Machon Ayalon – Clandestine Bullet Factory

Just outside of Tel Aviv, on a small hill is located one of the State of Israel’s best kept secrets. Now a museum, this former bullet factory was hidden under a laundromat in a kibbutz training facility and arguably saved the State of Israel.  In 1943 as the War of Independence was approaching the haganah (the pre state army) desperately needed weapons and ammunition but the British ruled the land. This secret underground factory was established, and in 3 years produced over 2 million bullets under the nose of the British.  It was so secret that for the next 30 years no one had even heard of it!

Beit Guvrin National Park

Beit Guvrin or Maresha as it’s known in the bible, is the land of 5,000 caves.  Maresha was the hometown of the biblical prophet Michah and has a 3,000 year history, as well as having been conquered and destroyed numerous times.  The city sat on hills of soft chalk which the ancients quarried under their homes for building material resulting in an unbelievable underground systems of caves, and tunnels.  We will get to explore these underground caves that haven’t been seen for 2,100 years, as well as perhaps seeing the famous bell caves, columbarium, and amphitheater of the Roman city.

Khan Shaar HaGai Battle Museum

In 1948 when Israel was fighting for its independence, Jerusalem with one sixth of the Jewish population of Israel living was under intense siege.  The battle for the soul of Israel – our eternal capital – was raging and it seemed as though Jerusalem might have been lost.  At the Shaar HaGai museum we will learn about the battle for the roads, and the challenges our soldiers had when trying to capture Jerusalem.  After coming here and seeing the armored cars that fought in the battles, and hearing the personal stories of the soldiers, we can truly appreciate our modern and eternal capital city.

Bar Kochva Tunnels

Almost 1,900 years ago the soldiers of Bar Kochva fought a guerrilla war against the Roman Empire.  The ruins of a town from that period were discovered here with escape tunnels running underneath the ruins that we will explore on our hands and knees.  This is not for the claustrophobic! You must bring flashlights and clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.

Latrun Tank Museum

Latrun has controlled a strategic intersection from time immemorial.  It has seen the armies of Joshua, the Maccabees, Romans, Egyptians , Byzanitnes, Persians, and more.  Most recently it saw two major battles between Israel and Jordan in 1948 and 1967.

It is the main memorial for the IDFs Armored Corp and tank museum.  We will see and crawl all over tanks and armored vehicles  from the State of Israel’s history hearing and hear stories about them and the wars in which they fought.