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Atlit
- Detention Camp
The national site,
the Atlit “Illegal” Immigration Detention Camp, serves as an educational center
for the study of the ha’apala (“illegal” immigration) to the Land of Israel and
a memorial commemorating the heroism of the fighters and the immigrants who
tried to enter Palestine in defiance of the British blockade.
At the initiative
of the Council for Restoration and Preservation of Historic Sites in Israel, the
disinfection center, some of the barracks, and open areas and fences of the camp
have been renovated and reconstructed. On the site there are displays that
depict life in the camp, the life of the immigrants, and the ha’apala.
An audiovisual
presentation is screened, there are interactive multimedia games, and a
historical library is available for students’ reference.
The Council for
Restoration and Preservation of Historic Sites in Israel holds a variety of
activities at the site – guided tours, study days, conferences, and special
events.
At the end of
2001, the project entitled Benetivey Ha’apala, the Illegal Immigration
Information Center and Database, was inaugurated at Atlit. The database now
contains, thanks to the support of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims
against Germany, information on approximately 18,000 “illegal” immigrants,
activists, and volunteers involved in the ha’apala.
Address: Atlit
Tel. (04) 984-1980
Bat Shlomo
- The Historic Street
Bat Shlomo is one
of the “daughters” of Zichron Ya’acov. Baron Edmond de Rothschild established it
in 1889, and to this day, it has retained the format of the colonies of the
First Aliyah (the wave of Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel from 1882 to
1904): one street, in this case with 14 houses, and a synagogue in the center.
Most of the houses are still in their original form and descendants of the
founders live in some of them.
Binyamina
- Founders’ House
There are five
early settlement sites in Binyamina. Founders’ House displays the photographs of
the founders of the colony, as well as original documents and belongings,
donated by the people of Binyamina. The house also contains the archives of the
colony.
The station of the
supernumerary police depicts the period in which the force operated in Binyamina
and its environs, in an exhibition of weapons, uniforms, photographs, and
documents.
The Tiferet
Binyamin Synagogue bears the name of Baron Binyamin (Edmond) de Rothschild, as
does the colony. The building was dedicated on July 4, 1928, and has served
since then as the colony’s main synagogue. In the 1940s, two weapons caches of
the Haganah were hidden in the synagogue.
Founders’ Garden
is a public park that includes a grove and a playground. The park is situated on
the grounds of the school and the supernumerary police station and it is meant
to commemorate the first settlers of the colony.
A reconstruction
of a founder’s house and farmyard, Beit Bezalel Levi, on Hameyasdim Street, is
the only building in the colony that has remained unchanged since it was first
constructed.
Address: 55 Carmel
Street, Binyamina
Tel. (04) 628-9114
Daliyyat
el-Carmel-Usfiyya -
Druze Heritage House
The Druze Heritage
House used to be the home of the British Christian Zionist Laurence Oliphant.
Naphtali Herz Imber, composer of Hatikvah, lived there for a while. Visitors can
see an exhibit focusing on the life of the Druze community: tools, weapons,
clothing, foods, and more. There are also lectures, a film about the history of
the Druze and Mt. Carmel, and a tour in the village.
Address: Daliyat
el-Carmel
Tel. (04) 839-3242
Ein Shemer
- The Old Courtyard
This exhibit is
devoted to the early days of Kibbutz Ein Shemer and the beginnings of settlement
in the area. Most of the historic buildings in the courtyard have been preserved
in their original form. Some of them have been renovated and their interior
design has been adapted to their new purpose.
The museum is
located in the structure that served as the dining room of the kibbutz, and it
contains an exhibit on the history of the kibbutz and its people.
In the
archaeological museum on the site, there is an exhibit of the antiquities in the
area and archaeological finds relating to the old Via Maris, or Sea Road.
The reconstructed
stone house contains a memorial room, the archive of the kibbutz, and an exhibit
of weapons. In the residential shacks from the beginning of settlement, living
rooms have been reconstructed and equipped with items typical of the period.
Also on the site
are a smithy; a machine shed containing an exhibit of agricultural tools and
machines from various periods; a reconstructed bakery; a granary containing an
exhibit of modern agriculture; and the stone wall that encloses the courtyard.
An audiovisual
presentation depicts the history of settlement in the area. Visitors have the
option of a tractor ride through the kibbutz and a ride in a reconstructed
Turkish train.
Address: Kibbutz
Ein Shemer
Tel. (04) 637-4327
Givat Haviva
-
Yad Ya’ari, Hashomer Hatzair
Museum
This museum has a
permanent exhibition presenting the history of Hashomer Hatzair, a youth
movement in Israel and abroad; the involvement of the youth movement in
settlement and the Hagana; from youth movement to political party; the
movement’s activity in World War II and in Cyprus; the literature that
accompanied the movement and influenced its political path; the flags of the
movement in Israel and abroad; and a memorial to those who fell in Israel’s wars
and hostile acts.
Also at the site:
a hall for lectures and the screening of videotapes on related subjects. The
site offers study days and programs for schoolchildren and adults.
Address: Givat
Haviva
Tel. (04) 630-9243
Hadera -
Beit Olga Hankin
This isolated
house at the top of a sandstone ridge on the Hadera coast was built by Yehoshua
Hankin, who purchased land of the Jezreel Valley on behalf of the JNF, at the
beginning of 1932 for his wife Olga. The building has been renovated and it is
now used for educational and environmental activities. On the ground floor there
is a cafe with a sea view.
n Address: From
the Coastal Road, take the Hadera Interchange west until the Kfar Hayam compound
and from there walk to the southern cliff and climb up (no stairs).
Tel. (04) 621-4424
Hadera
- Heftziba Farm
Heftziba was a
farm with orchards on the southern bank of the riverbed of Nahal Hadera. The
farm was established in 1906 by the Neta’im Society, led by Yehoshua Hankin.
Later, the site served also as an educational institution for youth, as a farm
for the training of settlement groups, and as a training base for the Haganah.
The Israel
Electric Corporation purchased the area and reconstructed some of the farm
buildings, and today it is possible to tour, learn about the development of the
area in modern times, and see the remains of the farm and the renovated and
reconstructed pump house.
Address: Road No.
4, beside the neighborhood of Heftziba
Tel. (04) 624-1561
Hadera
- Khan Museum of the History
of the City
In 11 of the rooms
of this former caravansary (khan), the history of Hadera is depicted in two
permanent exhibitions, with dramatic historical films. The museum also offers
various activities to help visitors get to know the city’s history. The garden
features architectural elements and work implements from Hadera’s early days, an
olive press from 1896, and an amphitheater.
Address: 74
Hagiborim, Hadera
Tel. (04)
632-2330, (04) 632-4562
Haifa
- City Museum
The Haifa City
Museum is located in the German Colony, in a stone building constructed by the
Templers, a German Christian movement whose members settled in the Land of
Israel in the second half of the nineteenth century. The building has been
restored and reconstructed. The museum presents a wide variety of temporary
exhibitions on different themes.
Address: 11
Ben-Gurion St., Haifa
Tel. (04)
851-2030, (04) 852-3255
Haifa
-
David Hacohen Clandestine
Immigration and Naval Museum
This museum
features two complementary exhibits: one focusing on the clandestine immigration
and the other focusing on the Israeli navy. The architectural structure
incorporates an original immigrant ship. The exhibits depict the struggle of the
people of Israel in the pre-State period for its right to settle in the Land of
Israel and the development of the Israeli navy to this day.
The main exhibit
is the Af Al Pi Chen, a boat that brought 434 immigrants to the Land of Israel
in September 1947. The exhibit includes numerous original and reconstructed
items, models of immigrant ships and warships, weapons, maps, documents,
photographs, films, and audiovisual presentations. It features the Mivtach, the
first missile boat of the Israeli navy.
In 1988, the
museum opened a new wing, depicting the history of the struggle, the clandestine
immigration, and the detention camps in Cyprus.
The museum belongs
to the Museum Unit of the Ministry of Defense.
Address: 204
Allenby St., Haifa
Tel. (04) 853-7672
Haifa
- The Israel Edible Oil
Industry Museum
This museum,
founded in 1984, is located in a historic building. It views the edible oil
industry in all its aspects and encourages the study of the subject. The three
parts of the museum have three different themes:
1. Edible Oil in
Ancient Times – Exhibit of rare eating implements and ritual articles, perfume
bottles, lubrication vessels, and oil for illumination.
2. The Beginning
of Industrialization and Mechanization – In the hall devoted to Nahum Wilbush, a
pioneer of the edible oil industry in the Land of Israel, the establishment of
the Hadid, Atid, and Shemen oil factories is depicted, as are Wilbush’s other
technological achievements.
3. Modern Industry
– An exhibit of edible oil products and byproducts, a library and archive of
documents, slides, and photographs.
The museum has a
lecture hall in which an audiovisual presentation is shown. The building’s
balcony looks out on the Shemen Beach, which was used as an anchorage for
clandestine immigration boats in the time of the British Mandate.
The museum’s
courtyard features a display of reconstructed olive presses from biblical times,
the Byzantine period, and the early 1900s. Visitors can try their hand at
operating various equipment.
Address: 2 Tovim
St., Shemen Beach, Haifa
Tel. (04) 865-4333
Haifa
- Railway Museum
The Railway
Museum, located in the Haifa East station, depicts milestones in the development
of rail transport in the Land of Israel since its early days in 1892, including
rail links with neighboring countries.
Among the items on
display are the only remaining locomotive in Israel, a salon car that was used
by the high commissioner and the guests of the government in British Mandate
Palestine, a machine from the 1930s for the printing of tickets, timetables and
tickets from various periods, models, an electric train set, and plans for the
development of the railway. The museum is housed in a building of the station,
which served at the beginning of the twentieth century as a terminal for the
Haifa-Damascus line. The original decorations can be seen in the building.
Also located in
the station are the offices of the main administration and the garage of the
locomotives and railway cars of the Valley Train. The museum is situated inside
an active station.
Address: Haifa
East railway station
Tel. (04) 856-4293
Juara
- Haganah Museum
Documents the
training of officers in the Haganah. In a tour of the site, visitors experience
the pre-State period and learn the story of the struggle for settlement and
security in the Land of Israel. The museum deals with military doctrine, the
volunteer spirit, and other concepts that were taught to the Haganah. The site
belongs to the Museum Unit of the Ministry of Defense.
Tel. (04) 959-7402
Kiryat Ata -
Fisher House
This museum
exhibits an assortment of implements that teach us about the domestic and
agricultural life of the founders of Kiryat Ata. The archive contains documents,
videotapes. photographs, and recollections of the old-timers in the community.
The educational center has didactic material related to the city’s history,
including databases, games, and videotapes illustrating the history of the site
since it was first settled some 5,000 years ago.
Address: 9
Hameyasdim, Kiryat Ata
Tel. (04) 844-0207
Mishmar Ha’emek
- The Palmach Cave
The Palmach Cave
was used as a training site for the special units of the Palmach. The cave was
renovated and became a site conveying the heritage of the Palmach through
activities and simulations. A visit to the cave is based on activity and not
only looking at exhibits. The educational activity includes navigation with
Palmach methods, field cooking Palmach-style, the story of the cave and the
special units, map-reading, decoding cables, an obstacle course, and other
activities.
Various events are
also held at the cave, including jeep tours and folksong evenings.
Address: Kibbutz
Mishmar Ha’emek
Tel. (04)
989-8946, 052-447-1109
Nahsholim
- Glassworks Museum
This museum is
located in an impressive stone building, near the seashore, in the heart of
Kibbutz Nahsholim. The building was constructed in 1891, when Baron Edmond de
Rothschild decided to build a factory for wine bottles, with the intention of
supplying glass bottles to the wineries of Zichron Ya’acov and Rishon Lezion.
Due to the economic difficulties and malaria suffered by the settlers, the
factory was closed. Today, the site serves as a museum of marine archaeology and
the Tel Dor excavations.
One room in the
exhibit is devoted to the historic glassworks, with photographs, the story of
the site, and products of the glassworks. A sculpture workshop is in the
southern part of the building.
Address: Kibbutz
Nahsholim
Tel. (04)
639-0950, (04) 639-5920
Ramat Hanadiv
- Ganei Ramat Hanadiv
In 1913, agents of
Baron Edmond de Rothschild purchased the site of Ramat Hanadiv, which at the
time was called Umm el-Alek. Until then, a farm owned by a family from Lebanon
operated on the site. Over the course of time, a few settlement groups took up
residence on the farm, suffering terrible hardships and abandoning the site one
after the other.
At a certain point
in the history of the site, its name was changed to Tel Zur; its residents at
the time worked, among other things, in the draining of the Cabara swamp, at the
foot of Ramat Hanadiv.
In 1939, a
settlement group from the Beitar movement settled there and the first efforts at
building the tomb of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, who had asked to be buried at
the site, began. In 1955, his remains and those of his wife Adelaide were
interred there in a landscaped park, some 17 acres in size.
Ramat Hanadiv
covers approximately 1,120 acres. Its status was defined in a special law
enacted in the Knesset in 1958: a public park and a park dedicated to the memory
of Edmond de Rothschild. The area is open to the public free of charge.
The site contains
archaeological and historical remains. Next to the top of the cliff, a Byzantine
farm known as Horvat Akev was exposed. In the area, ancient quarries used by
local inhabitants in Byzantine times can be seen. Next to Ein Zur, remains from
the Roman period were discovered, among them remains of a small bathhouse. On
the slope above the spring are remains of Khirbet Umm el-Alek, which housed the
Arab tenants of the farm and later the Jewish settlers.
Within the park
there are marked and signposted footpaths.
Address: At the
southern exit from Zichron Ya’acov in the direction of Binyamina
Tel. (04)
639-7726, (04) 639-9117
Sheffiya -
Youth Village
The site of the
Meir Sheffia Youth Village was founded in 1891 as a daughter colony to Zichron
Ya’acov on lands that were purchased by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. In 1904, an
educational institution for orphans of the pogroms in Kishinev was founded in
the colony. When the Turkish authorities evacuated the Jews of Tel Aviv and
Jaffa (1917), the Herzliya Gymnasium moved its activities to the institution.
After World War I,
the Meir Sheffia Village was founded on the site. The name Meir is for Meir
Anshel, the father of the Rothschild family, and the name Sheffia is reminiscent
of the name of the Arab village that was on the site.
The grove in Meir
Sheffia was used as a center for training of the Haganah.
Tel. (04) 639-0750
Shuni
- The Fortress
The Shuni Fortress
was built in the Ottoman period (eighteenth century) for the use of a farm and
it utilizes the infrastructure of a Roman theater. Beside the theater is a pool,
in which Mayumas festivities were held in ancient times. These festivities were
known for their liberal atmosphere.
Three museums
operate on the site: One is the IZL Museum, documenting the last chapter in the
history of Shuni, which began in 1912-13. PICA, the organization that
administered the colonies founded by Baron Edmond de Rothschild, purchased the
site of Shuni. The Gideons, children of farmers from Zichron Ya’acov, who played
a big part in the establishment of the NILI spy network, settled here in 1914.
Members of Tel Zur, from the Beitar movement, came to the site in 1940. In this
isolated spot, units of the IZL held courses and weapons training, and Shuni
also served as an operational base for many missions, among them the jailbreak
in Acre.
Also on the site
are an archaeological museum exhibiting finds from the area and the Ahiam Museum
of Sculpture, which exhibits the works of Ahiam Shoshani.
Shuni is located
inside Jabotinsky Park, in which a special place was dedicated to the memory of
those who took part in the jailbreak in Acre, and their original tombstones were
placed there, after the Ministry of Defense replaced them with military
tombstones.
Address: Between
Binyamina and Zichron Ya’acov, about 1 kilometer north of Binyamina
Tel. (04) 638-9730
Yagur
- Route of Yagur and the
Weapons Cache
On the eightieth
anniversary of the founding of Kibbutz Yagur, sites in Yagur from the early days
of the kibbutz (1922) were renovated and signposted. Among the sites and events
that were dealt with are the tracks of the Turkish Haifa-Damascus railway line,
the draining of the swamps of the valley, the murder of three members of Yagur
on the outskirts of the kibbutz (1931), and the release of the “illegal”
immigrants of Atlit. In the framework of the Yagur Route project, it is possible
to visit the main weapons cache of the Haganah in the northern part of the
country, and the exhibition of weapons from the time of Israel’s War of
Independence. The underground cache in Yagur was built some 70 years ago and
weapons and ammunition from Europe were
hidden
there.
Address: Kibbutz
Yagur
Tel. (04) 984-8856
(Gabi Kardosh)
Zichron Ya’acov
- Beit Aaronsohn
This museum is
situated in two houses that have been preserved in their original form,
including furniture and various household belongings. The first house, where the
parents lived, was built in 1884, and the home of Aaron Aaronsohn, built in
1896, features Aaronsohn’s workroom and library, a living room, the bathroom in
which Aaronsohn’s sister Sarah took her life so as not to reveal any secrets of
the NILI spy network (for the British) to the Turks. The first weapons cache in
the Land of Israel is also on the site; it served as a hiding place for the
weapons of NILI.
The museum was
founded in 1956 to perpetuate the memory of the Aaronsohn family and NILI. It
contains photographs, documents, maps, and belongings of Aaron Aaronsohn;
samples of the wild wheat he discovered in Rosh Pina and items from the
experimental agricultural station in Atlit, which was the command headquarters
of NILI. Other items
include: commemorative stamps of members of NILI, Sarah Aaronsohn’s last letter,
and the case that held the pistol with which she ended her life.
Address: 40
Hameyasdim, Zichron Ya’acov
Tel. (04) 639-0120
Zichron Ya’acov
- Carmel Mizrachi Winery
The winery is
located in the ancient building in which it was first established. A visit to
the site includes a view of the vineyards in the area. In the winery,
visitors follow the stages of production of wine today, compared to the past.The courtyard
contains wine-making equipment from the end of the nineteenth century. There is
a reconstructed ancient wine-press, which visitors can operate in the vintage
months (August-October). Beside it a computerized system has been installed, the
first of its kind in Israel, to control the entire process of classifying the
wine and its production, and demonstrates to visitors the streamlining and
improvement of wine production. Among the exhibits
are five iron barrels adorned with paintings illustrating the process of wine
production.
A visit to the
winery also includes a tour of the ancient stone wine cellars, featuring oak
barrels from the time of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, beside concrete pools and
rustproof steel containers, which are used for the storage of wine all year
round.
After the tour, an
audiovisual production is presented, and then visitors are invited to taste an
assortment of wines and hear an explanation
(children
receive grape juice.)
Address: At the
southern exit of Zichron Ya’acov in the direction of Binyamina
Tel. (04) 629-1787
Zichron Ya’acov
- Museum of the First Aliyah
This museum is
dedicated to the Jewish immigrants who came to the Land of Israel from 1882 to
1904. This wave of immigration is known as the First Aliyah.
In the course of
touring the museum, visitors take part in the brave journey of the people of the
First Aliyah, who laid the groundwork for the Zionist enterprise of settling in
the Land of Israel. Zechariah, the vendor of sunflower seeds, Izer the
shoemaker, and other figures from the period come to life in the sculptures of
Ora Rozenzweig, which are part of the museum’s exhibit.The museum also
presents temporary exhibitions.
Address: 2 Hanadiv
St.,
Zichron Ya’acov
Tel. (04) 629-4777
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