The Great Courtyard of Merhavia

Merhavia, the first Jewish settlement in the Jezreel Valley, was established over an ancient hill which was inhibited since the “Ofra” of Gideon son of Joash. A crusade fortress named LA FEVE of the French Templars was located at the site, and The Battle of Mount Tabor, Napoleon’s greatest victory in the Land of Israel, took place around it. Only in November 1910 did Jewish settlement at the site begin in the form of an agricultural cooperation. The Courtyard of Merhavia, called “The Great Courtyard”, was built between 1912 and 1916. Today the historic site is a home to a historic and educational visitor center.

What’s at the site: the ancient hill; The Great Courtyard, containing Golda Meir’s room during her first days in the Land, the room of Meir Ya’ari, leader of “HaShomer HaTzair” and “HaKibbutz HaArtzi”; a visitor center with a display of colourful panels and tri-dimensional models; screening of television films on the Courtyard, a guidance film on corporate life as well as a short film about the arrival of Golda Meir in Merhavia; a computer center for web surfing – all through the site’s website.

For the general public: guided tours accompanied by tales of the story at the ancient hill, the Great Courtyard and the display at the visitor center.

For children: a visit combined with game-like activations on the site’s website, such as: trivia, memory game and more. Activations for school pupils on the history of the Land of Israel in the new era, within the frame of history and civics studies.