'Alma

The village of Alma was built on uneven ground in the heart of the Upper Galilee, located approximately 4 kilometers south of the Lebanese border. Secondary roads connected it to neighboring villages. During the Crusader period, this site was referred to as Alme (ALME).

In 1596, Alma was a village in the subdistrict of Jira, district of Safad, with a population of 239. The villagers paid taxes on goats, beehives, a water-powered mill, and a press for grapes or olives.

By the late 19th century, Alma was a stone-built village with an estimated population of around 250. It was situated in a fertile plain containing several orchards. In modern times, Alma was one of the largest villages in the Safad district in terms of land area. It had a pool at its southern edge and another at its western side.

The population of Alma was entirely Muslim. The village contained a mosque and an elementary school, which it shared with the neighboring village of Al-Rihaniyya. The villagers’ livelihood was primarily based on agriculture—they raised livestock and cultivated crops, especially cereals and fruits. Their orchards were concentrated on the northern and northwestern outskirts of the village.

During the 1942/1943 season, approximately 750 dunums of village land were planted with olive trees—the largest area allocated to olives in the district. About 550 dunums of these trees were productive, with olives processed in two horse-driven presses. In 1944, a total of 7,475 dunums were dedicated to cereal cultivation, with 983 dunums irrigated or used for orchards.

Near the village were several ancient archaeological remains. Between 1914 and 1957, three architectural fragments bearing Hebrew inscriptions from ancient Jewish congregations were found at the site.

Occupation and Depopulation

Israeli units reached Alma during the final stages of Operation Hiram (see Arab al-Samina, Acre district) on 10 October 1948. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris, the villagers generally resisted, despite massacres committed by Israeli forces in the nearby villages of Safsaf and al-Jish, approximately 6 kilometers southwest of Alma. The day prior to Alma’s capture, the Israeli Ministry of Minority Affairs later listed Alma among villages that surrendered during the operation and were not punished. However, Morris notes that the inhabitants were ultimately uprooted and expelled—though he does not detail the conditions of the displacement. This was either carried out by units of the Sheva (Seventh) Brigade during the assault or followed an official decision taken in the subsequent weeks.

The Village Today

The site is now overgrown with thorny weeds covering the ruins of former houses. A stone wall remains standing, featuring a doorway and two windows. The surrounding lands have been cultivated by Israeli farmers with fruit trees.

Israeli Settlements on Village Lands

The settlement of Alma (197273) was established on the village lands in 1949, located approximately half a kilometer east of the original village site.