ABSTRACT
There was considerable differentiation between the arriving groups of Jewish immigrants depending on their country of origin. Accordingly, the immigrants can be roughly divided into three main groups: Eastern European, Western Europeans, and those from Islamic countries. The Jews who immigrated to Israel during the mid- 19th century came primarily for religious reasons, to live in the Holyland; they joined the Jewish population living in the four cities sacred to Judaism: Jerusalem, Safed, Tiberias and Hebron. With the establishment of the State of Israel, the government was forced to begin planning settlement, economic and social policies and activities on a comprehensive scale, as opposed to the relatively narrow agricultural emphasis of the Zionist movement during the pre-State era. The State of Israel has also approached new urbanization through the establishment of new towns throughout the country.
