A concrete place to start exploring Beit Hillel is Kurlender Farm: its history goes back to the moshav’s early years, and a guided tour of the dairy barn focuses on dairy farming. Nearby Nahal Snir offers a second highlight; the farm recommends combining both with a visit to the water.
Kurlender Farm: History and Agriculture
Kurlender Farm was founded in 1951 by Levitzi and Lili Kurlender and their then three-year-old son Tommy. The family had come to Moshav Beit Hillel from Romania after World War II, when the moshav was still in its early stages of development. The farm’s history is thus closely tied to the early development of the community.
The guided dairy barn tour includes milking cows by hand and bottle-feeding young calves. If you would like to plan for this experience, check the visiting arrangements in advance. The farm’s agricultural production extends beyond dairy farming: it grows organic citrus fruit and pomegranates and produces organic olive oil. Two different aspects are therefore represented side by side—the work with dairy cows and the cultivation of other agricultural products.
Nahal Snir as a Nearby Natural Attraction
Nahal Snir, also known as Hatzbani, flows very close to the dairy barn. In the wider region, it is one of the Jordan River’s three source streams and carries abundant water year-round.
Kurlender Farm recommends combining a visit to the farm with a visit to Nahal Snir and a swim in its cool water. This is a specific planning suggestion, not a guarantee of the conditions for either visit. Check the arrangements before making firm plans for a tour or time by the water.
Archaeological Themes in the Wider Destination of the Northern District
The wider destination of the Northern District also features important archaeological sites, including Tel Hazor and Tel Megiddo. At Tel Hazor, the visit focuses on the upper city. Its notable features include the fortifications, considered the best example of their kind in the area from southern Turkey to the northern Negev, and the underground water-collection system. This is described as a sophisticated, geographically adapted engineering achievement for storing water.
The excavated shaft at Tel Hazor is 45 meters deep, with three-meter-wide steps cut into its vertical walls. The site also includes Solomon’s Gate, with six chambers and two towers dating to the 10th century BCE. The Canaanite palace was used by the kings of Hazor in the 14th and 13th centuries BCE. The Late Bronze Age palace is considered the most elaborate in Israel and one of the most important in the Levant. The archaeological details here thus range from water storage to gates, fortifications, and palace history. Tel Hazor National Park can be reached from the north and south via Route 90 toward Ayelet Hashahar; check your navigation before setting out.
Tel Megiddo offers different thematic highlights. It is one of three tels preserving significant remains of cities with biblical associations and closely linked to events in the Bible. The temple complex from the Early Bronze Age is particularly exceptional: its importance lies in the number of temples, the continuity of cult activity, and the documented ritual practices. The orthogonal city plan dates to the Iron Age and has few parallels in the Levant.
The comparison helps guide your choice of what to explore: Tel Hazor offers points of interest related mainly to water engineering, gates, and palace history; Tel Megiddo, to temple complexes and urban planning. Both are in the Northern District, not among the attractions within Beit Hillel. For a stay in Beit Hillel, the farm’s history and nearby Nahal Snir are the local highlights; the tels add archaeological themes from the wider destination.
Discover more destinations: Kiryat Ono, Ma'ayan Baruch, Even Menachem, HaZore‘im, Hila, Tur'an, Beit Alfa, Ma'ale Gamla.
View the broader travel guide: Israel.
