Ben-Zvi's Hut– Kibbutz Beit Keshet

The original residential hut of the former Israeli president Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and his wife, Rachel Yanait, has been brought form the Rehavia neighbourhood of Jerusalem to kibbutz Beit Keshet in 1952, when Ben Zvi was elected president in order to be reconstructed as a memorial site for their son, Eli, who had been killed in 1948 while defending the kibbutz. The shed was the center of the family’s life and soon became a center for the leadership of the Yishuv (Jewish population of the Land of Israel prior to the establishment of the State of Israel). The shed constituted the “kitchen cabinet” to which all the leaders of the Yishuv came and in which raging nights of debates and committee meetings took place and decisions were made.

The Ben Zvi couple was famous for their modesty, and the hut’s design put an emphasis on the family’s simple way of life including reconstruction of the original furniture.

Nowadays the hut serves as memorial for the entire Ben Zvi family and the heritage of the second president of the State of Israel.

What’s at the site: a moving short film on the Ben Zvi family and Eli, who was killed just prior to his wedding.

For the general public: pre-booked guided tours.