Influenced by Hungarian nationalism, eighteen-year-old Yehuda Raab and his family move to Jerusalem in 1875. The Raab family buy land and with other families, establish Petah Tikva, the first Hebrew agricultural settlement, in 1878.
Riders on the Yarkon River covers Yehuda’s boat journey from Hungary to Jaffa. After settling in Petah Tikva, Yehuda meets the Jewish-Bedouin rider Daud Abu-Yosef. Yehuda makes friends with his Arab neighbors. His story covers relations with the Arabs, disease and conflict. The settlement of Petah Tikva initially fails but is eventually resurrected. Ehud Ben-Ezer, a descendent of the Raab family, has based his exciting story on historical fact.
