Aaronsohn House – Nili Museum

The museum, one of the country’s first, gathers the story of Nili (“Netzach Yisrael Lo Yishaker”, Samuel I, ch. 15, verse 29, lit. “The Eternity of (God) of Israel will not Lie”), the first Hebrew underground, which operated in Land of Israel at the end of the First World War. At that period Land of Israel was part of the Ottoman Empire, which imposed a reign of tyranny and terror and threatened the existence of Jewish settlement in Land of Israel. As of 1915, Nili provided the British with news and vast intelligential material on the Turkish army, its movements, roads, water sources, advance routes etc. The eldest son Aaron Aaronsohn, his brother Alexander, his sister Sarah and Avshalom Feinberg established the Nili underground, which was joined by further members. Many of the underground’s members paid for their activity with their lives. The museum was established in 1956 at the house of the Aaronsohn family, who had been among the founders of Zikhron Ya’akov, and it tells the story of the family and the Nili underground.

What’s at the site: the visitors of the museum are invited to watch an audiovisual presentation (in Hebrew, English, French, Spanish and Russian) and learn of the activities of the members of Nili and to tour the visually rich museum and visit the residence of the Aaronsohn family, dating from the late 19th century, which has been preserved in its original state, including the furniture and house objects. The visitors can see the bathroom, the slick (hiding place for weapons) and the opening of the escape tunnel. The site also houses a library and an archive for thorough study and research of the Nili underground and the Aaronsohn family. Visit of the library and archive must be coordinated in advance.

For the general public: guided tours every round hour (in Hebrew) and every half round hour (in English). Tours are by advance booking only.

For children: the tours are suitable for children from the age of six.