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German Templer Colonies Tour, Galilee
Faith, hard work, a dark chapter, and houses that still tell the story.
In short
- The Templers were members of the Temple Society, a Protestant movement founded in Germany in 1861.
- They arrived in Haifa in 1868 and built colonies from Haifa to the Jezreel Valley, including Bethlehem of Galilee (1906).
- In the 1930s some joined the Nazi party; in World War II they were interned as enemy aliens, and the last left in 1948.
- Kobi lives in a Templer house in Bethlehem of Galilee and runs a small visitor center there.
- Book with Kobi: +972-52-355-6939.
Who were the Templers?
The Temple Society was founded in 1861 in Württemberg, southern Germany, by the theologian Christoph Hoffmann. Its members left the official Protestant church, believing that redemption would come when a community of believers lived and worked in the Holy Land. For them, the "Temple" was not a building but the community itself.
In 1868 Hoffmann and Georg David Hardegg arrived in Haifa with the first families. Over the following decades the Templers built colonies across the country and brought modern farming, crafts, trade and European-style stone houses.
The colonies
| Colony | Where | Founded | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| German Colony | Haifa | 1869 | Ben Gurion Avenue, restaurants, Haifa City Museum |
| German Colony | Jaffa | 1869 | Part of today's Jaffa |
| Sarona | Tel Aviv | 1871 | The restored Sarona compound |
| German Colony | Jerusalem | 1873 | Emek Refaim Street |
| Wilhelma | Near Lod | 1902 | Moshav Bnei Atarot |
| Bethlehem of Galilee | Jezreel Valley | 1906 | Moshav, stone houses and the visitor center |
Next to Bethlehem of Galilee, the colony of Waldheim, today Alonei Abba, was founded in 1907 by German Protestants of the Evangelical Church, some of them former Templers. That is why Waldheim has a church, and Bethlehem of Galilee does not.
Bethlehem of Galilee
In 1906 the second generation of Haifa's colony founded Bethlehem in the oak woods of the Jezreel Valley, on land bought from the Sursock and Tueni families of Beirut. They built stone houses with stables on the ground floor and living quarters above, farmed the fields, and helped fund the road from Haifa to Nazareth.
The dark chapter
In the 1930s Nazi ideas reached the Templer communities. Karl Ruff, an architect from Haifa, founded the local branch of the Nazi party, and in Bethlehem of Galilee the Hitler Youth was active. During the war, nine of the roughly thirty residents of Bethlehem were party members.
When the war broke out, the British declared the Templers enemy aliens, turned the colonies into internment camps and deported many to Australia. On April 17, 1948, Haganah forces took Waldheim and Bethlehem, and the last Templers left the country.
Want to hear it all up close?
Call Kobi, tell him who you are, and start planning.
What you see on the tour
| Stop | What you see |
|---|---|
| German Colony, Haifa | The boulevard from the sea to Mount Carmel, and houses with German inscriptions |
| Bethlehem of Galilee | The Templer avenue, original stone houses and old oaks |
| Alonei Abba | The church of Waldheim, now a concert venue |
| Fleischman house | Visitor center with photos, objects and then-and-now slides |
A house and a story
Since 1996 Kobi and Nurit Fleischman have lived in a Templer house more than a century old on the avenue of Bethlehem of Galilee. On its ground floor they set up a visitor center that tells the colony's story through photos and objects. Tours often end here, with refreshments prepared by Nurit.
Not the Knights Templar
Despite the name, the German Templers have nothing to do with the medieval Knights Templar, whose tunnel you can walk through in Akko. Both names come from the same word, Temple. Akko Old City & Templar Tunnel tour.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded the Templer movement?
The theologian Christoph Hoffmann, in 1861, in Württemberg, southern Germany.
Were all the Templers Nazis?
No. Some joined the Nazi party in the 1930s and some did not. In Bethlehem of Galilee, nine of about thirty residents were party members.
What happened to them?
During World War II they were interned as enemy aliens and many were deported to Australia. The last left in 1948.
Can we visit the visitor center?
Yes, for groups by arrangement. Call or message Kobi.
In summary
The German Templers came to the Holy Land in 1868 to wait for redemption, and built colonies from Haifa to the Jezreel Valley. They brought modern farming and European building, and in the 1930s some of them were drawn to Nazism. Their houses still stand, and in one of them, in Bethlehem of Galilee, Kobi Fleischman tells the whole story.
Want to hear the whole story up close?
Call Kobi. The route, the date and the details are settled in one call.
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The route and the details are planned together.