01In brief
Even Menachem is a moshav in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel, situated approximately 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) from the Lebanese border. Its recent history includes shelling attributed to Hezbollah, evacuation during the war with Hezbollah, and the Home Front Command's authorization for residents to return beginning March 2, 2025. Its documented agricultural activity includes a 17-dunam berry farm and a southwestern poultry complex with 21 existing poultry houses.
02Overview
Even Menachem is a moshav — a form of cooperative agricultural settlement — located in the Western Galilee in northern Israel.[1] At roughly 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) from the Lebanese border, it lies close to the Israel-Lebanon frontier.[1] It falls under the Ma'ale Yosef local authority and the Acre subdistrict.[3]
Plan 255-0716332 lists Even Menachem Moshav — Cooperative Agricultural Settlement Workers Ltd. as its applicant and developer.[3] Available sources document berry cultivation and an existing laying-hen complex as parts of the settlement's agricultural activity.[1][3]
03History and Security
An August 2003 analysis attributed recent shelling of Even Menachem and Shlomi to Hezbollah antiaircraft batteries and said Israeli civilians had been wounded twice during the preceding month.[2] Israeli officials claimed that the shelling did not coincide with Israeli overflights of Lebanese airspace and was therefore intended to fall on civilian communities.[2]
During the later war with Hezbollah, residents were ordered to evacuate and the area was designated an officially closed military zone. Moti Salhov, who grew up in Even Menachem and worked there as a farmer throughout his life, refused the evacuation order. He remained for more than a year, continuing to tend his land despite the moshav's exposure to Hezbollah anti-tank missiles.[1]
Volunteers — including people who traveled from Jerusalem — helped harvest Salhov's berry farm while rockets and missiles remained a daily threat.[1] The farm's only nearby shelter was a temporary structure at the gate, but reaching it took at least 90 seconds, roughly a full minute longer than the Home Front Command's allotted warning time. Salhov and others therefore sometimes lay on the ground during attacks, and he recalled shrapnel falling across the fields.[1]
On March 2, 2025, the Home Front Command allowed Even Menachem residents to return to their homes.[1] An emergency response team continued guarding the moshav entrance, and visitors remained barred from entering. Some residents said they would wait until the end of the school year, while others indicated that they might not return at all.[1]
04Economy and Agriculture
Available sources document both fruit cultivation and poultry farming in Even Menachem. Barak's Berries is operated by farmer Moti Salhov and his eldest son, Barak.[1] The farm spans 17 dunams, approximately four acres, and had shifted about a decade before the 2025 report from peaches, nectarines, and pears to raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and passion fruit.[1]
Plan 255-0716332 covers the consolidation of laying-hen farms in the southwestern part of the settlement across 142.767 dunams.[3] The complex contains 21 existing poultry houses and ancillary buildings, totaling approximately 12,964 square meters of built area. The plan is intended to upgrade the laying-hen houses and operate the complex as a single growing area, with poultry manure handled at an existing composting facility near the settlement.[3] Its estimated implementation period is 15 years from the date of approval.[3]
Sources
- 1The Times of Israel (accessed September 16, 2026)
- 2The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (accessed September 16, 2026)
- 3Israel Land Authority planning database (accessed September 16, 2026)
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What is Even Menachem?
Even Menachem is a moshav — a form of cooperative agricultural settlement — located in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel. It lies approximately 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) from the Lebanese border, falls under the Ma'ale Yosef local authority and the Acre subdistrict, and its documented agricultural activity includes berry cultivation and a laying-hen complex.
How was Even Menachem connected to Hezbollah attacks?
An August 2003 analysis attributed shelling of Even Menachem and the nearby community of Shlomi to Hezbollah antiaircraft batteries, noting that Israeli civilians had been wounded twice in the preceding month. Israeli officials claimed the shelling did not coincide with Israeli overflights of Lebanese airspace and was therefore intended to fall on civilian communities. During the later war with Hezbollah, residents were ordered to evacuate and the area was designated an officially closed military zone, leaving the moshav exposed to Hezbollah anti-tank missiles.
Who is Moti Salhov and what did he do during the evacuation of Even Menachem?
Moti Salhov is a farmer who grew up in Even Menachem and worked there throughout his life. When residents were ordered to evacuate during the war with Hezbollah, Salhov refused to leave and remained for more than a year, continuing to tend his land despite the moshav's exposure to Hezbollah anti-tank missiles. Volunteers, including people who traveled from Jerusalem, helped harvest his berry farm while rockets and missiles remained a daily threat.
When were Even Menachem residents allowed to return to their homes?
The Home Front Command authorized Even Menachem residents to return to their homes beginning March 2, 2025. An emergency response team continued guarding the moshav entrance and visitors remained barred from entering. Some residents said they would wait until the end of the school year, while others indicated they might not return at all.
What is Barak's Berries and what does the farm grow?
Barak's Berries is a farm in Even Menachem operated by farmer Moti Salhov and his eldest son, Barak. The farm spans 17 dunams, approximately four acres, and had shifted about a decade before a 2025 report from growing peaches, nectarines, and pears to raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and passion fruit.
What is the poultry farming operation in Even Menachem?
Even Menachem has a laying-hen complex situated in the southwestern part of the settlement, covering 142.767 dunams. The complex contains 21 existing poultry houses and ancillary buildings totaling approximately 12,964 square meters of built area. A development plan covers its consolidation and upgrade to operate as a single growing area, with poultry manure handled at an existing composting facility near the settlement, and its estimated implementation period is 15 years from the date of approval.