Lochamei Hageta'ot: History and Art

Lochamei Hageta'ot is shaped by its founding history and by art. The kibbutz was founded in 1949 by Holocaust survivors and fighters from the ghettos’ underground movements, and was conceived from the outset as a living memorial. Local highlights include the Yad Layeled section of the Ghetto Fighters’ House, the Collection House named after painter Moshe Kupferman, and the gallery’s changing exhibitions. Together, these themes give the choice of destination a historical and artistic focus.

Founding History and Children’s Perspectives

The Yad Layeled section was established at the Ghetto Fighters’ House in 1995. Its exhibitions are based on authentic stories from diaries and firsthand accounts by children who lived during that time. These two types of sources focus on the stories of individual children: diary entries are presented alongside firsthand accounts. This makes it possible to explore the historical focus from a personal perspective.

Two dates are important for placing events in context, and they refer to different milestones: 1949 marks the founding of the kibbutz as a living memorial, while 1995 marks the establishment of the Yad Layeled section. This distinguishes the site’s founding history from the later establishment of this section.

Art and Changing Exhibitions

The Kupferman Collection House in Kibbutz Lohamei Hagetaot is named after Moshe Kupferman, a prominent Israeli painter, Israel Prize laureate, and kibbutz member. The gallery in the kibbutz presents changing exhibitions featuring painting, sculpture, video, installation, printmaking, and other media. Its scope therefore extends beyond any single artistic medium.

As part of the art tour package, a visit to the gallery can be replaced with a seasonal workshop at Baladit Farm; an additional charge applies. The workshop is therefore an alternative within the package, not an additional activity alongside the gallery visit. The location, format, and seasonal aspect are all considerations; the workshop also incurs an additional charge.

Archaeological Sites in the Wider Northern District Destination

As part of the wider Northern District destination, Tel Hazor and Tel Megiddo offer their own archaeological highlights. Tel Hazor is a biblical tell with significant remains of a city with biblical connections; visits focus on the Upper City. The site includes Solomon’s Gate, dating to the 10th century BCE, with six chambers and two towers. The Canaanite palace was used by the kings of Hazor in the 14th and 13th centuries BCE. The Late Bronze Age palace is considered the most elaborate in Israel and one of the most important in the Levant.

Tel Hazor’s water system reveals another side of the archaeological site: it preserves significant remains of an underground water-collection system, an ingenious engineering achievement adapted to the geography to store water. The excavated shaft is 45 meters deep, with three-meter-wide steps cut into its vertical walls. Tel Hazor National Park can be reached from the north and south via Route 90 toward Ayelet Hashahar. Check your navigation before setting out.

Tel Megiddo is one of three tells that preserve significant remains of cities with biblical connections and are closely linked to events in the Bible. Two archaeological features make the site particularly notable: the orthogonal Iron Age city plan has few parallels in the Levant. The Early Bronze Age temple complex is exceptional for the number of its temples, the continuity of its cult activity, and its documented ritual practices.

Discover more destinations: Mazkeret Batya, Betzet, Shivta, Nahalal, Bet Sheʼan, Sde Tzvi, Daliyya, Gan Ner.

For the wider travel overview: Israel.