Mikve Israel

1870–1913

In 1866, Rabbi Zvi-Hirsch Kalisher , who developed a plan to return to Zion , asked members of the Paris- based Alliance to recommend the establishment of an agricultural school in Eretz Yisrael. One of the leaders of the Alliance, Jacob (Charles) Netter became interested in this idea and proposed the creation of an agency to help Palestinian Jews and returning Jews. The organization sent him to Palestine to test the possibility of creating agriculture there. After the trip, Netter managed to convince Alliance members that the idea of ​​buying land and creating Jewish agriculture in Eretz Yisrael was feasible. Adolf Cremieux, the founder of the Alliance, and other members of the organization approved Netter's proposal ^[1] .

Having received a firman from the Turkish authorities for the acquisition of 2,600 dunums of land and enlisting the services of an agronomist from France, Netter came to Palestine. Here he controlled the construction of the school building and recruited students. At first, he lived in a cave located on the territory of the future settlement, and in it he gave lessons to the first student. The school opened in 1870, it was then attended by 11 students, its first director was Jacob Netter ^{[2] [1]} .

In 1873, Netter went to France for treatment. His successors in the school leadership did not consider the development of agriculture in Eretz Yisrael as the main task. The teaching was conducted in French, and after graduation, many students went abroad ^[1] . However, until about 1882, Mikve Israel remained the only Jewish agricultural settlement in Palestine at that time. The situation changed with the beginning of the First Aliyah , when a group of Biluys arrived in Palestine and, working in the Mikve Israel, received agricultural training. Some of them soon founded Geder , others joined the first settlers in Rehovot , Mazkeret Batya and other settlements ^{[3] [2]} .

From 1891 to 1903, the director of Mikve Israel was the agronomist Joseph Neigo. Over the years, he turned this territory into a flowering farm. New classes for students, an administrative building and a synagogue were built. Neigo founded a winery, cowsheds and stables, chemical laboratories, chicken coops. Under his leadership, orchards, vegetable gardens and vineyards were expanded, new varieties of fruit trees were planted. In 1898, at the entrance to Mikve Israel, Theodor Herzl met with German Kaiser Wilhelm II . Yosef Neygo attended the meeting, and teachers and students welcomed the guests of honor ^{[4] [5]} .

In the following period, until the end of 1913, the Mikwe-Israel school experienced financial difficulties, the number of students decreased and teaching was still conducted in a foreign language ^[5] .

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  Jacob (Charles) Netter

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  Netter's Cave

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  Classes in Mikve Israel

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  "Mechanics" - workshops; built under Jacob Netter

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  Synagogue; designed at Netter, erected in 1894-95

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  Winery built under director Joseph Neigo

1914-1948

When the director of the school was vacated at the end of 1913, representatives of Jewish settlements proposed Eliyahu Krause who received an agronomic education in Mikve Israel and in Paris. This candidacy was supported by Baron Edmond de Rothschild , who announced his vision of the school’s objectives with the following words: “... I want them to be aimed at the benefit of the inhabitants of the settlements who would find in it an agricultural education and good education and would not leave the Land of Israel ". Under the direction of Krause, the ideas of Baron Rothschild began to be put into practice. Hebrew becomes the main language of instruction, changes are introduced in the composition of teachers, many future residents of Jewish settlements become students of the school ^{[6] [1]} .

With the outbreak of World War I, the Alliance Union informed the school that it was stopping financing Mikve Israel since Turkey had become an adversary of France. The school was asked to leave a minimum number of students and workers. Turkey, in turn, refrained from closing the school and expelling Krause from Palestine due to the active participation of the school principal and students in the fight against the locust invasion. In 1918, Krause, with the support of Baron Rothschild, reopened the doors of the school, accepting primarily the orphaned children of Yishuv, whose parents died during the war ^{[6] [7]} .

Israel's boarding schools are also called youth villages . According to the Ministry of Education ^{[8], the} first youth village of the future state was founded in Mikve Israel ^{[9] [10]} . When, starting in 1933, the Aliya Youth organization began to save children and youth from the Nazis , the village and Mikve Israel school were among the few institutions that could accept youth groups from abroad. Wells, a dining room, public buildings and living quarters for students and teachers were located on the territory of the village, and he was among the first to begin the absorption of youth aliyah. In Mikveh Israel, the sanctity of Shabbat was observed, its cuisine was kosher , which allowed in 1938-1939. open a branch of the school for religious youth, which came mainly from Germany and Austria ^{[11] [12]} .

During the Second World War, the Alliance’s branches were cut off from its headquarters in occupied Paris, and, starting in November 1942, all of France was controlled by Nazi Germany ^[13] . The Nazis confiscated 60,000 books from the libraries of the Alliance ^[14] ; since 1942, mass deportation of Jews to the camps began . Under these circumstances, the Alliance was not able to support the school, and Krause was forced to seek other financial sources. In 1942, 275 students studied at the school ^[15] .

Located on the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the village of Mikve Israel greatly contributed to the defense of Yishuv before and during the Israeli War of Independence . Many students, teachers and other residents of the village voluntarily joined the Hagan organization. Hagana used this place for military training and had weapons caches there. More than 200 Mikve Israel graduates and school employees died in the defense of the country ^{[16] [11] [17]} .

The school teacher and its technical supervisor was David Leibovich , also known as one of the founders of the underground military industry of Yishuv. In the school’s workshop, he, together with his students, repaired and manufactured agricultural machinery and weapons for Hagana. The most famous invention of Leibowitz was the Davidka mortar, used in the attack on Abu Kabir and later in the IDF’s battles for Jerusalem and Safed ^{[18] [19]} .

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  Cereal fields

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  Vintage

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  Work in turkey poultry

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  Swords and screaming ( Mic. 4: 3 )

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  Big and small "Davidka"

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  Memory of the dead

After 1948

After the proclamation of the State of Israel , Alliance schools were incorporated into the state's school system. In May 1949, the Alliance leadership reported that the language of instruction at its schools in Israel would be Hebrew, French would become a compulsory foreign language, the Ministry of Education would oversee schools, and teacher appointments would be approved by both the Alliance and the Ministry ^{[20] [21]} .

On September 20, 1949, an agreement was signed on the structure of Mikve Israel between representatives of the Alliance, the school and the Government of Israel. According to the agreement, the educational institution remained the property of the Alliance, the name of the school and the name of the Alliance in Israel (“Kol Israel Haverim”) were preserved, and a school commission was established, one half of which was elected by the government and the other by the Alliance. The budget of the school was provided by the government, the Alliance and other institutions ( Sokhnut , Aliya Youth Organization and others) ^{[22] [23]} .

Due to the growing number of students in 1952, Mikve Israel received an additional plot of land of 839 dunums from the government for rent. When Eliyahu Krause took over as head of the school, only 100 students studied at it, with his retirement in 1954, there were already 560 students at the school. Due to the greater number of students, the school began to experience financial difficulties and the successor Krause had to deal with this problem. In 1956, an agreement was reached between the Alliance and the State of Israel on the establishment of the Mikve Israel-Kol Israel Haverim company. The owners of the company in equal shares became the Alliance and the state. The company's objectives are financing, management and development of the Mikve Israel school ^{[24] [25]} .

Due to the onset of urbanization , a specially created Knesset commission proposed to legalize the existing position and borders of Mikve Israel, and in 1976 a law was adopted ^[26] , securing the status of Mikve Israel as an agricultural school and prohibiting amendments to the school land assignment established by law ^{[24] [3 ] ]} .

In 2006-7, the Alliance and Rashi Foundation organizations the third branch of the Mikve Israel educational institution, the Israeli-French school, was founded ^[25] . If the opening of the second branch of the school was dictated by the desire to save Jewish youth on the eve of the war, then the third branch was created in peacetime. In 2011, the Alliance, the Rashi Foundation and the Israeli Center for the Development of Excellence through Education With the support of the Ministry of Education, they created a network of Darka schools, which is similar to ORT schools and Amal it does not belong to the state (local authority), but is in private hands ^[27] . All branches of the Mikve Israel school were included in the Darka network ^[25] . In 2012, the Alliance and the Rashi Foundation developed the Mikve Israel renovation plan, according to which a modern campus with a capacity of 1800 students will be created, a Center for Excellence Development common to all schools (departments) will be built, and restoration work will be carried out to preserve the heritage of Mikve Israel for future generations ^{[ 25]} . In February 2013, the ceremony of laying the cornerstone in the foundation of a new building for a religious school took place ^[28] . It is estimated that 60% of the construction costs of this building will be allocated from the state budget and 40% will be provided by the Alliance and the Rashi Fund ^[29] .

Recent years (2009—2013) Mikve Israel positions itself as a school "with the study of natural sciences, the environment and biotechnology in the aspect of agriculture"; In its three departments, 1,200-1,500 students study ^{[5] [25]} . All three departments of the school - general education, religious and Israeli-French - have boarding schools in which a smaller part of the students live. The rest arrive at school in the morning, and return home by evening ^[30] . Graduates of the 6th grade and above are accepted to the school and they are given the opportunity to receive secondary education before being drafted into the army. According to his vision, the school of Mikve Israel develops in students a desire for excellence and educates them “such values ​​as love for man, land, nature and homeland” ^[31] .

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics of Israel , the population at the beginning of 2018 was 432 people ^[32] .

Mikve Israel, being the first Jewish settlement of modern times in Palestine, made a significant contribution to the absorption of returnees, the training of future settlers and the organization of the defense of Yishuv ^[11] . The educational institution Mikve Israel brought up thousands of young specialists who joined many agricultural collectives of the country and put their knowledge and experience into practice. Many graduates of the school became laureates of the Israel Prize and other prizes ^[33] . The unique role of this settlement and its school was noted by David Ben-Gurion , who became the first Prime Minister of Israel ^[5] : “ Without the creation of Mikve Israel, the State of Israel would hardly have arisen. It all started with him, and we just supplemented this undertaking with political and national elements . ”

Mikve Israel has many monuments related to the history of Eretz Israel and Israel. As the school’s campus grew and developed, visitor access to historical monuments became increasingly difficult. As a result, it was decided to separate the tourist complex from educational and residential premises and allow the general public to visit monuments and attractions ^[29] . On the territory of Mikve Israel is the Council for the Preservation of Historical Monuments in Israel who opened the Visitor Center here ^{[3] [34]} .

Monuments and Landmarks

• Synagogue
• Historic buildings: "Mechanics", a winery, Netter's house, administration building, etc.
• Sculpture dedicated to the meeting of Theodor Herzl with Kaiser Wilhelm II
• Grave of Jacob Netter
• Botanical Garden (over 1,500 species of plants)
• Bengal ficus brought from India in 1888
• Visitor Center

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  The interior of the synagogue

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  Council for the Preservation of Historic Monuments

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  The inscription on the administration building

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  Grave of Jacob Netter

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  Sculpture - Herzl's meeting with William II

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  Bengal ficus

• Jacob (Charles) Netter (1870-1873)
• Yitzhak Shamash (1873-1877)
• Dr. Zeev Wilhelm Herzberg (1877-1879)
• Shmuel Hirsch (1879-1891)
• Joseph Neigo (1891-1903)
• Shmuel Lupo (1903-1914)
• Eliyahu Krause (1914-1954)
• Asher Malkin (1954-1965)
• Dr. Gideon Katz (1965-1997)
• Dov Inbar (1997-2006)
• Ronen Zafrir (2006 — Nast.)

• Eliyahu Krause - Israeli agronomist, leader Mikve Israel for over 40 years.
• Eliezer Yoffe is a theorist and agricultural settlement activist in Palestine.
• Zvi Avidov - Specialist in entomology, winner of the Israel Prize in agronomy and agriculture.
• Netanel Hochberg - Israeli agronomist, winner of the Israel Prize in agronomy and agriculture.
• Israel Amir - 1st Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Air Force.
• Rafael Klyachkin - Israeli actor.
• Zvi Ayalon is an Israeli military leader.
• Abraham Joffe - Israeli military and political figure.
• Oded Burla is an Israeli writer.
• Johanan Akharoni - Israeli archaeologist and historical geographer.
• Matanya Abramson is an Israeli sculptor.
• Mordechai Piron - The second chief military rabbi of Israel.
• Chaim Bar-Lev - Israeli military and statesman, eighth chief of the IDF General Staff.
• Dan Zur is an Israeli landscape architect, winner of the Israel Architecture Prize.
• Herzl Shapir - Israeli military leader and seventh police inspector general.
• Aaron Almog - Israeli poet and playwright.
• Uri Milshtein - Israeli military historian.

• Микве Исраэль, официальный сайт на иврите
• Организация Альянс (Kol Israel Haverim) в Израиле, официальный сайт (англ.)
• Организация Фонд Раши, официальный сайт (англ.)
• Сеть школ «Дарка», официальный сайт (англ.)
• План реновации Микве Исраэль (англ.) (неопр.) (недоступная ссылка) . Фонд Раши и др. (12.2012). Дата обращения 29 апреля 2013. Архивировано 2 мая 2013 года.
• Гилад Адин. Документальный фильм о Микве Исраэль и организации «Кол Исраэль Хаверим» (Альянс) (иврит с английскими субтитрами) (неопр.) . сайт YouTube, Gilad Adin's Channel (15.09.2010). Дата обращения 26 апреля 2013.
• Эфрат Краус. Выращиваем государство (неопр.) (недоступная ссылка) . Мидраша.net (Мидраша Ционит) (25.04.2012). Дата обращения 19 апреля 2013. Архивировано 22 апреля 2013 года.
• Микве Исраэль — статья из Электронной еврейской энциклопедии
• Неттер Ицхак — статья из Электронной еврейской энциклопедии
• Давид Виноградов. «Микве Исраэль» – надежда Израиля // Еврейская газета . — Июнь 2006. — Вып. 06 (46) .
• Старейшая в Израиле сельскохозяйственная школа «Микве Исраэль» (неопр.) . Сайт «Израиль для вас» организации Натив (25.11.2011). Дата обращения 19 апреля 2013. Архивировано 22 апреля 2013 года.
• Бен-Ами. Яаков Неттер: К столетию со дня рождения (иврит) (неопр.) (недоступная ссылка) . Газета «Доар Хайом» (23.08.1926). Дата обращения 24 апреля 2013. Архивировано 2 мая 2013 года.
• Песах Липовецки. К юбилею Микве Исраэль (иврит) (неопр.) (недоступная ссылка) . Газета «Давар» (11.04.1945). Дата обращения 24 апреля 2013. Архивировано 2 мая 2013 года.
• Наш корреспондент. Так держать, Элияху Краузе (иврит) (неопр.) (недоступная ссылка) . Газета «Давар» (17.10.1954). Дата обращения 24 апреля 2013. Архивировано 2 мая 2013 года.
• Ицхак Нимцович. Микве Исраэль 100 лет (иврит) (неопр.) (недоступная ссылка) . Газета «Давар» (09.06.1970). Дата обращения 25 апреля 2013. Архивировано 30 апреля 2013 года.