By the iEARN "Brain Team" ORT Motzkin Israel
Hi; we are the students from the ORT Motzkin Comprehensive High School, and these are a few words about our beloved city.
Kiryat Motzkin is located on the west coast of Israel, near the big city of Haifa. It was founded in 1934 by middle-class Haifa residents on the sands between the railroad tracks and the Haifa-Acre road. (Acre is an ancient seaport in the north of Israel.) In 1940, a town council was established by the Interior Ministry of the British Mandatory Government (which ruled in "Palestine" in those days). The town Kiryat Motzkin was named after Arye Leieb Motzkin, who was one of the people who founded the "World Zionist Congress." He was one of the leaders of the Jewish people before the country of Israel was established. The town gained city status in 1976.
During the years of fierce uprising of strife between Arab and Jews, which preceded independence, Kiryat Motzkin's location made it of premier strategic importance. It had a water tower that was also used as a signaling tower to the villages whose roads were cut off by the Arabs. Kiryat Motzkin's citizens joined the fighting forces. They also took part in the fight to bring in the so-called "illegal" Jewish immigrants. There is a monument in Kiryat Motzkin in the honor of two brave soldiers who sacrificed themselves in order to blow up a British convoy carrying weapons from Acre to Haifa that passed through the town.
By the way, the water tower still exists. Nowadays, it is a historical place in our city, and it is also part of our city's symbol.
Kiryat Motzkin has fast become the commercial center for the surrounding towns. Businesses, workshops and offices render services to the entire population of the "bay area," totalling nearly 200,000 residents. The city boasts a highly developed infrastructure, educational system, and cultural, sports and fine arts program. Motzkin has a very good basketball team and a handball team.
The city has won, a few times, the prize and glory of being one of the most beautiful cities in Israel. Nowadays about 40,000 people live in our city and it is under constant expansion.