Location: Mishmar HaEmek Forest, Ramat Menashe.
Description: The monument, designed by the sculptor and architect Shaul Salo, is in the Kibbutzim Forest, not far from Mishmar HaEmek. A map showing the distribution of the kibbutzim in Israel is displayed at the entrance. A concrete path leads from the gate to the square, concrete tower. On the right of the path are four columns with signs depicting the defense roles of the kibbutzim. The concrete tower symbolizes the value of defending the home front and perhaps also the Tower and Stockade settlement pattern. You can ascend to the top of the tower and look out over the spectacular view of the Jezreel Valley and the Galilee Mountains. The words of the writer S. Yizhar are engraved on the site’s concrete wall: “We remember brothers, sons and comrades who set out with us in the combat units. We returned and they will never return.” The names of more than 3,000 fallen from some 230 kibbutzim are commemorated on the adjacent memorial walls.
Directions: From the Ein HaShofet–Mishmar HaEmek road (Route 6953), turn south on the Ramat Menashe Park road 100 meters west of Ju'ara. Drive 3.9 km, turn left at the “traffic island” with the cypresses, drive past Hurvat Beit Rosh (Beit Rosh Ruins) to reach the memorial. The overall length of the route is about 6 km.