [[Ben Gurion Airport]], and bypassing [[Gush Dan|Metro Tel Aviv]] along the eastern edge, whereas Highway 42 connects the city to [[Rishon LeZion]] and the urban centre of [[Gush Dan|Metro Tel Aviv]].

Rehovot also has access to the east–west [[Route 431 (Israel)|Motorway 431]], connecting the city to [[Modi'in]] as well as to [[Jerusalem]] on the East.

[[Route 412 (Israel)|Route 412]] (Weizmann Street) is a regional road that goes through the city centre in a Northwest-Southeast Direction, and connects it to neighbouring [[Ness Ziona]].

== Mayors ==
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* 1950–1955: {{Ill|Benzion Horvitz|he|בן ציון הורוביץ}}
* 1955–1968: {{Ill|Yitzhak Katz (Mayor)|lt=Yitzhak Katz|he|יצחק כ"ץ (ראש עירייה)}}
* 1968–1969: {{Ill|Moshe Barzilay|he|משה ברזילי}}
* 1969–1978: [[Shmuel Rechtman]]
* 1978–1989: {{Ill|Yehezkel Harmelekh|he|יחזקאל הרמלך}}
* 1989–1993: {{Ill|Michael Lapidot|he|מיכאל לפידות}}
* 1993–1998: {{Ill|Yakov Sendler|he|יעקב סנדלר}}
* 1998–2009: {{Ill|Yehoshua Forrer|he|שוקי פורר}}
* 2009–2024: [[Rahamim Malul]]
* 2024–present: {{Ill|Matan Dil|he|מתן דיל}}<ref name="Local_elections2024">{{cite web |author = |url = https://www.timesofisrael.com/ultra-orthodox-retake-beit-shemesh-former-haifa-mayor-yona-yahav-returns-to-office/ |title = Ultra-Orthodox retake Beit Shemesh, former Haifa mayor Yona Yahav returns to office |language = en |website = www.timesofisrael.com |date = |access-date = 2024-04-13 |archive-url = |archive-date = }}</ref><ref name="MatanDil_maariv2014">{{cite web |author = |url = https://www.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1082568 |title = הסיבוב השני ברחובות: מתן דיל נבחר לראשות העיר |language = he |website = www.maariv.co.il |date = 11 March 2024|access-date = 2024-04-13 |archive-url = |archive-date = }}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Twin towns and sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel}}
Rehovot is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]], United States<ref>{{cite web|title=Albuquerque Sister Cities|url=https://www.cabq.gov/about/albuquerque-sister-cities|website=cabq.gov|publisher=City of Albuquerque|access-date=2020-02-25|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119205119/http://www.cabq.gov/about/albuquerque-sister-cities|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ROU}} [[Bistrița]], Romania<ref>{{cite web|title=Orașe înfrățite|url=https://www.primariabistrita.ro/portal/bistrita/portal.nsf/AllByUNID/022671F9A0089F5CC225739C002E5F6B?OpenDocument|website=primariabistrita.ro|publisher=Bistrița|language=ro|access-date=2020-02-25|archive-date=25 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225104214/https://www.primariabistrita.ro/portal/bistrita/portal.nsf/AllByUNID/022671F9A0089F5CC225739C002E5F6B%3FOpenDocument|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Grenoble]], France<ref>{{cite web|title=Jumelages et coopérations|url=https://www.grenoble.fr/96-jumelages-et-cooperations.htm|website=grenoble.fr|publisher=Grenoble|language=fr|access-date=2020-02-25|archive-date=16 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316175536/http://www.grenoble.fr/103-jumelages-et-cooperations.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Heidelberg]], Germany<ref>{{cite web|title=Partnerstädte|url=https://www.heidelberg.de/hd/HD/Leben/Partnerstaedte.html|website=heidelberg.de|publisher=Heidelberg|language=de|access-date=2020-02-25|archive-date=27 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027072053/https://www.heidelberg.de/hd/HD/Leben/Partnerstaedte.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Paraná, Entre Ríos|Paraná]], Argentina<ref>{{cite web|title=Indice Digesto Municipal: Relaciones Internacionales|url=https://digesto.parana.gob.ar/index.php/tomos/tomo-i-municipalidad-de-parana/relaciones-institucionales/relaciones-internacionales|website=parana.gob.ar|publisher=Paraná|language=es|date=2010-09-02|access-date=2020-02-25}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]], United States<ref>{{cite web|title=Rochester Sister Cities|url=http://www.rochestersistercities.org/|website=rochestersistercities.org|publisher=International Sister Cities of Rochester|access-date=2020-02-25|archive-date=25 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225104210/http://www.rochestersistercities.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|SRB}} [[Valjevo]], Serbia<ref>{{cite web|title=Партнерски градови (Main Page)|url=https://www.valjevo.rs/|website=valjevo.rs|publisher=Valjevo|language=sr|access-date=2020-02-25|archive-date=9 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200409044454/https://www.valjevo.rs/|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:A Plan of Rehovot.jpg|Map of Rehovot in 1897
File:El Ramle 1945.jpg|Rehovot 1945 1:250,000
File:Rehovot 1948.jpg|Rehovot 1948 1:20,000
File:Israel_Hiking_Map_מגדל_קופלר.jpeg|Particle accelerator at the [[Weizmann Institute of Science]]
File:בתי המליונרים - אתרי מורשת במרכז הארץ 2015 - רחובות (2).JPG|The "Millionaires' Houses" street in Rehovot 
File:Hebrew University Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot.jpg|The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment (of the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]])
File:Rehovot librejo.jpg|Rehovot Library
File:PikiWiki_Israel_13835_Yad_Labanim_House_in_Rehovot.JPG|Beit Yad LeBanim in Rehovot
File:PikiWiki Israel 8225 old vinery in rehovot.jpg|Rehovot's old winery
File:מכון איילון - אתרי מורשת במרכז הארץ 2015 - רחובות (1).JPG|The [[Ayalon Institute]] in Rehovot
File:Tell Shalaf, Shfela, Israel תל שלף, שפלת יהודה - panoramio (2).jpg|Tel Shalaf (Eltekeh) biblical city remains in Rehovot<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rehovotarchive.org.il/cgi-webaxy/item?444 | title=תל שלף }}</ref>
File:Yemenite Jewish Heritage Center.jpg|[[Yemeni Jews|Yemenite-Jewish]] Heritage Center in Rehovot
File:PikiWiki Israel 13811 Gate of Minkov orchard in Rehovot.JPG|Gate to the Minkov Orchard in Rehovot
File:PikiWiki Israel 13823 Rehovot Mall and Municipality.JPG|Rehovot mall, municipality, and the cinema complex
File:PikiWiki Israel 1262 House of Dr. Haim Weizman Rehovot - Israel בית הנשיא חיים ויצמן ברחובות.jpg|[[Weizmann House]]
</gallery>

==Notable people==
''For more information see: [[:Category:People from Rehovot]]''

[[File:Aki_Avni.jpg|thumb|120px|upright|[[Aki Avni]]]]
[[File:FC Red Bull Salzburg gegen SK Rapid Wien (2023-05-07) 39.jpg|thumb|120px|upright|[[Oscar Gloukh]]]]
[[File:Tzipi Hotovely DSC0068.jpg|thumb|120px|upright|[[Tzipi Hotovely]]]]
[[File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - President Chaim Weizmann.jpg|thumb|120px|upright|[[Chaim Weizmann]]]]
[[File:Ada E. Yonath.jpg|thumb|120px|upright|[[Ada Yonath]]]]
*[[Nili Abramski]] (born 1970) – Professional [[long-distance runner]]
*[[Dan Almagor]] (born 1935) – Playwright
*[[Gali Atari]] (born 1953) – Singer, won the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1979]]
*[[Aki Avni]] (born 1967) – Actor
*[[Saar Badishi]] (born 1971) – Singer, actor and voice actor
* [[Shelly Bobritsky]] (born 2001), Olympic swimmer in [[artistic swimming]]
*[[Shawn Dawson]] (born 1993) – Professional basketball player
*[[Amos de-Shalit]] (1926–1969) – Nuclear physicist and Israel Prize laureate
*[[Aryeh Frimer]] (born 1946) – Chemist and rabbi
*[[Shlomo Glickstein]] (born 1958) – Professional tennis player<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=tennis&ID=77 |title=Glickstein, Shlomo |access-date=23 March 2011 |publisher=Jews in Sports |archive-date=5 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105121618/http://www.jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=tennis&ID=77 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Oscar Gloukh]] (born 2004) – Professional football player
*[[Eyal Golan]] (born 1971) – Singer
*[[Gidi Gov]] (born 1950) – Singer
*[[Michal Hein]] (born 1968) – Olympic windsurfer
*[[Eres Holz]] (born 1977) – Composer
*[[Tzipi Hotovely]] (born 1978) – Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom
*[[Aharon Isser]] (1958–1995) – Aeronautical engineer
*[[Roi Kahat]] (born 1992) – Professional football player
*[[Aharon Katzir]] (1914–1972) – Biophysicist 
*[[Ephraim Katzir]] (1916–2009) – Biophysicist and fourth [[President of Israel|President]] of the State of Israel<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-s-fourth-president-ephraim-katzir-dies-at-93-1.276947|title=Israel's fourth president Ephraim Katzir dies at 93: World renowned biophysicist and Israel Prize laureate dies at his Rehovot home|date=30 May 2009|agency=Associated Press|access-date=23 March 2011|work=[[Haaretz]]|archive-date=3 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103184143/http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-s-fourth-president-ephraim-katzir-dies-at-93-1.276947|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Olga Kirsch]] (1924–1997) – South African and Israeli poet
*[[Nir Levine]] (born 1962) – Professional football player
*[[Shlomit Malka]] (born 1993) – Model
*[[Rahamim Malul]] (born 1946) – Mayor of Rehovot from 2009 to 2024
*[[Erez Markovich]] (born 1978) – Professional basketball player
*[[Arnon Milchan]] (born 1944) – Hollywood film producer
*[[Matan Naor]] (born 1980) – Professional basketball player
*[[Afik Nissim]] (born 1981) – Professional basketball player
*[[Chaim L. Pekeris]] (1908–1993) – Israeli-American physicist and mathematician
*[[Talia Rahimi]] (born 1978) – Author
*[[Hadar Ratzon-Rotem]] (born 1978) – Actor
*[[Shmuel Rechtman]] (1924–1988) – Mayor of Rehovot from 1970 to 1979, born in Rehovot<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=626 |title=Knesset Members: Shmuel Rechtman |publisher=The Knesset |year=2011 |access-date=23 March 2011 |archive-date=5 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605131230/http://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=626 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Sergey Richter]] (born 1989) – Olympic sport shooter
*[[Danny Robas]] (born 1957) – Singer
*[[Zdenka Samish]] (1904–2008) – Czech-Israeli food technology researcher, director of the Department of Food Technology at the [[Agricultural research in Israel]]
*[[Yossi Sarid]] (1940–2015) – Politician and news commentator
*[[Eliezer Sherbatov]] (born 1991) – Canadian-Israeli ice hockey player
*[[Idit Silman]] (born 1980) – Member of the [[Knesset]] for [[Likud]] party, and Minister of Environmental Protection
*[[Asaf Sirkis]] (born 1969) – Jazz drummer, composer, and educator
*[[Haim Steinbach]] (born 1944) – Artist
*[[David Tal (Israeli politician)|David Tal]] (born 1950) – Former member of the [[Knesset]] for [[Kadima]] party<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=58 |title=Knesset Members: David Tal |publisher=The Knesset |access-date=23 March 2011 |year=2011 |archive-date=29 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029000358/https://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=58 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Israel Tal]] (1924–2010) – [[Israel Defense Forces]] general, designer of Israel's [[Merkava tank]]
*[[Amir Weintraub]] (born 1986) – Professional tennis player
*[[Chaim Weizmann]] (1874–1952) – First [[President of Israel|President]] of the State of Israel<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Modern%20History/Centenary%20of%20Zionism/Zionist%20Leaders-%20Chaim%20Weizmann |title=Zionist Leaders: Chaim Weizmann, 1874–1952 |date=11 October 1999 |access-date=23 March 2011 |publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] |archive-date=8 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808092036/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Modern%20History/Centenary%20of%20Zionism/Zionist%20Leaders-%20Chaim%20Weizmann |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Gadi Yevarkan]] (born 1981) – Former member of the [[Knesset]] for the [[Likud]] party
*[[Raz Yirmiya]] (born 1956) – Behavioral neuroscientist
*[[S. Yizhar]] (1916–2006) – Writer
*[[Ada Yonath]] (born 1939) – [[Crystallography|Crystallographer]] at the [[Weizmann Institute of Science]] and first Israeli woman [[Nobel Prize]] winner<ref>{{cite web | title = Israel Prize Official Site (in Hebrew) – Recipient's C.V. | url = http://cms.education.gov.il/EducationCMS/Units/PrasIsrael/Tashsab/AdaYonat/KorotHaimPropesorAdaYonat.htm | access-date = 23 March 2011 | archive-date = 18 April 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110418124241/http://cms.education.gov.il/EducationCMS/Units/PrasIsrael/Tashsab/AdaYonat/KorotHaimPropesorAdaYonat.htm | url-status = live }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Weizmann Institute of Science]]
*[[Kaplan Medical Center]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |voy=Rehovot |wikt=no |n=no |q=no |s=no |b=no |v=no}}
*[http://www.rehovot.muni.il City council website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726004118/http://www.rehovot.muni.il/ |date=26 July 2020 }} {{in lang|he}}
*[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0017_0_16581.html Rehovot] at the [[Jewish Virtual Library]]
*[http://www.rehovotisrael.com English language guide to Rehovot]
*{{OSM relation|1246791}}
*https://www.rehovot.muni.il/rehovot-map/
{{Central District (Israel)}}
{{Largest Israeli cities}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rehovot| ]]
[[Category:1890s establishments in Ottoman Syria]]
[[Category:Cities in Central District (Israel)]]
[[Category:Cities in Israel]]
[[Category:Jewish villages in the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1890]]
[[Category:Tegart forts]]
[[Category:Yemeni-Jewish culture in Israel]]