The Etzel Museum - 1948

On the Tel Aviv sea shore stands a magnificent building, which was built by a Jew in 1900 and now serves as a museum telling the story of the National Military Organization (Etzel) at the War of Independence. The Etzel was an underground organization which fought for the realization of the idea of establishing a Jewish state in the Land of Israel. It was established in 1931, following the secession of senior commanders from the “Haganah”, following differences concerning the appropriate reaction to Arab terror. The museum focuses on the Etzel’s acts for the establishment of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel, starting with the UN’s resolution on the division of the land, on the 29th of November 1947 (16 of Kislev) until the integration of the organization into the IDF following the establishment of the latter. The museum is also a memorial for the 41 Etzel warriors who fell at the Battle of Jaffa.

What’s at the site: the museum display describes the exit from the underground and the transition to an open out war. In centers on a description of the campaign for the liberation of Jaffa in the 1948 Passover week; historic documents, photos and films, newspaper segments, maps, models and weapons, and in addition a computerized information post for the use of the visitors containing information on the organization’s operations, its warriors and the fallen of the 1948 campaign.

For the general public: guided tours accompanied by documentary films. The approximate duration of the visit is 2.5 hours.

For children: guidance combined with written riddles.

The museum belongs to Museums Unit of the Ministry of Defence.