Historic Neve Ilan. Kibbutz Neve Ilan: 1946 – 1956.

The historic site of Kibbutz Neve Ilan is located  on the crest of a hill, rising 700 meters above sea level, overlooking Moshav Shitufi Neve Ilan.

At the urging of David Ben-Gurion, the Jewish National Fund acquired the land, by “circuitous” ways, from an Arab effendi from Abu Gosh who lived in the stone house still to be found there. He kept flocks of sheep who kept the area “suitably clean-shaven”. There was no terracing in the area, no orchards, no forest groves, or agricultural plots of any kind.

The land was acquired in order to establish a “Kibbutz Army Post” that would combine agriculture with defending the road to Jerusalem.  31 young immigrants moved up to the area in October 1946 – 17 young men and 14 young women well acquainted with persecution during their entire lives in Europe; some were from France, and others from all over Europe.  After their agricultural training (the older settlers at Kibbutz Degania Bet, and the younger ones at the Youth Aliyah village at Kfar Rupin), they became members of Garin “T’lalim”, and moved to an independent work division in Hadera.  In the fall of 1946, they moved to Neve Ilan, setting up tents, and later on building two cabins.  The stone house they found on the site became their dining room, kitchen, and clinic.

Life in Neve Ilan was difficult; water was brought by truck on a weekly basis, and poured into a cistern in the courtyard.  Nights were dark, without electricity. Little by little, they discovered that it was not easy to make a living from agriculture.  But the Garin was more concerned about the security in the country.  At the end of November 1947, the Arabs severed the road to Jerusalem, and thus began a time when convoys were organized to bring food to the besieged city. The whole area between Neve Ilan and Kibbutz Hulda, the starting point of the caravans, was controlled by the Arabs who dominated the hilltops overlooking the Sha’ar Hagay wadi all the way to the Neve Ilan plateau, which was the most advanced point of the front.

At the end of November 1947, Neve Ilan numbered 35 members, most of them under the age of 20. The group had 17 rifles at their disposal, including 5 Canadian rifles; some Sten guns; and a number of grenades.  They were determined to defend themselves, and fight for their lives.  During the day, they went out on ambushes along the main road and in the surrounding hills.  In early December the group suffered its first casualty. Eliezer Schwartz was killed by gunfire from the direction of Beit Tul, while he was plowing with two women of the Garin, in a section on the lower level.

As part of “Operation Macabbee”, on May 8, Palmach fighters arrived at Neve Ilan in preparation for the attack on the village of Saris, and the western approach to Sha’ar Hagay.  In anticipation of May 15, during the fierce battles for the Road to Jerusalem, a generator was brought to Neve Ilan along with perimeter lighting, which proclaimed that a Jewish settlement was situated there.  At the end of May 1948, the Jordanian Legion suddenly shelled the settlement heavily from Yalu, causing much damage.

Only after the battles for the road to Jerusalem during “Operation Nachshon” did new construction start at Neve Ilan.  The original settlers were joined by an additional group of pioneers who had come from Algeria and France after displaying their bravery and endurance on the ship “Exodus”.