Caesarea
- This article is about the modern city of Caesarea in Israel, for the neighbouring archealogical site, see Caesarea Maritima, and other uses, see Caesarea (disambiguation)
| Caesarea קיסריה |
|
 
Caesarea
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | Israel |
| District | Haifa |
| Founded | 1884 |
| Area | |
| - City | {{formatnum:35000 dunams (35 km² / 13.5 sq mi) }} |
| Population (2005) | |
| - City | |
| Time zone | IST ([[UTC+2]]) |
| - Summer (DST) | IDT ([[UTC+3]]) |
Caesarea (Hebrew: קיסריה, Qesarya ) is a town in Israel which has grown up on the outskirts of historical Caesarea Maritima. It is located mid-way between Tel Aviv (45km) and Haifa, on the Israeli Mediterranean coast near the city of Hadera. Modern Caesarea, with a population of 4,200 people, is the only Israeli locality managed by a private organization, the Caesarea Development Corporation; it is organised as a communal settlement.
Early history
The modern settlement of Caesarea began in 1884, when Muslims from Bosnia built a small fishing village on the ruins of the Crusader fortress on the coast.[1] At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, Baron Edmond James de Rothschild purchased much of the land around Caesarea.[2]
Administration
The fishing village, populated by 1,120, was abandoned during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. With the establishment of a Jewish homeland, the Rothschild family transferred their vast land holdings to the new state. A different arrangement was made for the 35,000 dunams of land in and around modern Ceasarea: After turning over the land to the state, it was leased back (for a period of 200 years) to a new charitable foundation. In his will, Edmond James de Rothschild stipulated that this foundation would further education, arts and culture, and welfare in Israel. The Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Foundation was formed and run based on the funds generated by the sale of Caesarea land which the Foundation is responsible for maintaining. The Foundation is owned half by the Rothschild Family, and half by the State of Israel.
The Foundation established the Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Development Corporation Ltd. (CDC) in 1952 to act as its operations arm. The company transfers all profits from the development of Caesarea to the Foundation, which in turns contributes to organizations that advance higher education and culture across Israel.
Today, the Chairman of the Caesarea Foundation and the CDC is Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, the great grandson the Baron Edmond de Rothschild. The deputy chairman is Avraham Biger. In recent years, the Foundation has donated over 100 million shekels to organizations such as the Interdisciplinary Center, in Herzliya, Bezalel Academy, and the Open University, as well as to theaters, museums, and musical projects actross the country. Sizeable grants have been made to the neighboring towns of Or Akiva and Jisr az-Zarqa.
Caesarea today
The Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Development Corporation (Hebrew: החברה לפיתוח קיסריה אדמונד בנימין דה רוטשילד) is the
operational arm of the Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Foundation, whose goal is to establish a unique community
that combines quality of life and safeguarding the environment with advanced industry and tourism.
Caesarea is the only locality in Israel managed by a private organization rather than a municipal government. Apart from municipal services, the Caesarea Development Corporation markets plots for real-estate development, manages the nearby industrial park, and runs the Caesarea's golf course and country club.
Modern Caesarea is one of Israel's most upscale residential communities. The Baron de Rothschild still maintains a home in Caesarea, as do many business tycoons from Israel and abroad.
Notable residents
- Seventh President of Israel, Ezer Weizman
- Pop singer Keren Ann
- Russian-Israeli billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak
References
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
