British Mandate
The founders of the kibbutz were from two Hashomer Hatzair groups. The first group, "Banir," was from Częstochowa, Poland. The group formed in 1931 and arrived in Mandatory Palestine in 1935. It received farm training in Ein HaHoresh. The other group was from Highland Mills, New York. They formed a group in 1922 and did their training at Mishmar HaEmek in 1931.[5] This group started out with 17 members, reaching 30 in 1933. [6] In May 1934, the two groups united in Hadera under the name "Banir-America" and worked there together.[5]
The initial location of the kibbutz was the hill of Jo'ara, about one kilometer from the current location of the kibbutz.[7] It was owned by an Effendi from a family called Salah, residing in Haifa, and was populated by Arab tenant farmers.[8] In 1936, the Jewish National Fund bought the land from the effendi and paid each sharecropper for their evacuation.[9] The funds for the deal were raised by Louis D. Brandeis, a United States Supreme Court Justice lawyer, and a prominent Zionist figure. The Americans donated 70,000 USD for the cause, with 50,000 coming from Brandeis himself.[10] The kibbutz was named in his honor.
On 5 July 1937 some of the members departed from Mishmar HaEmek, escorted by the Haganah, and arrived to the hill of Jo'ara. The kibbutz was established a part of the Tower and Stockade settlement drive.[11] Built on JNF land with the help of the Keren Hayesod company, it was the first Jewish settlement on the Menashe Heights.[7] Their departure was celebrated in Mishmar HaEmek, from where they brought dismantled structures, equipment for building a wall, and trees for planting. The climb was done on foot, as there was no paved road to the top of the hill. During the following winter the way to the hill was blocked and the members paved a new access road.[9]
The members stayed on the hill for one year before moving to the current and final location of the kibbutz.[5] They left the hill of Jo'ara after realizing it was too small. It was handed to the Haganah militia.[10] The construction of, the first permanent building took place in June 1938[12] and in October the rest of the members from Hadera and Jo'ara joined the kibbutz in its final location. Many members joined the Haganah paramilitary organization and the Notrim Jewish police force.[5]
In 1945, Ein HaShofet had a population of 320, all Jews. It was noted that it was the village formerly named Ji'ara (i.e. Jo'ara).[13][14] Despite a lack of water and hilly difficult reclamation, in 1948, with a population of 450, they "were a successful mixed hill farm with orchards, dry cereals, dairy products, sheep herding and chicken farming."[15]
During the Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine, Ein HaShofet housed a factory for explosives used by the Jewish militia against the British.[5]
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the Ein HaShofet villagers helped to defeat Fawzi al-Qawuqji's forces after their April 1948 attack on Mishmar HaEmek.[15]
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