Yehiam

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Main Entrance To Kibbutz Yehiam And Yehiam Castle

Rear Of Yehiam's Dining Room

Kibbutz Yehiam (Hebrew: קבוץ יחיעם‎) founded on November 26, 1946, is a kibbutz located in the western Upper Galilee region of Israel - about 10 miles due east of the coastal town of Nahariya and five miles south of the border with Lebanon. Yehiam is located some 400 meteres above sea level, and is under the jurisdiction of the Matte Asher Regional Council.

It features the ruins of a castle, atop a prominent hill, that is said to date from the time of the Crusades at the 12th century. The fortress has been under comprehensive overhaul during the 18th century, made by Dhaher al-Omar, and was occupied later on by Bedouin tribes who had lived in the area, and then by the defenders of the new Kibbutz.

[edit] History

Yehiam was founded by members of the Zionist-socialist Hashomer Hatzair youth movement, and was named after Yehiam Weitz, son of zionist leader Yosef Weitz. Yehiam was a Palmach member who was killed at the "Night of the bridges", Palmach operation of June 16 and June 17, 1946. The local British authorities assisted in the kibbutz establishment, despite it being against British policy.^[1] The 1947 UN Partition Plan put Yehiam within the limits of the Arab state rather than the Jewish one. However, the siege of the Galilee saw Yehiam taken by Jewish forces during Operation Hiram in 1948. On March 27, 1948, a Haganah convoy was sent to reinforce the kibbutz which had been holding out against constant Arab attacks. The convoy was ambushed near Kabri and 47 soldiers were killed.

Yehiam was initially called Kibbutz HaSela (lit. The Rock). The origin of the name was the first Israeli Nahal group's name who had set sail at the fortress in 1946. Those pioneers were joined that year with Holocaust survivors - Hashomer Hatzair members from Hungary, as well as survivors from other parts of Europe. The Kibbutz life in the first years were handled in and around the fortress. The members lived inside the ancient structure using tents. The small kitchen provided meals as long as the supplies from the outside has managed to reach the isolated high fortress overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Daylight provided plenty of visibility for Arab troops settled on the hills surrounding the fortress, and a massive fire hit the fortress walls and outposts, killing several Kibbutz members during the heavy fire exchange.

The members however, managed to keep on a decent routine, a hard one, but also necessary for their future. Communication with the outside world was made using bonfire and flashlight signals in the nights, as well as pigeon post. those were directed towards Nahariya, but mainly towards Kiryat Haim, where Yehiam initially was founded at the very beginning. It was also the place where the women and first born children stayed in those days to keep safe during the times of war. in times of (relative) calmness, Yehiam members worked the land, growing a variety of crops, such as Vegetables, Vineyard, and Peachs.

As the 1948 Arab-Israeli War came to an end, the siege of the Galilee ended and the conditions improved greatly. At the beginning of the new decade, the first new houses emerged, including the first children house which was occupied by the Kibbutz's first new born generation. An additional human resource was added as new Hashomer Hatzair groups has joined from different parts of Israel, as well as Aliya of that same movement from Cuba, France, Uruguay, Argentina and Colombia. The kibbutz was now establishing its new sources of income. A sweets factory was the first industry in Yehiam, alongside with agriculture which included Bananas, Citrus, Avocado, Cows, Pigs, Wheat, Cotton and Corn, and a large Tobacco crop.

In a constant pursuit of a new, profitable industry during the 1960s, Yehiam has finally set its targets in 1969, and has formed Deli - Yehiam: A Kosher meat factory specializing in producing a variety of beef and chicken delicacy. Deli - Yehiam today dominates 20 percent of the local Israeli sausage and pastrami market, and exports unique meat products to the United States and Europe.

[edit] Present

Yehiam, now 60 years old, is a prosperous, flourishing Kibbutz, which has taken advantage of the expanding tourism business of the Galilee by developing a large guest house at the foot of the castle hill with a total accommodation of 60 units. At 2008 Yehiam's population counts around 500, from which around 170 are kibbutz members.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website

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