In the early years of the 20th century, Sir Alfred Mond, a Jewish industrialist from England, decided to get involved with the Zionist movement. In 1917, he started to invest in Eretz Israel, by establishing a new agricultural company. He bought 25,000 dunam in the Sharon area.
The farmland that he purchased was mainly used for citrus orchards, and many pioneers came to the developing Sharon area. Mond’s agricultural company helped its workers to settle in the area close to the orchard and four communities were born: Tel Mond, Kfar Hes Herut, and Ein Vered.
Tel Mond is now a medium-sized town with around 15,000 residents. The surrounding area is still a pastoral place with fields and agriculture, although fewer orchards can be found today.
A Zionist legacy
The town of Tel Mond is considered an important part of the Zionist project. Under the British Mandate and under British military occupation, great effort was made by the Jewish community and its leaders to settle, build, and strengthen the Jewish Yishuv from Herzliya to Hadera.
Mond, who was known also as Lord Melchett, even ordered a house to be built on the land for himself. Unfortunately, he died in 1930 before the house was completed.
The house is located at the town’s historical center to this day.
In the town of Tel Mond, a large white statue of Lord Melchett honors its founder, and Beit Halord (The Lord’s House) serves as a documentary center and museum that tells the story of the era and the great Zionist contribution of Sir Alfred Mond.
