Last Updated on January 9, 2022
What’s in a name? The most popular street names in Israel.
Hebrew: שמות של רחובות בישראל
Whether it’s Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Ashkelon or Haifa; many cities and towns in Israel have the same street names. What is the history that lies behind these names and who are they named after?
Some of the most popular and famous streets in Israel are:
Arlozoroff (Arlozorov/ Arlosoroff)
Named after Chaim Arlosoroff (1899 – 1933) a Zionist leader of the Yishuv (refering to the Jews living in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel), Arlosorff was also head of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency. He was assassinated on June 16th, 1933 while walking on a beach in Tel Aviv.
You’ll find Arlosoroff in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Raanana, Beer Sheva, Rehovot, Holon, Hadera, Afula, Bat Yam and Ashdod….
Balfour
Named after Arthur James Balfour (1838 – 1930) the signatory to the Balfour Declaration, a document confirming support from the British government for the establishment in Palestine of a homeland for the Jewish people.
You’ll find Balfour in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Petach Tikva, Bat Yam, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Jerusalem
Begin
Menachem Wolfovich Begin (1913 – 1992) was a Polish-Jew and head of the Zionist underground group the Irgun, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the first Likud Prime Minister of Israel.
You’ll find Begin in Holon, Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv, Petach Tikva, Rehovot
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Ben Gurion
Named after David Ben-Gurion (1886 – 1973 ) who was the first Prime Minister of Israel. After leading Israel to victory in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, he oversaw the establishment of the state’s institutions and vast influx of immigrants. After his death, Ben-Gurion was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.
You’ll find Ben Gurion in Herzliyah, Rehovot and Haifa, Givatayim, Ashkelon and Netanya, Raanana, Hod Hasharon and Nes Tziona and of course, although not a street name, Ben Gurion International Airport.
Ben Yehuda
Named after Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (1858 – 1922) who was principally responsible for the revival of Hebrew as a modern spoken language from its previous state as a liturgical language.
You’ll find Ben Yehuda in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Herzliyah, Haifa, Netanya, Rechovot and Holon
Bialik
Named after Chaim Nachman Bialik (1873 – 1943) who was one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry. He wrote in Hebrew and Yiddish and is also recognized as Israel’s national poet.
You’ll find Bialik in Haifa, Holon and Tel Aviv, Tiberias and Ramat Gan, Jerusalem, Ashdod and Hadera…
Dizengoff
Named after Meir Dizingoff (1861 – 1936). He was the first Mayor of Tel Aviv
You’ll find Dizingoff in Tel Aviv and Netanya and also the famous Dizengoff Mall in Tel Aviv
Hannah Szenes (Hanna Senesh)
Hungarian born, Hannah was only 23 years old at the time of her death in 1944. She was one of 37 Jews from Mandatory Palestine parachuted by the British Army into Yugoslavia during the Second World War to assist in the rescue of Hungarian Jews about to be deported to the German death camp at Auschwitz. More streets in Israel are named after Hannah Szenes than after Golda Meir.
You’ll find Hanah Szenes in Haifa, Lod, Beer Sheva and Tel Aviv, Herzliyah, Holon and Ashdod, Givatayim and Raanana…
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Herzl
Named after Theodore Herzl (Benjamin Zeev Herzl), born1860, died 1904. He is considered to have been the father of modern political Zionism and in effect the founder of the State of Israel. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization and promoted Jewish migration to Palestine in an effort to form a Jewish state.
You’ll find Herzl in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Petach Tikva and Ramat Gan, Beer Sheva, Jerusalem and Rishon Le Zion, Ashdod and Kfar Saba…
Ibn Gabirol
Solomon Ibn Gabirol, also known as Solomon ben Judah was an Andalusian Hebrew poet and Jewish philosopher. He was born around 1021 and died around 1058.
You’ll find Ibn Gabirol in Tel Aviv, Herzliyah and Jerusalem, Beer Sheva, Holon and Afula…
Levi Eshkol
Named after Levi Eshkol (1895 – 1969) the 3rd Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Eshkol was a member of the Haganah and was engaged in arms acquisition for the Haganah prior to and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
You’ll find Levi Eshkol in Nahariya, Tel Aviv, Netanya and Raanana, Rechovot and Herzliyah, Kiryat Ono and in Motzkin…
Jabotinsky
Ze’ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky (1880 – 1940) was a Zionist leader, author, orator, soldier, and founder of the Jewish Legion in World War I. According to data collected by the Mapa geographical database, 57 sites (including streets, squares and parks) in the country are named after Jabotinsky.
You’ll find Jabotinsky in Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Rishon LeZion, Jerusalem, Ashdod and Givatayim, Raanana, Herzliyah and Netanya, Haifa and Ashkelon, Tiberias, Holon and Beer Sheva, Bat Yam, Netanya and Herzliyah
Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann (1874 – 1952). Elected in February 1949, Chaim Weizmann was the first Prime Minister of Israel and served for 3 years until his death in 1952. He was a biochemist and founded the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot. His nephew Ezer Weizmann was the 7th president of Israel.
You’ll find Weizmann in Rechovot and Haifa, in Ashkelon, Sderot and Ofakim…
Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin (1922 – 1995), politician, statesman and general he was Israel’s 5th Prime Minister serving 2 terms of office until his assassination in 1995 by Yigal Amir. Together with Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.
You’ll find Rabin in Jerusalem and Holon, Kiryat Ono, Tivon and Hadera…
