On a hot August day, our CFOIC Heartland team was invited by friends on the ground to spend a full day exploring the hills of Judea. We were told that something extraordinary was happening in the region and that we needed to see it with our own eyes.
So, we drove through the hilltops of Judea, the very landscapes where the future King David once fled from King Saul and where the tribes of Judah and Simeon, along with the Levites, lived during the days of the Temple. What we saw was nothing less than a miracle!
We met people who have chosen to live in some of the most isolated and challenging parts of Judea because they have committed themselves to ensuring that all of Judea is fully connected to the roots of the Jewish people.
We met Dudu, a resilient Israeli from Dimona in southern Israel, who made the remarkable decision to build a hostel in the middle of the Judean desert. On our way to Dudu’s nascent hostel, which is surrounded by Bedouin communities, we saw camels crossing the landscape, almost like a scene out of an ancient Biblical story. The nearest established community to Dudu is a twenty-minute drive away. Dudu is, quite literally, rebuilding the desert of Judea!
Then we met Hanan, who had just completed more than two years of reserve duty in the Israel Defense Forces. Hanan could have resumed his comfortable and successful life in Israel’s central region. But Hanan sought a life with even deeper meaning and purpose. This past year, Hanan chose to live on a hilltop of prefabricated homes near the small Judean community of Otniel, helping to establish a new community that, God willing, will one day become prosperous and thriving.
And then we met a young couple, both of whom decided to start an initiative that goes beyond simply building homes. In the small community of Adora, just north of the ancient city of Hebron, they opened a small coffee shop. There, I sat beneath the shade of a tree on one of the hottest days of the year, holding a cup of iced coffee, and I could not help but think about the significance of that experience. It was August. While so many people were looking for somewhere to cool off from the scorching heat, the families and individuals we met that day had specifically chosen to make their homes in the desert or, at the very least, in much less convenient conditions. They were living in prefabricated homes, founding communities, opening businesses, and creating a future in places where practically nothing existed beforehand. 
The pioneers we met that day are not simply residing in the Biblical Heartland. They are bringing life back to the hills of Judea and fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecies! And what makes this development even more significant is the scale and pace at which it is happening. In the past year alone, dozens of new communities have been established across these hills!
For these pioneers, Judea and Samaria are more than regions on a map; they are part of the Biblical inheritance of the People of Israel. They also understand that the communities they live in are strategically vital, helping Israel establish a strong and secure presence while creating a safe haven for future generations.
Standing there in the heat, meeting with and hearing from these remarkable pioneers who are building the future of Judea, I realized again that sometimes redemption does not arrive with trumpets. Sometimes it looks as humble as a caravan on a barren hilltop, a young couple serving coffee under a tree, or just one determined Israeli building a hostel in the desert one stone at a time.
And sometimes, you simply have to see it with your own eyes.
This is the story unfolding in the hills of Judea!
Shmuel Junger
Executive Director | CFOIC Heartland