Ayalon Institute

The Ayalon Institute is located on the eastern side of Rehovot and was an underground plant that produced bullets for the defense organization during the British Mandate in Eretz Israel. the place began to operate to provide a Zionist security need in the war against the British and was one of the most vital places in the struggle.
The Ayalon Institute produced about 2.5 million 9-millimeter bullets by the end of the war of independence in 1948.

THE HISTORY OF MAHON AYALON

The Ayalon Institute was established in 1945 by Yosef Avidar and was active for about 4 years until the establishment of the state of Israel, the Institute operated underground in the kibbutz Ayalon under buildings where people lived without attracting attention from the British, they produced ammunition and used the kibbutz as a weapon stash.

The defense organization asked a group of farmers from Pardes Hanna to build the Zionist plant secretly and after hard deliberation, the group agreed to participate in the plant to be established and become a key point in the liberation war.

The engineer Joseph Eidelman planned a pit 8 meters below the ground and an area of about 300 square meters along with Isaac Nevo who provided the camouflage design and the place was covered with dirt for the camouflage.

To provide air to underground workers, they built two chimneys through which an airstream was poured, and next to them a laundry and a bakery, the laundry was serving the kibbutz members and the bakery was exporting bread to the area nearby. below the chimneys, the area was connected and the workers could enter from both sides of the factory.

Also, the noise of washing machines and the smell from the bakery created a perfect camouflage for the factory that was under the surface.

The work of the institute was also hidden from the kibbutz members when they told them that they were going out every morning to work in the fields, only once the secret was discovered by a kibbutz member and she was asked to keep a secret, under the surface the workers didn't get enough vitamin d and sunlight, therefore, it was necessary to create an artificial tan for their health and disguise.

In February 1948, after the Jewish corps blew up the British Railway, the fear arose that the British would come to scan the kibbutz and find the weapon stash
That is why all the workers of the plant wanted to help the wounded and thus prevented any search in the kibbutz.

The Institute operated until the end of 1963 for the production of ammunition and the needs of the defense industry.

MAHON AYALON MUSEUM

The museum today presents The Bold and exciting story of the Ayalon Institute where you can visit and see all the original parts of the weapons and the factory thanks to the unique conservation project carried out in 1987.

The site was recognized as a heritage site by the Council for the Preservation of heritage sites in Israel