The idea of establishing a moshav shitufi (cooperative settlement) first emerged in 1941, among Jewish soldiers serving in British Army Engineering and Ordnance Company 544, then stationed in Ismailia, Egypt. During the war, the unit was transferred to Tripoli and later to Italy. The soldiers - trained technical professionals specializing in electrical work and refrigeration - were already considering their future after demobilization. Most of them were unmarried, and they were determined to return to Eretz Israel and establish a cooperative settlement of their own.
Unlike earlier rural settlers in Palestine, these men lacked agricultural backgrounds. This led to the unique concept: founding a combined agricultural-industrial settlement, blending the working land model of the Labor Settlement Movement with their technical skills and craftsmanship.
By 1944, the idea began to take concrete form. Organizational efforts were initiated in both Naples, Italy and Cairo, Egypt. Carmi, stationed in Cairo, met Aryeh Heikind - who was in Italy - during a sports instructors’ course held in Benghazi. At that time, two cooperative settlements had already been established in Palestine - Moledet and Kfar Hittim - and the new group drew inspiration from these models, intending to expand the concept to include an industrial component.
As Hebrew soldiers in the British Army, many of them also participated in smuggling weapons to support the defense of the Yishuv (the Jewish community in Palestine). They felt strongly about continuing their path together, even though they had no prior training in founding a cooperative settlement.
The idea was championed by Avraham Gurochov, whose vision of a shared industrial enterprise with private living arrangements excited the group. Given their lack of agricultural experience, they planned to apply their skills in industry and electricity to ensure the economic viability of the settlement.
Gurochov established the organizational committee in Naples, while his wife, Chava, who was based in Palestine, served as the liaison with the settlement institutions and coordinated between the two nucleus groups - in Italy and Egypt. She was tasked with locating a suitable site for the future village, in cooperation with the national settlement authorities.
The group was clear in its demand: a location close to an urban center, enabling them to provide professional technical services for income.
The process of solidifying the new cooperative village was carried out through correspondence between members in Palestine, Egypt, and Italy. The founding groups elected secretariats, held meetings, documented minutes, and drafted proposals and decisions. From their military salaries, they created the “Discharged Soldiers’ Fund” to finance the establishment of their future settlement.
Their letters included proposals for the village’s charter and governance structure. Yosef Baratz, a Jewish Agency emissary to the Jewish soldiers in the British Army, returned from visiting their units and met with Ruth and Chava, who were serving in the Palmach. Baratz referred them to Eliezer Kaplan Herzfeld of the Agricultural Center.
Herzfeld promised them land - on one condition: they must provide the names of at least ten members who were ready to settle immediately. The nucleus group in Cairo raised funds and met with representatives from the Eretz Israel-based core group. The group in Italy, being geographically further away, was asked to contribute their thoughts and ideas regarding the structure, character, and location of the future settlement.
Source: Uriel Ben-Ami (Ed.), 1996, Bnei Dror Jubilee Book, 1946–1996, Or Media Publishing.