Sitting at his office desk in Revava, a lovely community of 500 families situated amidst the elevated rocky landscape of Samaria, Achiya Hareef finds himself a ta loss for words in describing how he has accomplished a seemingly impossible mission.
“There is no simple answer except to say that ultimately, all the work I do, in thecivilian and military realms alike, comes from the soul,” Achiya reflected.
For the last four years, while living with his wife and six children in the nearby community of Einav, Achiya has served as Revava’s Chief Administrator. Responsible for ensuring that all the critical needs of Revava’s residents are met, Achiya must establish budgets and secure the funds needed to pay for communal infrastructure and critical services such as security and education. The position is incredibly demanding.
“To be a good administrator for Revava, I must be on call at all times,” Achiyasaid. “We do not have the luxurythat municipalities in cities have tocategorically delegate tasks to separate teams and divisions.”
On October 7th, 2023, Achiya suddenly faced an impossible dilemma. This was a time when Revava would certainly need his constant guidance and leadership. However, Achiya, along with 60% of the men in Revava, had been called up for reserve duty in the IDF. Serving in the Hermon Brigade, Achiya holds the rank of major. With the country suddenly facing an existential war, Achiya’s role in the IDF was essential.
For the first month after October 7th, Achiya barely had time to breathe. Upon his arrival at Mount Hermon, Achiya, with the other commanders in his brigade, immediately prepared for imminent antitank missile and rocket attacks from Hezbollah as well as a potential infiltration by the Lebanese terrorist organization.
“My position in the IDF reserves could not have been more intense,” he stressed. “Once we finished one mission, I and the other commanders immediately worked on planning the next one.”
While serving at Mount Hermon, Revava was always on Achiya’s mind.
He spent whatever seconds he had available giving counsel to Revava’s central committee members who had taken the reins of decision-making in his absence.
“My telephone and email exploded with questions from the committee members, and I only had time to respond with short messages,” he related.
With Achiya’s guidance, the committee cared for the immediate needs of Revava’s residents. They provided the families of reservists with extra meals and emotional support and arranged weekly activities
for the children. They also made sure to properly house some sixty soldiers dispatched to protect Revava.
“I told the committee that whatever major decisions they made, I would accept and follow through on them,” Achiya remarked. “When there’s a vacuum, it’s an opportunity for others to grow.”
During his second stint of reserve duty at Mount Hermon from October 2024 until the middle of December, Achiya had more availability to communicate with his team and family over the phone.
Looking back, Achiya realized that he and his team in Revava were far more resilient than they thought. “None of what we dealt with was simple for a small community like ours,” he commented.
Achiya credited much of Revava’s success to CFOIC Heartland and its friends around the world. He was particularly enthusiastic about Revava’s neighborhood of caravans for new immigrants that recently absorbed
refugees from southern Israel, as well as a communal bomb shelter and surveillance cameras all provided by generous CFOIC Heartland donors.
“Our friends at CFOIC Heartland have been active partners with us in making the wilderness bloom,” he asserted. “We invite all our dear friends from CFOIC Heartland to visit Revava where they will be greeted with a sea of shining light!”