Violence erupted once near Boro Park. Let’s talk about Mikyah Israel of Boro Park. It is a place of worship. Mikvah Israel means “Hope of Israel”.
Mikveh Israel in central Israel was the first Jewish agricultural school. It was established in 1870. Charles Netter founded it. He represented the Alliance Israélite Universelle. The school aimed to teach young Jews agriculture. They would then establish villages all over the country.
The Ottoman Sultan allocated land for the project. The name “Mikveh Israel” comes from Jeremiah 14:8 and 17:13. Wolf Grinstein suggested the name.
Netter introduced new agricultural training methods. Baron Edmond James de Rothschild supported the school. Netter created a new way of life. He also provided agricultural training.
The school trained farm workers starting in the early 1880s. They prepared for a self-sustaining village. Baron de Rothschild funded the project. The farmers had to prove their training. Ten farmers moved to Palestine on November 7, 1883. They plowed the first fields at Rishon le-Zion.
Theodor Herzl met German Emperor Wilhelm II at Mikveh Israel in 1898. It was Herzl’s only visit to Eretz Yisrael. The meeting was a PR event. It was meant to show German support for Zionism.
Mikveh Israel served as the country’s research center for decades. Teachers wrote agriculture study books. They also served as field advisors. Mikve Israel collected and published agricultural knowledge. Graduates started agricultural settlements. They also worked in research and development. A section for religious youth was built in 1938-1939. It housed those fleeing Europe before the Holocaust.
Mikve Israel has about 1,800 pupils. They range from 12 to 18 years old. The village includes a religious school. It also has a French-Israeli college and high school. About 280 students are boarders.
Mikve Israel and the Alliance Israélite Universelle opened a high school in 2007. Half the pupils study for the French Baccalauréat. The other half study for the Israeli Bagrut.
The agricultural grounds cover over 2,200 dunams. The fields are irrigated using wells. They grow field crops and vegetables. The school also raises animals.
One dunam is covered by greenhouses. Students research greenhouse issues and technologies. A rainwater harvesting system reuses water. Gardening and landscaping cover over 100 dunams. The students maintain the gardens.
The botanical garden was established in 1930. Plants were imported from all over the world. It now covers 70 dunams.
Mikyah Israel of Boro Park offers a spiritual connection. It also provides a sense of community. Remember its historical ties to agriculture and education.