Eilon

Eilon (Hebrew: אֵילוֹן) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located a mile south of the Lebanese border and six miles east of the Mediterranean coast, the kibbutz is situated in the Western Galilee on a ridge between two streams, Nahal Betzet and Nahal Kziv. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Mateh Asher Regional Council. As of 2022 it had a population of 1,111.^[1].

Eilon
Hebrew transcription(s)
• official	Elon
Eilon Show map of Northwest Israel Eilon Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 33°3′49″N 35°13′14″E
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Council	Mateh Asher
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Founded	1938
Founded by	Polish Jews
Population  (2022)[1]	1,111

Etymology

The name "Eilon" is derived from the Hebrew words Elah (pistachio) and Alon (oak), two tree species abundant in this heavily forested area of northern Israel, though specifically referred to the "remnants of ancient trees in the vicinity."^[2] The Polish-Jewish immigrants cleared the forest and planted orchards for edible crops that would grow on a rocky hillside, to feed the small population .^[3]

History

Eilon, ca. 1940

The kibbutz, situated a short distance from the Lebanese border, was established in 1938 on 400 dunams of land in Khirbet Samak, which had been purchased by the Jewish National Fund.^[4] It was settled that year by a group of Polish immigrants and Palestinian Jews.^[2] The inhabitants found themselves under constant fire in the wake of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine.^[2] Eilon was one of the early tower and stockade settlements.

By 1947 the kibbutz had a population of 350, successfully reclaiming rocky land that had been designated by the British Mandatory government as uncultivable. The kibbutz was initially affiliated with Hashomer Hatzair.^[2] Calm was achieved after the Galilee was cleared of Lebanese troops and Kaukji's bands in November 1948. When the Israeli forces, having just occupied the town of Tarshiha appeared coming up the path the inhabitants defending the kibbutz could hardly believe their good fortune.^[5]

Climate

Climate data for Eilon (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	28.0 (82.4)	30.2 (86.4)	36.7 (98.1)	39.9 (103.8)	40.6 (105.1)	41.5 (106.7)	40.1 (104.2)	40.1 (104.2)	40.3 (104.5)	39.8 (103.6)	34.6 (94.3)	30.5 (86.9)	41.5 (106.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	16.4 (61.5)	17.3 (63.1)	20.0 (68.0)	23.7 (74.7)	27.1 (80.8)	29.2 (84.6)	30.7 (87.3)	31.3 (88.3)	30.4 (86.7)	28.2 (82.8)	23.4 (74.1)	18.6 (65.5)	24.7 (76.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)	12.5 (54.5)	13.1 (55.6)	15.4 (59.7)	18.5 (65.3)	21.8 (71.2)	24.1 (75.4)	25.9 (78.6)	26.5 (79.7)	25.5 (77.9)	23.3 (73.9)	18.9 (66.0)	14.6 (58.3)	20.0 (68.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	8.6 (47.5)	8.8 (47.8)	10.7 (51.3)	13.2 (55.8)	16.4 (61.5)	18.9 (66.0)	21.0 (69.8)	21.7 (71.1)	20.6 (69.1)	18.4 (65.1)	14.4 (57.9)	10.6 (51.1)	15.3 (59.5)
Record low °C (°F)	0.0 (32.0)	−1.8 (28.8)	2.4 (36.3)	2.7 (36.9)	9.7 (49.5)	12.8 (55.0)	17.2 (63.0)	17.8 (64.0)	15.5 (59.9)	10.4 (50.7)	5.3 (41.5)	1.5 (34.7)	−1.8 (28.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	216.9 (8.54)	147.7 (5.81)	84.7 (3.33)	38.8 (1.53)	13.5 (0.53)	3.4 (0.13)	0.4 (0.02)	0.0 (0.0)	5.5 (0.22)	33.5 (1.32)	99.4 (3.91)	171.9 (6.77)	815.7 (32.11)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	12.3	10.1	7.2	3.6	1.8	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.7	3.6	6.0	10.3	56.1
Source: NOAA[6]

Economy

The water tower in Eilon, renovated to house the management office of the Keshet Eilon music centre

Eshet Eilon is a privately owned production plant which manufactures agri-industrial systems to sort vegetables and fruit.

There are a few small workshops in Eilon, among them: Eilon Mosaic which manufactures decorative mosaic; A recording studio, A studio of traditional Japanese carpentry, and a studio for building Mizrahi (oriental) musical instruments.

Places of interest

Eilon houses an archaeological collection of artefacts dating back to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, as well as from the Iron Age, and which were salvaged principally from the ruin Khirbet Jelĩl, near Moshav Goren.^[7]