Pioneers Establish Aloni HaBashan Settlement in Golan Despite Opposition

Yossi Sabo, one of the founding settlers of Aloni HaBashan in the Golan Heights, recounts the early days of the settlement's establishment in an interview conducted as part of the "Documentation of Veteran Settlers and Founders" project by the Ministry of Heritage and the Council for the Preservation of Heritage Sites in Israel. The initiative aims to preserve the stories of early settlers across various regions including the Jordan Valley, Judea, Samaria, Benjamin, the Golan, and the Galilee through hundreds of interviews.

Sabo describes how the settlers moved onto the land without approval from the Settlement Movement, despite the area's unsuitability for agriculture and harsh weather conditions. At the time, the Golan Heights was largely unpopulated, and the area known as "Juiza" had no Hebrew name and was avoided by official settlement bodies. The settlers faced opposition from the Settlement Movement, which only discovered their presence a week after they settled there on Lag BaOmer 1981.

Initially numbering about 25 people and one family, the settlers used a transit vehicle provided by the Jewish Agency to establish the community. Sabo explains that the move was driven by necessity, as the group had nowhere else to go and risked disbanding. Over time, Aloni HaBashan achieved economic independence, transitioning from an unsuccessful goat farming attempt to establishing vineyards, orchards, and a large dairy farm that began production in 1988, enabling the settlement to sustain itself without external aid.

The interview is part of a broader effort to document the founding chapters of Israeli settlements and preserve the heritage of the pioneers for future generations.