Eilon () is a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...

in northern

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Located a mile south of the Lebanese border and six miles east of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

coast, the kibbutz is situated in the Western

Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...

on a ridge between two streams, Nahal Betzet and

Nahal Kziv Nahal Kziv () (lit. "Kziv stream") or the Horn Valley () is a 39-kilometer long perennial stream in the Upper Galilee, Israel. During the winter, rainfall fills the channel, and springs along the riverbed add to the flow. Currently, Mekorot (the Is ...

. It falls under the jurisdiction of the

Mateh Asher Regional Council The Mateh Asher Regional Council (, ''Mo'atza Azorit Mateh Asher'') is a regional council in the western Galilee of northern Israel. It is named after the Tribe of Asher which had been allotted the region in antiquity according to the Book of Jos ...

. As of it had a population of ..

Etymology

The name "Eilon" is derived from the Hebrew words ''Elah'' (

pistachio The pistachio (, ; ''Pistacia vera'') is a small to medium-sized tree of the Anacardiaceae, cashew family, originating in Iran. The tree produces nut (fruit)#Culinary definition and uses, seeds that are widely consumed as food. In 2022, world ...

) and ''Alon'' (

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

), two tree species abundant in this heavily forested area of northern Israel, though specifically referred to the "remnants of ancient trees in the vicinity." The Polish-Jewish immigrants cleared the forest and planted orchards for edible crops that would grow on a rocky hillside, to feed the small population .

History

The kibbutz, situated a short distance from the Lebanese border, was established in 1938 on 400 dunams of land in ''Khirbet Samak'', which had been purchased by the Jewish National Fund. It was settled that year by a group of Polish

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

and

Palestinian Jew Palestinian Jews or Jewish Palestinians (; ) were the Jews who inhabited Palestine (alternatively the Land of Israel) prior to the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948. Beginning in the 19th century, the colle ...

s. The inhabitants found themselves under constant fire in the wake of the

1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine A popular uprising by Palestinian Arabs in Mandatory Palestine against the British administration, later known as the Great Revolt, the Great Palestinian Revolt, or the Palestinian Revolution, lasted from 1936 until 1939. The movement sought i ...

. Eilon was one of the early tower and stockade settlements. By 1947 the kibbutz had a population of 350, successfully reclaiming rocky land that had been designated by the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandatory government as uncultivable. The kibbutz was initially affiliated with Hashomer Hatzair. Calm was achieved after the

was cleared of Lebanese troops and Kaukji's bands in November 1948. When the Israeli forces, having just occupied the town of Tarshiha appeared coming up the path the inhabitants defending the kibbutz could hardly believe their good fortune.

Climate

Economy

Eshet Eilon
is a privately owned production plant which manufactures agri-industrial systems to sort vegetables and fruit. There are a few small workshops in Eilon, among them: Eilon Mosaic which manufactures decorative mosaic; A recording studio,
A studio of traditional Japanese carpentry
and a studio for building Mizrahi (oriental) musical instruments.

Places of interest

Eilon houses an archaeological collection of artefacts dating back to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, as well as from the Iron Age, and which were salvaged principally from the ruin ''Khirbet Jelĩl'', near Moshav Goren.

References

{{Authority control Kibbutzim Kibbutz Movement Populated places established in 1938 Jewish villages in Mandatory Palestine Populated places in Northern District (Israel) Polish-Jewish culture in Israel 1938 establishments in Mandatory Palestine