| Ayanot | |
| Hebrew | עֲיָנוֹת |
| Name meaning | Springs |
| Founded | March 30, 1930–January 12, 1932 |
| Founded by | Ada Maimon |
| Council | Gan Raveh |
| Region | Shephelah |
| Coordinates | |
| Population | 396 (2006) |
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Ayanot
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| Website | Ayanot.org.il |
Ayanot (Hebrew: עֲיָנוֹת, lit. Fountains) is a youth village in central Israel. Located near Ness Ziona, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 396.
The foundation of the village began with the purchase of 140 acres (0.57 km2) of land by Ada Maimon as a girl's training farm [1] in 1926. The village was established on March 30, 1930, though no-one lived on the site until Maimon, ten girls and a guard moved in on January 12, 1932; until then they had lived in nearby Ness Ziona. The village was named after the numerous springs in the area, though other sources claim it is taken from Deuteronomy 8:7;
For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills.[2]
The Jewish National Fund wrote in 1949 that the name is derived from the Arabic.[1]
During World War II the village became an agricultural school and took in young Holocaust survivors. Today it is home to a boarding school for 180 pupils. A few years ago, the agricultural school opened a miniature horse farm and one of its horses was a runner-up in the 2008 world championship for miniature horses.[3]
In 2010 the village celebrated its 80th anniversary.[4]
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