Tel Hai

Tel Hai (Hebrew: תֵּל חַי [tel χai], "Hill of Life") is a name of the former Jewish settlement in northern Galilee, the site of an early battle between Jews and Arabs heralding the growing civil conflict, and of a monument, tourist attraction, and a college. It is currently part of kibbutz Kfar Giladi. The Battle of Tel Hai on 1 March 1920, which gave Tel Hai its fame, was significant, from a Jewish perspective, far beyond the small number of civil combatants on either side – mainly due to its influence on Israeli culture, both inspiring an enduring national myth and profoundly influencing the military of the Yishuv and political strategies over several decades. In retrospect, it can be regarded as the first military engagement between Jews and Arabs, though at the time neither combatant side recognized it as such.