An impressive aqueduct greets visitors at the entrance to Kibbutz Lohamei Ha'geta'ot, located in the western Galilee between Acre (Akko) and Nahariya. The kibbutz was founded in 1949 by Holocaust survivors from Poland and Lithuania. Here the fighters from the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising joined together with partisans and prisoners who had evaded the Nazis, and named their new home in memory of the fighters in the ghettos, the forests and the armies, and put their efforts into living in the here and now. The ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone of the kibbutz also marked the beginning of the museum for documenting the Holocaust. Today the Ghetto Fighters’ House, built on a hill in the southern part of the kibbutz, encompasses the aqueduct, an amphitheater and to museums.
The aqueduct was built in the Ottoman period, in 1815, and is the most important engineering project undertaken by the Turks during their rule in this country. The aqueduct brings water from the Kabri springs (to the north) to the regional capital, Acre (to the south). This beautiful aqueduct was built with stone arches and in some places rests on pillars 10 meters high. Near the aqueduct is an amphitheater, where memorial ceremonies are held on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Beside the amphitheater are a research center and two museums: the Museum of the Holocaust and Resistance, named after Yitzhak Katzenelson, a poet and founder of the museum, which serves as a testimony to the stories of the survivors and an expression of the resurrection of the Jewish people in its land; and the Yad Layeled Children’s Museum, commemorating the one and a half million Jewish children murdered in the Holocaust. This museum houses the stories and testimonies of children and an exhibit on Dr. Yanush Korczak, a doctor, author and educator who devoted his life to children.
During its early years, the kibbutz’s economy was based on various branches of agriculture. Today the Tivol factory, which manufactures vegetarian meat substitute products, is the mainstay of the kibbutz’ economy. Near the factory is the Bayit ve-Kayit guesthouse compound that has beautiful guest rooms and a rustic restaurant that serves a special, rich breakfast to visitors from near and far.
In addition to these attractions, there is also the exhibition gallery displaying the artworks of Moshe Kupferman, winner of the Israel Prize for outstanding visual art. Other nearby sites include the water site at Moshav Regba, which demonstrates how water was drawn in ancient times, the Baha’i Gardens in Acre (Akko), and the beach, where flocks of migrating birds can be seen in spring and fall.