Holon
Hebrew transcription(s)
• Hebrew	חוֹלוֹן
• ISO 259	Ḥolon
Arabic transcription(s)
• Arabic	حولون
Logo
Holon
Coordinates: 32°01′N 34°46′E / 32.017°N 34.767°E / 32.017; 34.767Coordinates: 32°01′N 34°46′E / 32.017°N 34.767°E / 32.017; 34.767
District	Tel Aviv
Founded	1936
Government
• Type	City (from 1950)
Area
• Total	18,927 dunams (18.927 km2 or 7.308 sq mi)
Population (2009)[1]
• Total	184,700
Name meaning	(Little) sand
Website	holon.muni.il

Location of Holon in the Tel Aviv District

Holon (Hebrew: חוֹלוֹן‎‎  (audio) (help·info)) is a city on the central coastal strip south of Tel Aviv, Israel. Holon is part of the metropolitan Gush Dan area. In 2009, it had a population of 184,700.^[1] Holon has the second-largest industrial zone in Israel, after Haifa.^{[citation needed]}

Etymology[link]

The name of the city comes from the Hebrew word holon, meaning "(little) sand". The name Holon also appears in the Bible: "And Holon with its suburbs, and Debir with its suburbs" (Book of Joshua, 21:15).^[2]

History[link]

Holon was founded on sand dunes six kilometers from Tel Aviv in 1935.^[3] The Łódzia textile factory was established there by Jewish immigrants from Łódź, Poland, along with many other industrial enterprises.^[3] In the early months of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Holon was on the front line, with constant shooting taking place on the border with the village of Tel A-Rish to its northwest—a suburb of Arab Jaffa—and clashes also in the direction of the town of Yazur to the east. An attack by the Holon-based Haganah militia units on Tel A-Rish was repulsed with considerable losses. After the establishment of the state, Holon expanded to include Tel A-Rish (renamed "Tel Giborim", "The Mound of the Heroes") and the orange groves of Yazur.

Urban development[link]

Design Museum Holon

Historic landmarks in Holon slated for preservation include Derech Habitachon ("Safe Road"), paved during the Israeli war of independence; water towers in the Moledet and Azor neighborhoods; Hosmasa, a building used by the Haganah; the pillbox guard post; Stroma Square, Mansbach health clinic, Hameshakem building, the Agrobank neighborhood and two schools - Bialik and Shenkar.^[4]

Local government[link]

Mayors[link]

Culture[link]

Yanshul, symbol of the Holon Children's Museum

Holon hosts the annual Yemay Zemer song festival and a spring festival devoted to women. Israeli violinist Pinchas Zukerman runs a summer music camp in the city for young violinists.^[5]

Since the election of Mayor Moti Sasson in 1993, many cultural projects have been inaugurated. Billing itself as a "children's city," Holon is home to the Holon Children's Museum and the Mediatheque youth theater.^[6] Holon also plays host each year to a street carnival in celebration of the Jewish holiday of Purim, the Adloyada. Thousands of children dress up in costumes and the streets close down for a parade featuring colorful floats.^[7]

The Design Museum Holon, which opened in 2010 near the "Médiathèque" and the Faculty of Design of Holon Institute of Technology, is the first Israeli museum of design.

Mediatheque cultural center

Samaritan community[link]

Holon's Samaritan synagogue

In 1954, the president of Israel, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, helped to establish a Samaritan quarter on the outskirts of Holon. The quarter was named Neve Pinchas after Pinhas Ben-Abraham, the high priest of the Samaritan community.^[8]

Holon is one of only two cities in the world to have a Samaritan community, the other being the village of Kiryat Luza on Mount Gerizim above Nablus on the West Bank. That community fled Nablus for Kiryat Luza following the outbreak of the First Intifada (1987–93).^{[citation needed]}

Sports[link]

• Hapoel Holon (basketball) – premier league, national champion in 2008 and state cup holder in 2009
• Hapoel Tzafririm Holon F.C. (football) – Liga Alef [3rd tier]
• Maccabi Kiryat-Sharett Holon (handball) – Liga Leumit [1st tier]
• Hapoel Holon chess (chess) – Liga Leumit [1st tier]

Notable residents[link]

Omri Casspi

• Moshik Afia (1974–), singer
• Chen Aharoni (1990–), singer
• Oz Almog (1956–), Israeli-Austrian artist & author
• Rafi Amit, poker player
• David Ben Dayan (1978–), soccer player
• Omri Casspi (1988–), NBA basketball player (Cleveland Cavaliers)
• David D'Or (1966–), countertenor & composer; Israel's 2001 Singer of the Year
• Dana International (1972–), pop singer
• Eran Kolirin (1973–), cinema director & script writer
• Aryeh Krishek (1952 -), novelist and biographer
• Avihu Medina (1948–), composer, arranger, songwriter, and singer
• Lior Narkis (1976–), singer
• Chen Reiss, opera singer
• Rahel Vigdozchik (born 1989), Olympic rhythmic gymnast
• Peter Roth (1974–), rock singer & composer
• Ben Sahar (1989–), soccer player
• Arie Vardi, pianist & teacher

Twin cities[link]

Sister city shields at the city entrance

• Dayton, Ohio, USA
• Suresnes, France
• Berlin-Mitte, Germany
• Hann-Münden, Germany
• Anshan, China

Partnership of kindness with:

• Andong, South Korea

See also[link]

• Holon Academic Institute of Technology

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Holon

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Holon Cemetery

• Holon Municipality official site (English)
• Friends of Holon Foundation (English)
• Design Museum Holon (English)
• Hapoel Holon Basketball Club official site (Hebrew)
• Zafririm Holon soccer club (Hebrew)
• Holon's Story Gardens (1/2)
• Holon's Story Gardens (2/2)
• Pictures of Holon – Israel in Photos
• Youth week in Holon (hebrew)

v t e Tel Aviv District Cities Bat Yam · Bnei Brak · Giv'at Shmuel · Giv'atayim · Herzliya · Holon · Kiryat Ono · Or Yehuda · Ramat Gan · Ramat HaSharon · Tel Aviv-Jaffa Local councils Azor · Kfar Shmaryahu Other sub-divisions: Center District · Haifa District · Jerusalem District · Judea and Samaria Area · North District · South District

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2011)

Melitina Staniouta
Personal information
Country represented	Belarus
Born	(1993-11-15) November 15, 1993 (age 18) Minsk
Height	170 centimetres (5 ft 7 in)
Discipline	Rhythmic gymnastics
Head coach(es)	Irina Leparskaya
Medal record Competitor for  Belarus Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships Silver 2011 Montpellier Team Bronze 2010 Moscow All-around Silver 2010 Moscow Team Bronze 2010 Moscow Rope Silver 2009 Mie Team Bronze 2009 Mie Hoop European Championships Silver 2008 Torino Team (junior) Silver 2008 Torino Rope (junior) Silver 2008 Torino Ribbon (junior) Silver 2011 Minsk Team Bronze 2007 Baku 5 Ribbons (junior) World Games Bronze 2009 Kaohsiung Ball World Cup Bronze 2010 Pesaro All-around Silver 2010 Pesaro Ball Bronze 2010 Pesaro Ribbon Bronze 2010 Pesaro Rope Bronze 2009 Minsk All-around Silver 2009 Minsk Rope Bronze 2009 Minsk Hoop Bronze 2009 Minsk Ball Bronze 2009 Minsk Ribbon Grand Prix Final Bronze 2009 Berlin All-around Silver 2009 Berlin Ribbon Bronze 2009 Berlin Rope

Melitina Staniouta; (Belarusian: Меліціна Дзмітрыеўна Станюта; born 15 November 1993) is a rhythmic gymnast from Minsk, Belarus.^[1]

She first took up the sport of rhythmic gymnastics in 1998. In 2005 she started to train with Larissa Loukianenko, and she was included in the national team.

In 2008 she won a lot of medals as a junior gymnast, incluiding in the European Championships.

In 2009 she debuted as a senior and won 2 medals in the World Championships in Mie. In 2009, she reached the third place in the rope event at the Rhythmic Gimnastics FIG World Cup of Pesaro 2009^[2] and the fifth place in the all-around Grand Prix Brno^[3]

She was the all around bronze medalist at the 2010 World Championships, Staniouta also won bronze in the final rope apparatus event.

External links[link]

• [2] and [3]: Melitina Staniouta in Gymnastics Results.com
• [4]: Staniouta in USA Today.
• [5] Staniouta in The-sports.org

Notes and references[link]