The moshova of Old Bat Shlomo
Bat Shlomo is a small, extremely picturesque village on the southern slopes of Mount Carmel, about 8 km from Zichron Ya’akov, which is definitely worth a visit. It was settled in 1889 by immigrants from Romania as a daughter settlement of Zichron Ya’akov, and like Zichron Ya’akov was supported by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Unlike many other towns that were originally part of the First Aliyah, it is very easy to mentally recreate the moshav by walking along its quaint one road with its restored stone houses and synagogue. The several restaurants (none kosher-supervised) are, of course, a later edition.
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Directions and parking: Enter into Waze “Old Bat Shlomo” into Waze and click on “Old Bat Shlomo, Bat Shlomo.” There is a parking lot adjacent to the main road of the old section of Bat Shlomo.
Public transport: Enter “Old Bat Shlomo” into Moovit. There is a moderately frequent bus from Nazareth Elit that stops in the moshava.
A pottery store at the entrance to Old Bat Shlomo
Be aware that there are two parts to Bat Shlomo, the old section, which was a moshava, and a moshav on the other side of Route 67, which was formed more recently in 1951. A moshava is a type of village established during the First Aliyah (late 1800s–early 1900s), where each family owned and farmed its own land independently. A moshav is a later model (mostly from the 20th century) where families farm their own plots, but share things like purchasing supplies and marketing produce. It is no tragedy if you go to the wrong part of the village, as they a 5 to 10-minute walk from each other. The boutique winery, Bat Shlomo Vineyards, was established in 2010.
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Bat Shlomo was named after Betty Salomon (in Hebrew Bat Shlomo), the daughter of Salomon Mayer von Rothschild. Betty Salomon was the aunt of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, in other words Edmond's father, James Mayer de Rothschild, and Betty were siblings. Salomon Mayer von Rothschild was one of the sons of Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty, and he established the Austrian branch of the Rothschild banking empire.
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Baron Edmond de Rothschild oversaw here the construction of thirteen stone houses, a synagogue, a mikvah (ritual bath), a storehouse, and a kosher butcher. These were intended to provide a comprehensive infrastructure for the religious practices and daily living requirements of the Eastern European settlers. This moshava was traditionally known for its vineyards and olive groves, with its grapes being grown for the Carmel Winery, although over time it evolved to include citrus and dairy farming.
A WALK THROUGH THE MOSHAVA:
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Walk down the main road of the moshava. Do enter the Schwartzman dairy/restaurant, even if you have no intention of buying anything, as it also functions as an informal museum with old pictures on the walls related to the history of the family and their business. Their cheese is not kosher-supervised, but they do sell kosher Bat Shlomo wine. The rebuilt stone houses along the road have signs with the names of the families for whom these houses were built. You will pass the synagogue, which was also built by Baron Rothschild, and which functioned as the spiritual and social center for the community. Continue to the bottom of the street for the view.
One of the homesteads at Bat Shlomo
The synagogue functioned as the spiritual and social center of this small community.
The Schwartzman dairy/restaurant is also a sort-of museum with pictures and memorabilia.
The view from the observation point at the the bottom of the road by the roundabout.