Ness Ziona – Banner of Zion

Ness Ziona is a city in Central Israel, founded in 1883.

In 1891, Michael Halperin gathered a group of people on the Hill of Love and unfurled a blue and white flag emblazoned with the words Ness Ziona (“Banner to Zion”) written in gold. The name is based on a verse in the Book of Jeremiah and this is how the city got its name.

This flag was similar to the official flag of Israel adopted at the First Zionist Congress seven years later.

The city has been designed to have a rural character due to urban planning that bans the construction of buildings higher than eight stories.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

At the end of 2009 Ness Ziona had a total population of 38,100 residents, but back in the 80s it was just a small town where I spent most of my childhood days.

In 2013 I went back to Ness Ziona, more than 20 year after I moved away with my family.

I can honestly say that going back to my old neighborhood felt like I was finally returning home from a very long journey.