Ayelet HaShahar

Ayelet HaShahar (Hebrew: אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר‎‎) 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.^[1]

History

The land on which the kibbutz is located was bought by the Jewish Colonization Association 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).

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 Galilee

Attractions

Tel Hazor, capital of Canaanite 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.

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.

References

External links

• Kibbutz website (Hebrew)
• 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 moshav.
• Archaeological Museum of Hatzor
• Mevo HaGalil Elementary School