Old Masu’ot Yitzhak forest is named for Kibbutz Masu’ot Yitzhak, one of the four settlements that existed in the area on the eve of the establishment of the State of Israel. The settlers fought valiantly to protect Jerusalem.

The Kibbutz was established by the Religious Kibbutz Movement in 1945 and was subsequently destroyed during the War of Independence.

This cave was quarried from the rock and served as an oil press. During the War of Independence the wounded were brought here because the cement wall (still in existence today) protected its entrance.

The ruined cement structure visible to the north east of the cave (on the opposite side of the road) was a rest home. It is all that remains of Kibbutz Masu’ot Yitzhak.

The bunker and the ruined building serve as a powerful reminder of the fate that befell the four Gush Etzion settlements during the War of Independence.

The members of Kibbutz Masu’ot Yitzhak were taken prisoner by the Jordanians. Under the terms of an agreement reached with Jordan they returned to Israel and re-established their settlement in the Shafir region, where it still remains today.

The old site of Masu’ot Yitzhak is now a green and verdant area designated for tourism.