Ein Lavan, Natural spring in Jerusalem District, Israel

Ein Lavan is a layer spring in the Lavan Ridge of the Judean Mountains, about 1 km south of Moshav Aminadav and above the northern bank of Nahal Refaim. Its water emerges from a hewn rock tunnel feeding two pools, one shallow and one up to about 160 cm deep. Fig, walnut, almond, carob, olive, buckthorn, terebinth and mulberry trees surround it.

The area shows traces of habitation from the Iron Age through the British Mandate period, visible in archaeological remains of farming terraces and water infrastructure. These finds illustrate how long people have relied on this water source for survival.

The spring's name comes from the white colour of the Lavan Ridge rocks it flows from. Its fig, walnut, almond, carob, olive and mulberry groves were the farmland of the Palestinian village of al-Walaja, whose residents left after it was captured on 21 October 1948 during Operation Yekev.

The site is reachable by car and offers parking for visitors upon arrival. Hikers can use well-marked trails from here to explore nearby springs and other outdoor destinations in the region.

The spring's name comes from the white colour of the rocks of the Lavan Ridge from which it emerges. A paved 1.5 km path from the Biblical Zoo car park is named Derech Nadav after Nadav Elad, a paratrooper engineer killed in Hebron; his family and unit helped restore the site. The Israel Trail and a 2.1 km bike tunnel, Minheret Kerem, pass here.