Jo'ara, Military history museum in Menashe Heights, Israel

Jo'ara is a two-storey stone building known as "the Villa", built on a hill in the Menashe Heights during the first half of the 19th century, probably by a member of the Salah family of Haifa. Twenty fellahin families of the village of Jo'ara lived in it for part of the time. The building now stands neglected, its museum closed since 2016.

From 1938 to 1948, the location served as the primary military school for commanding officers of the Haganah and Palmach organizations. During this time, hundreds of officers received training that would shape military leadership in the region.

The hill's Hebrew name, Giv'at Noach, honours Noach Lindheim. The museum, now closed and abandoned since 2016, once staged a display of figures recreating the opening of a commanders' course, a film on the British Mandate years, a reconstruction of a typical training day, and the Battle of Mishmar HaEmek. Its exhibits noted the 1944 officer course, which reached a record 140 trainees, men and women.

The museum closed in 2016 and the site was described as neglected in June 2023, so there is no visitor centre or exhibition to enter. A cornerstone for a leadership and education centre with a renewed museum was laid in November 2020, but the historic two-storey stone building and its grounds remain unstaffed. Check current access conditions before travelling.

Archaeological digs at the site uncovered Byzantine coins from the reigns of Arcadius and Theodosius II beneath the ground. These discoveries reveal that the location was inhabited centuries before its modern military use.