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Ein Ayala

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01In brief

Ein Ayala is a moshav on the Carmel Coast, at the foot of Mount Carmel, just south of Haifa. Founded in 1949, it had 703 inhabitants at the end of 2004 and belongs to the Hof Carmel Regional Council. Its surroundings include a 24-kilometer cycling loop through the Hof Carmel area and a historic vineyard watchman's building. Nearby quarrying and natural-gas infrastructure proposals have prompted local opposition.

02Overview and Location

Ein Ayala lies within the Hof Carmel Regional Council, in Haifa District and Hadera Subdistrict.[7] Also recorded under the spelling Ein Ayyalah, it is classified as a moshav affiliated with Tenu'at ha-Moshavim.[1] The community is approximately 700 meters from Ein Ayala Quarry.[6]

03History

Ein Ayala was founded in 1949.[1][7] A historical photograph from that year shows a Czech immigrant working at a construction site in the moshav; its caption credits Zoltan Kluger and the Government Press Office.[8]

In 2008, an ultralight aircraft crashed in the moshav's fields, moderately injuring one passenger and lightly injuring another.[2] The cause was unclear, and the Israel Airports Authority opened an investigation.[2]

04Demographics

Ein Ayala had 703 inhabitants on December 31, 2004.[1] Its population in 2022 was 1,147, including 1,130 people classified in the “Jews” category.[7]

Provisional figures for 2023 recorded 1,219 residents, comprising 1,150 Israeli residents and 69 foreign residents.[9] All 1,150 Israeli residents were classified in the “Jews and others” category.[9]

05Economy and Culture

A cafe and coffee cart operating in Ein Ayala in 2024 occupied a building that had previously served as an armory and then a pub.[10] Its breakfast offerings included bruschetta that changed with the crops grown by local farmers.[10]

Ein Ayala is also on a 24-kilometer cycling loop through the Hof Carmel area that starts and finishes at the entrance to Kibbutz Ein Carmel.[3] On its return leg, the route reaches Ein Ayala, passes west beneath Highway 2 through an underpass, and continues north to Moshav Habonim before returning toward Ein Carmel.[3]

06Notable Sites

A historic structure in the area of Ein Ayala served as a vineyard watchman's building before the establishment of the state.[4] Discovered beneath vegetation on a property, it was described by a resident as roughly a century old and as containing fittings for tying donkeys.[4]

07Planning Disputes

In 2010, residents of Ein Ayala, Dor, and Nahsholim opposed a proposed natural-gas processing plant near their homes, citing safety and security concerns and seeking an offshore facility instead.[5] National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau called for a location minimizing environmental damage and risks to residents, while Delek Energy CEO Gideon Tadmor characterized the opposition as “Not In My Back Yard.”[5]

In 2012, Ein Ayala Quarry was among the leading candidate sites for a proposed onshore natural-gas terminal, not an established terminal.[11] Residents and local authorities raised landscape, safety, health, and industrial-development concerns; planners proposed a 600-meter buffer without residences around a terminal.[11]

During start-up venting at the Leviathan gas platform in December 2019, an Ein Ayala resident expressed fears about the health effects of emissions from the platform, located about 10 kilometers offshore from Dor Beach.[12] The Environmental Protection Ministry said measured emissions were lower than anticipated and coastal air-quality readings resembled those of the comparison period.[12]

In 2021, the Hof Carmel Regional Council was among the local authorities that petitioned against the national outline plan for mining and quarrying.[6] The Supreme Court dismissed the petitions, while stating that health effects would be considered during detailed planning and that inclusion in the outline plan did not itself approve a site as a quarry.[6]

Sources

  1. 1Encyclopedia.com, Land of Israel: Population, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  2. 2Ynetnews, 2 injured as light plane crashes south of Haifa, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  3. 3Ynet, Cycling Trip on the Hof Carmel Coast, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  4. 4Globes, From Cooperative Housing to an Unrecognized Village: 6 People Let Us into Their Homes, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  5. 5The Jerusalem Post, Protesters disrupt energy summit over gas plant, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  6. 6Calcalist, Green Light from the Supreme Court: National Quarry Plans Can Proceed, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  7. 7Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Localities File 2022, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  8. 8Globes, How Well Do You Know the Country? 73 Questions About the Israeli Economy, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  9. 9Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Localities File 2023, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  10. 10Globes, Healthy Bowls and Seasonal Bruschetta at the Coffee Cart in the Carmel, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  11. 11Globes, 13 sites proposed for gas terminal all nixed by mayors, accessed on November 11, 2026.
  12. 12Ynet, The Venting Is Over, Gas from Leviathan Flows to the Electric Corporation for the First Time, accessed on November 11, 2026.

IsraelPedia Question & Answers

  • What is Ein Ayala?

    Ein Ayala is a moshav on the Carmel Coast, at the foot of Mount Carmel, just south of Haifa. Founded in 1949, it belongs to the Hof Carmel Regional Council.

  • How many people live in Ein Ayala?

    Provisional figures for 2023 recorded 1,219 residents in Ein Ayala: 1,150 Israeli residents and 69 foreign residents. All 1,150 Israeli residents were classified in the “Jews and others” category.

  • What is the cycling route through Ein Ayala?

    Ein Ayala is on a 24-kilometer cycling loop through the Hof Carmel area that starts and finishes at the entrance to Kibbutz Ein Carmel. On the return leg, the route reaches Ein Ayala, passes west beneath Highway 2 through an underpass, and continues north to Moshav Habonim before heading back toward Ein Carmel.

  • What is the historic building near Ein Ayala?

    A historic structure in the Ein Ayala area served as a vineyard watchman's building before the establishment of the state. It was discovered beneath vegetation on a property, and a resident described it as roughly a century old, with fittings for tying donkeys.

  • Why did residents oppose the proposed natural-gas facilities near Ein Ayala?

    Residents of Ein Ayala, Dor, and Nahsholim opposed a proposed natural-gas processing plant near their homes in 2010, citing safety and security concerns and calling for an offshore facility instead. In 2012, residents and local authorities also raised landscape, safety, health, and industrial-development concerns about a proposed onshore terminal at Ein Ayala Quarry, which was a candidate site rather than an established terminal.

  • What happened during the 2019 start-up venting at the Leviathan gas platform?

    During start-up venting at the Leviathan gas platform in December 2019, an Ein Ayala resident expressed fears about the health effects of emissions. The platform was located about 10 kilometers offshore from Dor Beach. The Environmental Protection Ministry said measured emissions were lower than anticipated and coastal air-quality readings resembled those of the comparison period.

  • What happened to the petitions against the national mining and quarrying plan?

    The Supreme Court dismissed petitions against the national outline plan for mining and quarrying, including one by the Hof Carmel Regional Council in 2021. The court stated that health effects would be considered during detailed planning and that including a site in the outline plan did not itself approve it as a quarry.