The Story of Nehemiah Hasid

In 1949, when Nehemiah Hasid’s two brothers were discharged from the army and returned to the family farm in Kfar Herut, they decided to grow vegetables. To support this, they ordered a Farmall tractor from the United States, along with a large matching mower. At that time, there were only three tractors in the entire moshav (belonging to the Nahodkins, the Ben-Haim family, and Yoske Levin). Theirs was the fourth.

The tractor was used for vegetable farming (mainly tomatoes): plowing, cultivating, and other tasks.

Since they also had a mower, they used it to harvest hay grown on their own land and for other members of the moshav. They grew hay and forage crops to provide feed for the horses and donkeys that most of the residents still kept.

When Nehemiah was just eight years old, his brothers let him drive the tractor, and by age nine, he was already plowing and cultivating the cucumber fields. For him, it was pure joy - an exhilarating, thrilling experience.

Later, both brothers left the moshav within a short time of one another, and Nehemiah remained alone in the family home. The tractor remained with him, and it was now his responsibility to maintain it. From time to time, he had to start it manually using the crank handle.

As the farm’s operations gradually declined, the tractor was used almost exclusively to bring feed to the chickens. However, its main purpose became driving to Even Yehuda and Kadima - in search of girls.

Eventually, the mower was removed from the tractor and left disassembled in the family yard, where it remained for many years.

When Nehemiah heard about the museum that Erez had established in Ein Vered and came to visit, he saw that there was a tractor of the same model - but no mower. He therefore offered Erez to come and collect their old mower for the museum.

And what about the tractor? It stood unused in the yard for years. At some point, a group of young people from the moshav built a go-kart using various parts from the tractor, which was gradually stripped almost entirely. Eventually, the remains were thrown away at the local junkyard in Herut.