- Asa Bartov, Moshav Herut, 2004
The idea of establishing a moshav (cooperative agricultural village) held great appeal in the 1930's. The main challenge, however, was the lack of available land and funding to accommodate all those who registered. The “Herut Yehuda” organization had about 200 members, but only 80 ultimately settled in the village. The rest either joined other settlement groups - such as Kfar Azar or Yarkona - or gave up altogether, feeling that receiving land was too distant a dream.
In 1938, 14 members of the “Ladarom” (To the South) group joined Moshav Herut. Originally based in Ra’anana, they had aspired to settle in southern Israel - hence their name. They eventually made their homes on the eastern side of the moshav. For years, as children, we were puzzled by why the sun always seemed to rise first over the “Ladaromniks.”
Following the establishment of the State of Israel, the moshav expanded by an additional 20 families. These were newly arrived immigrants who were housed in a temporary camp of tents and tin shacks built at the center of the village. As fate would have it, that year witnessed one of Israel’s harshest and snowiest winters. The snow may have been beautiful, but it certainly did not ease their process of absorption. Eventually, permanent homes were built for them in a western belt of the village, and they began developing their agricultural plots. However, many lacked the skills needed for farming, or were too old to begin such a demanding new chapter, and chose to leave. In their place, members of the moshav’s second generation took over.
Today, Moshav Herut comprises 114 farming units, each holding 30 dunams (about 7.5 acres). Over the years, the moshav purchased additional privately owned lands. A 120-dunam plot, formerly part of the Ziv citrus orchards within the Tel Mond local council jurisdiction, was acquired to provide productive groves for members of the moshav’s expansion. Another 50 dunams were purchased to the west of the moshav to expand vegetable cultivation. These lands, though privately owned, were eventually transferred by the moshav to the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and the Israel Land Authority.
A “neighborhood for the children” was established on the western side of the village. It is home to many descendants of the original founders. These residents are not formal landholders, but community members.
Currently, a new residential neighborhood of about 20 units is under construction. These homes are being sold to external buyers. As such, the face of the moshav is changing - from a community united by a shared economic and social purpose to one comprised of individuals with diverse goals and interests.
Will this new integration succeed? Only time will tell.