Ayelet HaShahar
Encyclopedia
Ayelet HaShahar is a kibbutz
in northern Israel
. Located on the Rosh Pina – Metulla road, it is approximately 35 kilometers south of Kiryat Shmona
and falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council
. In 2008 it had a population of 1,172.
in 1892. It was first settled by immigrants from Europe in 1915 during the Second Aliyah
period.
During the end of the British mandate, the kibbutz was the staging ground for Palmach
operations, "Markolet" (Night of the bridges
) and the bombing of the Yarmuk
Bridge (16–17 June, 1946).
ite Galilee, lies opposite the kibbutz. The Archaeological Museum of Hatzor is located at the kibbutz. Antiquities from Tel Hazor are displayed, but many of the original artifacts are actually at the Israel Museum
in Jerusalem.
Songwriter, singer, and novelist Tzruya Lahav was born and raised in Kibbutz Ayelet HaShahar.
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
in northern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located on the Rosh Pina – Metulla road, it is approximately 35 kilometers south of Kiryat Shmona
Kiryat Shmona
Kiryat Shmona is a city located in the North District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley on the Lebanese border. The city was named for the eight people, including Joseph Trumpeldor, who died in 1920 defending Tel Hai....
and falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council
Upper Galilee Regional Council
The Upper Galilee Regional Council is a regional council in Israel's Upper Galilee region.The area has a population of 15,500 and has been headed for 14 years by Aharon Valenci. Its headquarters are located in Kiryat Shmona, an independent city not included in the council's jurisdiction.-Regional...
. In 2008 it had a population of 1,172.
History
The land on which the kibbutz is located was bought by the Jewish Colonization AssociationJewish Colonization Association
The Jewish Colonization Association was created on September 11, 1891 by the Baron Maurice de Hirsch. Its aim was to facilitate the mass emigration of Jews from Russia and other Eastern European countries, by settling them in agricultural colonies on lands purchased by the committee, particularly...
in 1892. It was first settled by immigrants from Europe in 1915 during the Second Aliyah
Second Aliyah
The Second Aliyah was an important and highly influential aliyah that took place between 1904 and 1914, during which approximately 40,000 Jews immigrated into Ottoman Palestine, mostly from the Russian Empire, some from Yemen....
period.
During the end of the British mandate, the kibbutz was the staging ground for Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
operations, "Markolet" (Night of the bridges
Night of the bridges
Operation Markolet was a Haganah venture on the night of the 16th to the 17th of June 1946 in the British Mandate of Palestine...
) and the bombing of the Yarmuk
Yarmouk River
The Yarmouk River is the largest tributary of the Jordan River. It drains much of the Hauran Plateau. It is one of three main tributaries which enter the Jordan between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. To the south, are the Jabbok/Zarqa and the Arnon/Wadi Mujib) rivers...
Bridge (16–17 June, 1946).
Industry
Ayelet HaShahar is one of the larger fruit producers in Israel. They also raise dairy cattle and poultry, and manage beehives (the kibbutz is a major producer of Israel's honey). There are fish ponds, which take water from canals that drain the nearby Hula Valley swamps.Schools
Mevo HaGalil, the regional elementary school, is located at the kibbutz. The school run by the kibbutzim of the Upper GalileeAttractions
Tel Hazor, capital of CanaanCanaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
ite Galilee, lies opposite the kibbutz. The Archaeological Museum of Hatzor is located at the kibbutz. Antiquities from Tel Hazor are displayed, but many of the original artifacts are actually at the Israel Museum
Israel Museum
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem was founded in 1965 as Israel's national museum. It is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
in Jerusalem.
Famous residents
Avshalom Okashi, one of the founders of the New Horizons Art Movement, became a member of the Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar in 1936.Songwriter, singer, and novelist Tzruya Lahav was born and raised in Kibbutz Ayelet HaShahar.
External links
- Kibbutz website
- What's happening to the kibbutz? article written by Ellis Shuman, June 16, 2004, mentions the vote by members of Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar to transform their cooperative into a moshavMoshavMoshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
. - Archaeological Museum of Hatzor
- Mevo HaGalil Elementary School