Mikve Israel was the first agricultural school and the first agricultural settlement in the land of Israel. Most of the Jewish people who lived in the land of Israel in the 19th century lived in one of four holy cities: Jerusalem, Hebron, Zephath, and Tiberias. Most of them were financially supported by the Jewish communities in the Diaspora. In 1868, a group of young Jewish people turned to “Alliance Israelite Universelle” (כי”ח: כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲבֵרִים) and asked to be given the tools to learn how to cultivate the land so they can support themselves. The Alliance Society sent their secretary, Carl Netter, to check the feasibility of the request. Upon his positive recommendation and the Turkish government support, the Alliance Society was given 750 acres next the Jaffa – Jerusalem road for the purpose of an agricultural school. Netter, who became the founder of the school, envisioned making the place an educational center that would develop the country’s natural resources and renew the glory of Israeli agriculture.

The Mikve Israel (מִקְוֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל) school was established in 1870 and its name was derived from the Haftara (הַפְטָרָה) read at that week. The passage from the Book of Jeremiah (ירמיהו) refers to the Hope of Israel and couldn’t describe better the hopes that were laid upon the place.

מִקְוֵה, יִשְׂרָאֵל, מוֹשִׁיעוֹ, בְּעֵת צָרָה–לָמָּה תִהְיֶה כְּגֵר בָּאָרֶץ, וּכְאֹרֵחַ נָטָה לָלוּן. (ירמיהו י”ד, פסוק ח’)
O Thou hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest Thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? (Jeremiah 14:8)

The school became an example for teaching and instruction and laid the foundations to the agricultural and botanical research in Israel. Exotic plants were imported from various countries and grew in the school area, such as the 120-year-old Ficus Benghalensis that occupies today approximately 30 sq. meters. This tree produces prop roots which grow downwards as slender vines that become woody trunks once they reach the ground. As such, it became the symbol of the school that its students and graduates laid roots in Erets Israel and took place in building and developing the country.

In the early days of the school the language of instruction was French. After Word War I, the language changed to Hebrew. Over the years thousands of students studied there – some of them hold key positions in Israel’s diverse communities, and work in agricultural settlements, research institutions and agricultural factories.

One of the most interesting diplomatic and photographic events took place in the school exactly 110 years ago in the year 1898. Binyamin Ze’ev Herzl, the founder of the modern Zionism, met the German emperor Wilhelm II there. The emperor said: “Very hot! But this land has a future!” This diplomatic encounter was captured by Herzl consultant, Dr. Wolffsohn, but the important photograph had failed as it only picked up the emperor’s silhouette and Herzl’s left leg. Later on, Herzl was photographed in Jaffa and a photomontage was successfully created out of the blurred picture, showing Herzl, hat in hand, standing before the emperor on the black horse.

During the Sukot vacation, my family visited Mikve Israel. Although the visit should be arranged ahead of time to get appropriate guidance, it is highly recommended as a source of understanding the development of Israel.

In Israel, people find connections to almost every place and person. Few of the visitors in our guided tour were former graduates of the school and could add their own stories to the visit. That included my husband whose late grandfather was a student at Mikve Israel in the early 1900th. As an orphan from Jerusalem whose father died from Malaria while working in Kfar Saba, Arie Leon Cohen joined his older brothers in Mikve Israel. In order to enjoy hot meals and a warm bed, he concealed his real age and joined the school, learning agriculture, and especially mastering bee keeping. The family legend tells that he found a wild beehive and for a whole year he gathered honey and sold it. When he raised enough money, he bought a ticket to a ship that took him to South-Africa. Later on, his son, Benjamin Meir, returned to his original roots in Israel where he built his family, and his son Yuval is my husband.