This agricultural settlement in the Jordan Valley near Lake Hula bears a name which goes back thousands of years. When the first group of Jews led by Ezra the Scribe left Babylonian captivity for Eretz Yisrael, the "beginning of their ascent" is described in Scripture (Ezra 7:9) as "yesud hama'ala."

The groups of young Jews who organized their aliyah while still in their native Polish village envisioned themselves as a reincarnation of that pioneering spirit and assumed the Biblical term for their community. It was this spirit which helped them to overcome bandits, disease and lack of agricultural training in developing their settlement.