The
Grandfather of the IDF - Ha'Shomer Beit Ha'Shomer - Kfar Giladi
Just above the Lion Monument
at Tel Hai, stands Beit Ha'Shomer – at kibbutz Kfar
Giladi. It majestically overlooks the valley below and
Mt. Hermon. Ha'Shomer, which means The Watchman, has
often been referred to as the grandfather of the Israel
Defense Forces (IDF). Beit Ha'Shomer provides a wealth
of information about this elite organization of 108 men
and women that was founded in 1909 in order to provide
Jewish protection to the Jewish settlements. At the
time, this was a novel concept since up until that time
Circassians, Arabs (and Moroccans) were employed as
guards at the various Jewish settlements.
[FULL
STORY]
The
First Settlement in the Lower Galilee
Sejera
Today it is called Ilaniya, but back when it was established in 1902, it was called Sejera. This was the first Jewish settlement in the Lower Galilee, the first place guarded by Ha'Shomer and the place, which served as the second stop in the Holy Land, for the Sobotniks. It was also in Sejera that David Green (known to most by his Hebrew last name, Ben Gurion) spent 18 months working as a farm laborer. Ben Gurion later became Israel's first Prime Minister. Ilaniya offers visitors an opportunity to take a self-guided tour of one of the oldest villages (known as a Moshava) in Israel. The Council for the Preservation of Buildings and Historic Sites is conducting ongoing work aimed at both preserving this Gem, while turning it into a full- fledged tourist attraction.
[FULL
STORY]
Tel
Hai Tel Hai is located at Israel's
very northern tip, between Kiryat Shmona and Metulla,
(Israel's northern most town). The fort, which was one
of the original four Jewish settlements in the Galilee,
overlooks the Hula Valley. If the brave pioneers at the
beginning of the last century had not had the fortitude
to withstand the hardships of the day, the Galilee as we
know it today, would never have become part of modern
day Israel. Not that the Jewish people didn't have a
history in the area. The tribes of Asher, Naftali and
Dan all inhabited this region. During the Second Temple
era as well as during the Talmud and Mishna periods
there was a thriving Jewish community in the
Galilee. [FULL
STORY]
The
Dubrovin Farm The
Sobotniks
The story of the Galilee's
early settlement includes an interesting footnote, the
Dubrovin Farm near Yesod Ha'maala. The Dubrovin family
came to the Land of Israel from the Astrakhan region of
Russia in the early 1900's. They were Sobotniks (known
in Hebrew as Sobotnikim), coverts from Christianity who
kept the Sabbath. After their conversion, they took
Hebrew names; the head of the family was called Yoav and
his wife, Rachel. [FULL
STORY]
The
Pioneer Settlement Museum The Pioneer Settlement Museum
is tucked away in the Western part of the Jezreel Valley
in Kibbutz Yifat, not far from Moshav Nahalal. It is a
testament to the settlers of the Second and Third
Aliyah, (the immigrants who came to Eretz Yisrael between
1882 and 1914). Open since 1972, the museum provides a
wonderful, varied glimpse into what rural life must have
been like for the pioneers (known in Hebrew as
Halutzim). [FULL
STORY]
The
First Kibbutz Degania Alef
Ten men and two women came in
1910 to the land known at the time as Umm Juni. These
first settlers came from the nearby Moshava
(colonly/village) of Kinneret. Umm Juni was later
renamed Degania the first communal settlement (kevutzah)
in Eretz Yisrael. One of the settlers wrote to Arthur
Ruppin (head of the Zionist Organization) to notify him
of the decision to change the name of the settlement to
Degania. The explanation given was that the name was
meant to signify the five grains that were grown in the
area. However, by some accounts, at the time – only
three grains, wheat, barely and oats were actually grown
by the settlers. [FULL
STORY]
For people
interested in MORE than just the major tourist attractions.
For seasoned and first-time visitors to Israel and anyone who
dreams of one day visiting the Holy Land.
Today it is called Ilaniya, but back when it was established in 1902, it was called Sejera. This was the first Jewish settlement in the Lower Galilee, the first place guarded by Ha'Shomer and the place, which served as the second stop in the Holy Land, for the Sobotniks. It was also in Sejera that David Green (known to most by his Hebrew last name, Ben Gurion) spent 18 months working as a farm laborer. Ben Gurion later became Israel's first Prime Minister. Ilaniya offers visitors an opportunity to take a self-guided tour of one of the oldest villages (known as a Moshava) in Israel. The Council for the Preservation of Buildings and Historic Sites is conducting ongoing work aimed at both preserving this Gem, while turning it into a full- fledged tourist attraction.
.gif){kind=spacer}
.gif){kind=spacer}