A stroll down the pedestrian zone of Baron Rothschild Street is akin to stepping back into the late 19th century. It mirrors the typical streetscape of any district town in the Russian Empire of that era, a reflection of its builders - the first settlers who arrived from Russia. These pioneers consisted of two groups from Kremenchuk and Kharkiv, 17 families in total, who purchased land in what was then Turkish Palestine to establish an agricultural settlement.

They appointed as their representative Zalman David Levontin, an Orsha native from a Hasidic family, admired for his fervent belief in the rebirth of the land of Israel. During geography lessons, Zalman David would wonder aloud, "If America's black slaves could establish their free state of Liberia in Africa, why couldn't we create our own nation in the land of our forefathers?"

Three days following the celebration of Purim, on March 9, 1882, Zalman David Levontin founded Vaad HaLutzey Yesod HaMaala (HeHalutz) in Jaffa - a council of pioneers devoted to bringing the idea of settlement to life. The name "Yasod haMaala" was borrowed from the Book of Ezra, a testament to returning from Babylonian exile.

In this way, the Purim of 1882 in Turkish Palestine, in the ancient city of Jaffa, marked a significant turning point, uniting the Land of the Patriarchs and the survivors of the terrible pogroms that had swept across Russia following the assassination of Alexander II, the Emperor, in 1881.