Alonei Aba (Waldheim), Old German church
The settlement was inaugurated on the occasion of Harvest Festival (German: Erntedankfest) on October 6, 1907. Then, the new Waldheimers still lived in the simple clay huts bought from the previous owners. The Haifa engineer Ernst August Voigt presented the plan of the streets and the 16 sites around a central site, reserved for a church. In 1909 the Jerusalemsverein (English: Association of Jerusalem), a Berlin-based organisation supportive of Protestant activities in the Holy Land, contributed money for the development of a water supply. By 1914, the Waldheimers planted vineyards of 5,000 square meters and more than 500 olive trees.[5] In December 1913, the farmers of Waldheim and Bethlehem keeping dairy cattle founded a common dairy cooperative to pasteurise milk and deliver it to Haifa.
After 1939, all Germans in Palestine turned into Enemy aliens. Some of the settlers with patriotic feelings went to Germany to join the war. Several were organised in Palestine in Nazi-organisations such as Hitler Youth, but many others were not. The British authorities decided to intern most of the enemy aliens. For this purpose four settlements Sarona, Bethlehem, Waldheim and Wilhelma were converted into internment camps. In summer 1941, 665 German internees, almost all young families with children, were released to Australia, where they could settle again. Many of the remaining Germans were either too old or too sick, to leave for Australia, while a second group did not want to go there. In December 1941 and in the course of 1942 another 400 German internees, mostly wives and children of men, who had followed the calls for recruitment and had left for Germany, were released to Germany on the purpose of Family reunification. By that time, almost all Nazi supporters or partriots among the settlers had left Palestine.
In 1945 the Italian and Hungarian internees were released from Bethlehem and the other camps. But the Britons refused to repatriate the remaining German internees to the British zone in Germany, because the British zone was flooded with millions of war refugees. Also most of the internees did not want to go to Germany, they had their home in Palestine. In 1947 the British authorities and Australia agreed to allow the remaining German internees to emigrate to the fifth continent. The end of the Mandate forced to hurry the resettlement, thus all the internees were first transferred to Cyprus, to a camp of simple tents near Famagusta. The internees of Bethlehem could leave the place safely.
On 17 April 1948, armed entities of the Haganah entered Waldheim, with the few British soldiers under camp commander Alan Tilbury unable to impede them, killing two colonists and severely wounding a woman. (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alonei_Abba).
By May 14, 1948, when Israel became independent, only about 50 Gentile Germans, mostly elderly and sick persons, were living in the new state. They voluntarily left the country or were successively expelled by the government.
Alonei Aba (Waldheim), Old German church
The settlement was inaugurated on the occasion of Harvest Festival (German: Erntedankfest) on October 6, 1907. Then, the new Waldheimers still lived in the simple clay huts bought from the previous owners. The Haifa engineer Ernst August Voigt presented the plan of the streets and the 16 sites around a central site, reserved for a church. In 1909 the Jerusalemsverein (English: Association of Jerusalem), a Berlin-based organisation supportive of Protestant activities in the Holy Land, contributed money for the development of a water supply. By 1914, the Waldheimers planted vineyards of 5,000 square meters and more than 500 olive trees.[5] In December 1913, the farmers of Waldheim and Bethlehem keeping dairy cattle founded a common dairy cooperative to pasteurise milk and deliver it to Haifa.
After 1939, all Germans in Palestine turned into Enemy aliens. Some of the settlers with patriotic feelings went to Germany to join the war. Several were organised in Palestine in Nazi-organisations such as Hitler Youth, but many others were not. The British authorities decided to intern most of the enemy aliens. For this purpose four settlements Sarona, Bethlehem, Waldheim and Wilhelma were converted into internment camps. In summer 1941, 665 German internees, almost all young families with children, were released to Australia, where they could settle again. Many of the remaining Germans were either too old or too sick, to leave for Australia, while a second group did not want to go there. In December 1941 and in the course of 1942 another 400 German internees, mostly wives and children of men, who had followed the calls for recruitment and had left for Germany, were released to Germany on the purpose of Family reunification. By that time, almost all Nazi supporters or partriots among the settlers had left Palestine.
In 1945 the Italian and Hungarian internees were released from Bethlehem and the other camps. But the Britons refused to repatriate the remaining German internees to the British zone in Germany, because the British zone was flooded with millions of war refugees. Also most of the internees did not want to go to Germany, they had their home in Palestine. In 1947 the British authorities and Australia agreed to allow the remaining German internees to emigrate to the fifth continent. The end of the Mandate forced to hurry the resettlement, thus all the internees were first transferred to Cyprus, to a camp of simple tents near Famagusta. The internees of Bethlehem could leave the place safely.
On 17 April 1948, armed entities of the Haganah entered Waldheim, with the few British soldiers under camp commander Alan Tilbury unable to impede them, killing two colonists and severely wounding a woman. (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alonei_Abba).
By May 14, 1948, when Israel became independent, only about 50 Gentile Germans, mostly elderly and sick persons, were living in the new state. They voluntarily left the country or were successively expelled by the government.