70 Yellin House in Motza

Tours of the home of the first Jewish family that settled in Motza Valley, west of the built-up land that was considered part of Jerusalem.  The house was built in 1890 by Sarah (neé Yehuda) and Yehoshua Yellin on farmland that had been purchased thirty years earlier by the Yellin and Yehuda families. The house, whose architecture was typical of the period, consisted of three rooms on the ground floor, a small room on the roof, and a cellar that was used as a barn. There was no kitchen or indoor plumbing. Yehoshua was also behind the construction of a roadside inn (khan), built on the ruins of an adjacent ancient structure.

After being unoccupied for 50 years, the house was repaired, renovated and restored by the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel. The surrounding vineyard and orchard were also replanted. Today, the house is a visitors center, and a ceramics studio operates out of the barn. The inn now serves as a synagogue.

The tours include a view of the area, a short video, a glimpse of the cellar, and a walk around the replanted orchard.

The Alloro café and bakery are also located on the premises, whose menu includes dishes named after some of the people who played a key role in the story of Yehoshua and Sarah Yellin.