Sitting in the laundry room of what used to be a working kibbutz on Kibbutzim Hill in the middle of Rehovot, Israel, it is impossible to guess where or how the brave kibbutzniks made their way underground to the secret bullet factory that produced nearly three million bullets in three years and helped win Israel’s War of Independence in 1948.
Everything at the Ayalon Institute is exactly as it was six decades ago, but for the fact that the kibbutz is now a museum and there is no British army station just down the hill and under whose nose about 40 men and women contributed clandestinely to the founding of the State.
The Ayalon Institute’s fascinating story is about a top-secret operation that took place during the years between the end of WWII and Israel’s War of Independence.
Under the vigilant eyes of the British who ruled the area, a clandestine plant for the production of much-needed bullets was built underground in anticipation of the armed struggle between Jews and Arabs in Israel (and neighboring Arab countries) that came with the termination of the British Mandate.
It was built in just three weeks as a cooperative effort between members of Hatzofim Aleph, a pioneer group, members of the local Jewish clandestine military, and Haganah trainees. Using the laundry room as their cover -- the noise of the machines and the exhaust camouflaged the subterranean machines -- the group worked day in and day out in a 300-square-yard space 26 feet underground.
Above ground, living quarters, a dining hall, a chicken coop, a barn filled with animals, workshops, and agricultural fields gave the Hill the outward appearance of being an ordinary kibbutz. Several dozen other kibbutzniks actually worked it as such, knowing nothing about what was going on underground.
The munitions makers daily risked their lives. If caught they could be killed; the ongoing work caused health deficiencies and they needed to be given special diets and time each day with one of the first sun lamps to restore the vitamins that a lack of sunlight deprived them of. At any time, the gun powder, that was handled by hand, could explode, and great pains were taken to enter and exit without being seen by moving a heavy piece of machinery under which a steep staircase was revealed. Their clothes and hair were inspected at each day’s end to remove bullet shavings and stains.
The machinery had been purchased in Poland in 1938 and was smuggled by the underground to Beirut, Lebanon and from there to Israel in 1942. The Haganah had other bullet factories; this was the larges, producing case after case of bullets for the Sten sub machine gun used by the fighters.
The factory was in full operation until the establishment of the State in 1948. In 1987, the Ayalon Institute (Kibbutz Hill) was declared a historic site, with a museum opened and operated by The Council for Restoration and Preservation of Historic Sites in Israel, established to identify, restore, and protect irreplaceable heritage buildings and sites associated with the country’s rebirth.
Jewish National Fund has partnered with the Council as it is not just JNF’s job to help build Israel’s future, but also to preserve the country’s rich history for generations to come.
The Council maintains a national database listing of over 250 heritage sites and takes action to protect them from falling into neglect or being jeopardized by real estate development. More than 50 sites have already been successfully preserved and serve as viable facilities in service of the community.
The Ayalon Institute, along with the other sites administered by the Council, welcomes over two million visitors each year. The restored sites serve as viable educational and cultural centers throughout the country and host hundreds of thousands of teachers, students, soldiers, tourists, and Israelis from all walks of life. The Council views education as a primary goal and actively works to raise public awareness of Israel's history through preservation. The Council is also working to incorporate education about its project into school curriculums and has developed 17 different educational programs, each dedicated to a specific restored heritage site.
Each project is individually budgeted and financed with money contributed by local authorities, public and private foundations, national institutions, and the Israeli government.
Source: Jodi Bodner. Secret underground factory helped win Israel’s War of Independence. JewishLedger.com (17 April 2007) [FullText]Labels: Made in Rehovot, Rehovot News 1948
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