Gal On

Gal On stands on a hill approximately twenty kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea. The hill on which it is located borders the Guvrin stream, an auxiliary of Lachish River. With average rainfall and temperate weather, Gal On’s Mediterranean climate facilitates agricultural production.[3]

Gal On 1946

The core group, or gar'in, that would eventually found the kibbutz was formed from members of the Hashomer Hatzair Zionist Youth Movement in Poland. The original nine founders of the kibbutz came to the land of Israel in 1939, originally settling in Ein HaMifratz, near Haifa. Once their group grew to thirty, they transferred to Giv'at Michael northwest of Ness Ziona to train for settlement (hakhshara). The group worked to build roads as well as harvest fruit in the neighboring orchards in the developing area. Despite their efforts, the group's economic circumstances were dire. Just after the close of Yom Kippur between 5–6 October 1946, the group moved to their current location next to kibbutz Gat in the Shephelah as one of the 11 points of settlement established in the area that night. The kibbutz was established with the help of funding from Keren Hayesod on land purchased by the Jewish National Fund.[3]

Early statehood

Cows raised at Gal On

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the kibbutz was isolated and attacked by the Egyptian Army.[4][5] Egyptian troops advanced within a kilometer of Gal On, but efforts by kibbutz members to lay minefields helped defend the kibbutz and maintain Israel's southern front during the war. In late October 1948, the kibbutz served as a base for the Israel Defense Forces' Operation Yoav as it was attacked by Arab forces, resulting in the capture of Bayt Jibrin in the east. In 1949, kibbutz Beit Guvrin was established nearby.

The kibbutz's population was boosted by a group of Holocaust survivors who had arrived on the refugee ship Exodus in 1947. In 1951, a large group of Hashomer Hatzair members arrived from North America. A group of Israeli Hashomer Hatzair members joined ten years later in 1961. Additionally, the kibbutz also absorbed a small group of members of Mapam from Uruguay.[3]

Bedouins place dead hawks in the fields for good luck

A factory was established in the first days of the kibbutz, which was, at the time, the first factory in the country that produced steel tools using modern methods. After many years, the factory was shut down and a box factory was established in its place, but it too eventually closed. Years later, the kibbutz bought a fan factory that was for sale in Ramla. This factory played an important role in the kibbutz economy for many years, until the fan market was inundated by cheap Chinese fans. The factory was converted to electrical motor production, but it too succumbed to the Chinese market and closed down. Today, the kibbutz survives mainly on income from agriculture and the salaries of kibbutz members working outside the kibbutz. Primary crops include wheat, watermelons, and sunflowers. The kibbutz also raises cows and chickens. In addition, the kibbutz's guest house is a significant source of income.

• Official website
• Gal On guesthouse