his municipal salary formed a lending fund at the disposal of the needy. Many of the early settlers of Ra'anana benefited from his support. He displayed sincere concern for the welfare and rights of the laborers. He joined forces to form a variety of beneficial enterprises: a unified labor office, a unified front protecting organized Jewish labor, a joint health fund (kupat holim) for all inhabitants of the town, and the establishment of a lending and savings bank; also, the organization of a permanent water supply system for the town. Ostrovsky's activities as a supporter of organized Jewish labor are augmented by his campaign for laborers' voting rights—deprived from the newcomers by the older Jewish settlements taking advantage of the mandate's discriminatory set of laws. His modest mode of life, scorning all forms of luxury and excess, placed him on equal ground with the hard working and low earning inhabitants of his town. He nurtured good relations with the neighboring Arab villagers, particularly with those of Hirbet Azun. He set high standards for the city as a 'green' settlement, promoted equality and the welfare of citizens, and laid the foundation stones of many public and educational institutions. In the mid 1930s, Ostrovsky had already laid the foundations and infrastructure for factories to be built in the settlement of Ra'anana. In December 1949, he initiated the establishment of the industrial zone and directed his efforts to the building of the first industrial plants. This was part of an endeavor to create job opportunities for new immigrants and existing residents alike. "We deal with industry exactly as we deal with agriculture" (quoted from the minutes of a local council meeting on 2.1.1951). Baruch Ostrovsky was a lover of books and his 4000 volume library, encompassing a wide variety of subjects – on the history of the Zionist organization, on Eretz Yisrael, history, philosophy, education, literature and encyclopedias – were at the disposal of those eager to broaden their knowledge in the developing town. Ostrovsky envisioned the plans for Ra'anana's first high school, although he did not live to see it. Late in his life he wrote: "We emigrated from America, not to be capitalists or land-owners, but rather to be Jews and live amongst Jews in an independent Jewish State, a democratic existence of equality, wherein everyone will be capable of earning his living – even if we are the sole followers