Hagana Museum in Tel Aviv

Established in April 1961, Hagana Museum in Tel Aviv is dedicated to the history of Hagana, an Israeli military organization and tries to delineate its history from its erstwhile groups like Bar-Giora and Hashomer to its involvement in the War of Independence. Comprising no more than 100 members, Ha Shomer or the Guild of the Watchman came into inception in 1909. Many see this organization consisting of Jew immigrants as a precursor to Hagana. Hagana was essentially formed to protect the Jewish farmers from the frequent attacks coming from Arabs. Although it started on a modest level, in the wake of the Arab 1929 Hebron Massacre, Hagana grew both in numbers as well as technology.

The four storey building of Hagana Museum in Tel Aviv is located adjacent to the house of home of Eliyahu Golomb, who was once a Hagana general. The Museum was a gift to the Israeli Ministry of Defense from a public committee presided over by Prime Minister Golda Meir. A visit to the third floor of Hagana Museum in Tel Aviv will reveal the tactics used by the Israeli soldiers to conceal their arms away from the notice of the British; also to be seen is the workshop in which the soldiers manufactured sten gun and hand grenades. The grenades came with the label USA to misguide the British.

The permanent collection of the Hagana Museum in Tel Aviv numbers around 837. Apart from the exhibitions, Hagana Museum also holds lectures, organizes development programs for school children and also publishes books and journals. The visitors should not be disheartened by the fact that most of the labels on the exhibits are in Hebrew simply because the museum has many guides who are proficient in English too.

Hagana Museum is open from Sunday to Thursday from 8am to 4 pm.