Yehiam
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 Yehi'am dining hall | |
  Yehiam  Yehiam | |
| Coordinates:32°59′45″N35°13′14″E / 32.99583°N 35.22056°E /32.99583; 35.22056 | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Northern |
| Council | Mateh Asher |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Founded by | Hashomer Hatzair Members HungarianHolocaust Survivors |
| Population (2023) | 841[1] |
| Website | www.yechiam.org.il |
Yehiam (Hebrew:יְחִיעָם) is akibbutz in northernIsrael. Located at the westernUpper Galilee, eight miles east of the coastal town ofNahariya and 14 miles south-east of theborder withLebanon it falls under the jurisdiction ofMateh Asher Regional Council. In 2023 it had a population of 841.[1] It is located around 365 meters abovesea level
Yehiam is situated next to the ruins of the Ottoman-era castle ofJiddin, built on top of the 13th-centuryCrusader castle of Judin.
Yehiam was founded by a group of thesocialist ZionistHashomer Hatzair youth movement—Holocaust survivors fromHungary and members fromYishuv—who named themselvesKibbutz HaSela (lit.The Rock), whereas "kibbutz" is still understood here as a wandering "collective", not as a settlement.[2] For a while the HaSela collective lived in tents in the area ofKiryat Haim, looking for an appropriate place to settle. Eventually, on 26 November 1946, Kibbutz Yehiam was established at the site of the medieval castle, with only the men taking residence, at first within the castle and then in tents at its foot, while the women, children and some men remained at Kiryat Haim, where they worked in order to support the group up at the castle. According to one guidebook, there were 50 founding members, who transformed the castle ruins into a military training camp.[dubious –discuss] TheUN Partition resolution came almost exactly one year later, on 29 November 1947,[3] placing the kibbutz within the envisaged Arab state, rather than the Jewish one.[4][5][6][2][7] The new name, Yehiam, was adopted in honour of Yehiam Weitz, son ofJewish Agency officialJoseph Weitz, who had been killed not far away, near the Arab village ofal-Kabri, in the "Night of the Bridges", aPalmach operation which took place on 16–17 June 1946. The decision to establish the new kibbutz was taken after consultations with Joseph Weitz.[8]
The initial attempt to use the surviving rooms of the castle almost ended in disaster, as the ticks left behind by the herds of goats sheltered here by the local Bedouins during the winter months were carriers of disease, and after a month and a half 20 members had already fallen ill with fever. Injections ofpenicillin, the just recently introduced wonder drug, saved their lives.[5] Signalling was the only means of communication with the comrades from Kiryat Haim and the rest of the world, but the lack of potable water was the main problem, as the pools they had built to collect rainwater did not provide drinkable water even after treatment.[5]
The British mandatory authorities assisted in the kibbutz establishment, despite it being against official British policy.[9]
On 20 January 1948, 200–300 troops of theArab Liberation Army's Second Yarmuk Regiment based inTarshiha attacked Yehi'am, armed with mortars, machine guns and rifles. The force surrounded the kibbutz from all sides and blocked all the access roads. A platoon of British soldiers exchanged fire with the Arab regiment, which withdrew and tried to attack again the following night but was repulsed by a reinforcement ofHaganah fighters.[10] photo
On 27 March 1948, a Haganah convoy was sent to bring supplies to the kibbutz which was besieged by Arab forces. TheYehiam convoy, consisting of five trucks and an armored car, was ambushed by 250 Arabs near al-Kabri. The incident was reported on 29 March inThe Scotsman:
The founders of Kibbutz Yehi'am lived in tents among the ruins. A small kitchen provided meals with airlifted supplies. They were highly visible to the Arab troops stationed on the hills, who subjected the fortress to heavy fire. Communication with the outside world was through bonfires, flashlight signals andpigeon posts toNahariya andKiryat Haim. While defending themselves, Yehi'am members worked the land, growing vegetables, grapes and peaches.
DuringOperation Dekel theIsraeli army conquered and forcibly evacuated theBedouin village ofKhirbat Jiddin[dubious –discuss] on 10–11 July 1948. Several operations later, the entire Galilee was eventually taken by Jewish forces duringOperation Hiram between 29 and 31 October 1948.
After the1948 Arab–Israeli War, new houses were built, including the first children's house.Hashomer Hatzair groups joined from different parts of Israel, as well asAliya of that same movement fromCuba,France,Uruguay,Argentina,Mexico,Colombia andVenezuela.
Kibbutz Yehiam was privatised in 2001, with a programme put in place in order to attract young families, some of them belonging to people who have grown up on the kibbutz and have moved out at some point.[12][6]
A sweets factory was one of the first industries in Yehi'am. In addition, the kibbutz had a large variety of agriculture branches such asbananas,citrus,avocado,dairy farming,chicken coop,pigsty,fish farming,wheat,cotton andmaize (corn), and a largetobacco crop. As for 2023, Yehi'am's agriculture is largely based on bananas, avocado, and chickens.
Yehi'am Fortress National Park features an Arab fortress built in the 18th century byZahir al-Umar on and around the remains of a smaller castle dating back to the Crusader era, and which was occupied later on byBedouin tribes when it was calledKhirbat Jiddin.[13]
In 1969, Yehi'am established Deli-Yehiam, akosher meat factory specializing in beef and chicken cold cuts. In 2006, the company developed a new series of products includingpastrami with pistachio, red peppers and olives, which was also marketed at retail chains and kosher delis in France. Its exports to Europe totaled $10 million a year.[14]
In the early 1990s, Yehi'am built Teva BeYehiam, a 60-room Crusader-styleguest house at the foot of the castle.[15]
Weisz Yehoshua, [born] Weisz Hermann [...] on 3.4.1922 [...] was a member of a group in Kibbutz Ruhama. In 1946 he was among the founders of Kibbutz "Hasela" in Kiriat Haim, and in 1947 of Kibbutz Yehiam.
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