Ayanot
עֲיָנוֹת | |
---|---|
Etymology: Springs | |
Coordinates: 31°54′57″N 34°46′5″E / 31.91583°N 34.76806°E | |
Country | ![]() |
District | Central |
Council | Gan Raveh |
Founded | 30 March 1930–12 January 1932 |
Founded by | Ada Maimon |
Population (2021)[1] | 407 |
Website | ayanot.org.il |
Ayanot (Hebrew: עֲיָנוֹת, lit. 'Fountains') is a youth village in central Israel. Located near Ness Ziona, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 407.[1]
The village was named after the numerous springs in the area, though other sources claim it is taken from Deuteronomy 8:7; "For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills."[2] The Jewish National Fund wrote in 1949 that the name is derived from the Arabic.[3]
The foundation of the village began with the purchase of 140 acres (0.57 km2) of land by Ada Maimon as a girl's training farm[3] in 1926. The village was established on 30 March 1930, though no-one lived on the site until Maimon, ten girls and a guard moved in on 12 January 1932; until then they had lived in nearby Ness Ziona.[3]
During World War II, the village became an agricultural school and took in young Holocaust survivors who had succeeded in immigrating. Today it is home to a boarding school for 180 pupils. A few years ago, the agricultural school opened a miniature horse farm and one of its horses was a runner-up in the 2008 world championship for miniature horses.[4]
In 2010, the village celebrated its 80th anniversary.[4]